Pregnancy renews cells and tissues

Scientists from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, Hadassah Ein Kerem and the department of Developmental Biology and Pathology, Medical Faculty of the Jewish University, conducted a unique of its kind study, published in the journal "Genes and Development". This study clearly demonstrated as pregnancy updates organism .

The study was conducted on laboratory rodents very respectable age. It is known that with age the ability of the organism to renewal of cells and tissues is reduced, due to various biological processes, among them - cumulative damage to DNA, increases the amount of free radicals, etc. These processes can be observed in the liver, skin, bone, muscles, nerves, etc.

In recent years failed to prove that when you connect the circulatory system of old mice to the circulatory system in young mice, can restore the ability to update the muscles of old mice. Pregnancy is a natural unique model through which the circulatory system of an adult establishment (the mother) is connected to the circulatory system of a very young (embryo).

These calculations were confirmed by the study, during which two groups of female laboratory animals - young females, some of whom were pregnant, and older females, some of which were also pregnant - went through the operation of partial removal liver. Such a removal of the liver may be necessary, for example, when liver cancer.

Two days after the operation, it was found that young females - both pregnant, and others - the liver was restored to 82%. Deaths among young females was not. As for older females, then those who were not pregnant, we observed recovery of the liver tissue only by 46% and 47% of them died. A pregnant older females liver recovered in 96% and the mortality rate was below 9%.

Thus, it was confirmed the unique ability of the organism to renewal, during pregnancy. The scientists, whose investigation lasted four years, hoping on the basis of the processes occurring in the body during pregnancy, find a way to restore function update any older living organism, regardless of gender. In the first scientific efforts are aimed at helping people with liver disease, fraught with its partial removal.