Transplant of bowel tissue into another part of the body

[Lilja]

Hi

I saw a British documentary about drug abuse among young people. There was this young man who had destroyed his bladder from taking Ketamin. His bladder was removed and a new one was created by transplanting a bit of his bowel, at the age of 17...

The curious thing here, at least for me, was that he had to rinse his bladder once a week, because the bowel-transplant still produced mucus.

So, the tissue taken from his bowel continues to produce mucus outside the bowel!

So, the ability to produce mucus lies in the nature of the tissue, and is not necessarily dependent on the "surroundings", that is the gut, the food, the bacteria and the digestion.

Strange

Lilja

[tex]

So, the tissue taken from his bowel continues to produce mucus outside the bowel!

So, the ability to produce mucus lies in the nature of the tissue, and is not necessarily dependent on the "surroundings", that is the gut, the food, the bacteria and the digestion.

The entire gastrointestinal tract is lined with mucosal tissue on the interior surface. All mucosal tissue contains pits, known as crypts, or goblet cells, which have several functions. For one thing they produce the new tissue that develops into new cells that grow to replace the old cells that are replaced on a regular schedule. But the main thing they do is to produce mucin, which turns into mucus when exposed to water as it is released into the lumen (the interior volume of the intestine).

So if an entire section of the intestine is transplanted anywhere else in (or on) the body, the mucosal crypts are going to continue to produce mucin (which will form mucus when exposed to water).

And if the recipient of such a transplant were to develop microscopic colitis, anytime his colitis was active (causing watery D), then his new bladder would also be flooded with water, to match what is happening in his intestine. I'll bet that his doctors don't even realize that possibility, and they would surely argue that I am wrong, but I have no doubt that I am correct.

How do I know? I have a short stub of my colon that was left at the distal (rectal) end, 9 years ago. It has been completely disconnected from my gut for 9 years now, but it continues to produce mucin. And last November, when the kidney stones caused an MC flare, that stub of intestine also reacted with watery D (actually, watery mucus). Interesting, isn't it.

Tex

[Lilja]

How do I know? I have a short stub of my colon that was left at the distal (rectal) end, 9 years ago. It has been completely disconnected from my gut for 9 years now, but it continues to produce mucin. And last November, when the kidney stones caused an MC flare, that stub of intestine also reacted with watery D (actually, watery mucus). Interesting, isn't it.

Tex

Yes, Tex, I find it fascinating. So, the "code" for producing mucin lies in the DNA of the tissue, and the production will continue despite the new environment it is put into.

The doctors in the documentary said that he would have to get a new bladder - made in the same way - in a few years.

By the way, I felt sorry for him. A hard lesson.

Lilja

[tex]

By the way, I felt sorry for him. A hard lesson.

Yes, besides the inconvenience of dealing with the mucus, abdominal surgery is never fun (nor is it without risk). A hard lesson indeed. But he is probably lucky to be alive.

Tex