TLDR Intestinal stem cells can help repair skin damage from radiation.
In the 2005 study, side population (SP) cells from the small intestine were found to aid in the repair of skin damage caused by irradiation in mice. When these small intestinal organoid-derived SP cells were injected into irradiated C57BL/6 mice, the treated mice showed significantly less skin injury and maintained their original hair color compared to the control group, whose hair turned white. Histological analysis confirmed that the transplanted SP cells differentiated into skin cells, including melanocytes, in the damaged skin. This study, which involved 4 mice in each the transplanted and control groups, provided the first evidence that stem cells from the small intestine can become skin cells, supporting the concept of stem cell plasticity and suggesting a potential new avenue for skin repair therapies.
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