Fallopian tubes offer new stem cell source

SAO PAULO, June 17 (UPI) -- Brazilian scientists say human tissues normally discarded after surgical procedures could be a rich source of stem cells for regenerative medicine.

University of Sao Paulo researchers said they have demonstrated for the first time that human fallopian tubes are abundant in mesenchymal stem cells, which have the potential of becoming a variety of cell types.

Researchers Mayana Zatz, who led the study, Tatiana Jazedje and a team from the university's Human Genome Research Center isolated and assessed the differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells from discarded human fallopian tubes.

The team found human fallopian tube mesenchymal stem cells could be easily isolated and expanded in vitro and are able to differentiate into muscle, fat, cartilage and bone cell lines.

"In addition to providing an additional potential source for regenerative medicine, these findings might contribute to reproductive science as a whole," Jazedje said. "Moreover, the use of human tissue fragments that are usually discarded in surgical procedures does not pose ethical problems."

The study appears in the Journal of Translational Medicine.