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Review
. 2018 Jun;30(3):424-429.
doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000000630.

Mechanisms for intestinal regeneration

Genia Dubrovsky  1 , James C Y Dunn  2
Affiliations
Review

Mechanisms for intestinal regeneration

Genia Dubrovsky et al. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to briefly summarize the notable structures and pathways in intestinal epithelial growth before presenting the current main areas of active research in intestinal regeneration. As a rapidly advancing field, a number of breakthroughs have recently been made related to the culture of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and to the engineering of intestinal tissue.

Recent findings: ISCs can be derived from fibroblasts and can be cultured in hydrogels under xenogeneic-free conditions. Intestinal organoids can be cultured with neural crest cells to form small intestinal tissues with neuromuscular networks. Endoluminal devices can be placed inside the native intestine to exert mechanical force to induce novel tissue growth.

Summary: A number of recent advances in the field of intestinal regeneration are encouraging and suggest that novel therapies for a wide range of intestinal disorders may be developed in the near future. There are still a number of obstacles before such stem cell therapies can be safely used in humans.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest:

None

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Cellular structure of an intestinal crypt and villus. Diagram of an intestinal villus and crypt. Differentiated cells such as enterocytes, goblet cells, enteroendocrine cells, and tuft cells appear in the villus. The crypt contains intestinal stem cells (ISCs). +4 cells are reserve stem cells that are able to repopulate the crypt base columnar cells (also known as LGR5+ stem cells) following injury. Paneth cells are also found in the crypt and support the growth of the ISCs. As ISCs create new progenitor cells, these cells will continue to differentiate and migrate up to the villus through the transit-amplifying zone. Mesenchymal cells support growth of the crypt base.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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