A new property of blood cells has been discovered. They can promote tissue regeneration.

Blood is one of the most significantcomponents of our body. Its properties are well known to us, right? Red blood cells (erythrocytes) promote oxygen transfer, white blood cells (lymphocytes) protect our body. In addition, thanks to blood, nutrients and vitamins are delivered to all organs and tissues. Thanks to blood, almost all metabolic processes occur. But recently, scientists have revealed another property of blood cells. It turns out that they can play an important role in tissue regeneration processes.

It turns out that the human body still holds a lot of secrets

How blood promotes healing

According to the editorial office of Cell Reports,A group of scientists from the Oxford Biomedical Research Center was able to prove that one of the subspecies of T-lymphocytes (namely, MAIT cells) can actively participate in tissue repair processes. But to begin with, let's figure out what are MAIT cells. Being a type of T-lymphocytes responsible for immunity, MAIT cells are also found in large numbers in the mucous membranes, in the liver, in articular bags and in places of inflammation and tissue damage. Moreover, MAIT cells have 2 mechanisms of action. The first, which is logical, is protective and is associated with the main specialization of cells. It is aimed, roughly speaking, the identification and destruction of pathogens and other dangerous biological agents. But the second, regenerative, is much more interesting. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend subscribing to our news channel in Telegram so as not to miss the most important news.

MAIT cells are unique cells. Firstly, they have not changed much in evolutionary terms, which indicates their importance for our body as a whole. And secondly, MAIT cells are present not only in humans, but also in other animals, which means that the mechanisms of their work are important for maintaining the life of a huge number of species of living organisms. - says one of the authors of the work, Dr. Timothy Hinks.

The activation path of regenerative processes by MAIT cells

When MAIT Cells Contact Pathogensagents, they are activated and include genes in damaged tissues, which trigger the regeneration process. Moreover, it is noteworthy that there are practically no other ways of activation of recovery processes in such conditions in our body. However, scientists suggest that there are ways to activate MAIT cells without, say, "the presence of infection."

See also: What can cause human blood to turn blue?

The authors of the paper suggest that forNatural and synthetic vitamin-like molecules can be used for this. But this is only a hunch so far. In general, if scientists can find a way to activate MAIT cells in tissues, the recently discovered mechanism of tissue regeneration can help fight diseases (and their consequences), such as chronic peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, Crohn’s disease, and other gastrointestinal injuries intestinal tract. This organocomplex was isolated by scientists in the first place for the reason that the intestines are abundantly lined with the mucous membrane, which contains a large number of MAIT cells.