Determination of cellular kinetics in the digestive tract
Willems, G.
Gastroenterologie Clinique et Biologique 2(3): 249-252
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0399-8320 PMID: 648796 Document Number: 128803
Most techniques for measuring the proliferation of gastric and other cells in the digestive tract of man involve the injection of radioactive precursors of DNA, but these are not justified because of the dangers of ingesting radioactivity. For this reason numerous alternative methods, some as yet in the research stage, are reviewed and their difficulties and limitations pointed out. Uncertainty is created by the lack of significance of cell renewal at a given moment in the study of cell renewal rates in disorders affecting the digestive tract, because proliferation and cell loss in the digestive mucosa is a life-long process. Totally indefensible conclusions can easily be reached if this truth is not borne in mind. Temporary very large increases in gastric mucosal desquamation (as after ingestion of aspirin) is quickly compensated by increased proliferation of subjacent glandular cell layers. Radioactive labeling of gastric biopsy specimens in association with various techniques avoids dangers from radioactivity ingestion, but difficulties are numerous with these methods too. In addition, hope for progress is seen in methods that do not utilize radioactive precursors to detect cells in the S phase of mitosis. One of these methods is based on a parallelism between DNA synthesis and immunoreactivity of the nucleus to specific anti-nucleotide antibodies.