Fallopian tubes offer stem cell hope

Scientists have revealed a potential new source of crucial stem cells ? fallopian tubes.

The tissue is usually discarded after surgical procedures but a new study states that in fact they may provide an abundant supply of mesenchymal stem cells which have the potential of becoming a variety of cell types.

It has previously been shown that mesenchymal stem cells obtained from umbilical cords, dental pulp and adipose tissue, which are all biological discards, are able to differentiate into muscle, fat, bone and cartilage cell lineages

The author’s of the new report published in the Journal of Translational Medicine claim therefore that the search for sources to obtain multipotent stem cells from discarded tissues and without ethical problems is “of great interest”.

In their research, the authors set out to isolate and assess the differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells from discarded human fallopian tubes.

They found the cells could be easily isolated and expanded and can differentiated into different cell lines.

Tatiana Jazedje, from the University of Sao Paulo, comments: “In addition to providing an additional potential source for regenerative medicine, these findings might contribute to reproductive science as a whole.

“Moreover, the use of human tissue fragments that are usually discarded in surgical procedures does not pose ethical problems.”