The untapped potential of stem cells in menstrual blood

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Biotechnology

Context

Approximately 20 years ago, biologist Caroline Gargett discovered two types of cells in the endometrium through rigorous microscopy examination, suspected to be adult stem cells due to their regenerative capabilities.
The discovery of these cells, known as endometrial stromal mesenchymal stem cells, opened new avenues for research in tissue repair and disease treatment.

Which blood cells are present in menstrual blood?

Endometrial stem cells can be obtained non-invasively from menstrual blood and are referred to as menstrual blood-derived stem cells.
Menstrual Stem Cells were first identified from menstrual blood in 2007.
These menstrual stem cells could offer several advantages.
They come from a source that’s easy to obtain from women.
They could be used to treat patients without the fear of tissue rejection.

Endometrium

Endometrium lines the inside of the uterus.
The endometrium has a deeper basal layer that remains intact, and an upper functional layer that sloughs off during menstruation.
During a single menstrual cycle, the endometrium thickens as it prepares to nourish a fertilised egg, then shrinks as the upper layer sloughs away.

Important Role:

It plays a vital role in repairing and regenerating the upper layer of tissue that gets shed each month during menstruation.
This layer is crucial to pregnancy, providing support and nourishment for a developing embryo.
The layer, and the endometrial stem cells that prod its growth.
It also appears to play an important role in infertility.

What are Stem Cells?

A stem cell is a cell with the unique ability to develop into specialized cell types in the body.
These cells provide new cells for the body as it grows, and replace specialized cells that are damaged or lost.
In the future, they will be used to replace cells and tissues that have been damaged or lost due to disease.
Human body is made up of numerous types of cells.
Most cells are specialized for particular functions, like the red blood cells that carry oxygen in our bodies through the blood, but they are unable to divide.
All stem cells regardless of their source have three general properties:
- They are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods
- They are unspecialized.
- They can give rise to specialized cell types.

Embryonic stem cells vs Adult stem cells

Stem cells come from two main sources: embryos or adult tissues.
Embryonic stem cells can give rise to virtually any cell type in the body, but they are controversial because conventional procedures for obtaining them involve the destruction of an embryo.
Adult stem cells, such as those found in bone marrow, do not pose the same ethical concerns, but they have limited powers and collecting them can require invasive procedures.