Cell renewal is a process linked to the reproduction and death of cells.
Cell renewal is the body 's ability to achieve a balance between cell division (which allows new cells to be produced) and cell death . This cell renewal is a dynamic process that involves the production of new cells that are identical to the stem cells ; Meanwhile, other cells die.
It should be noted that renewal is the process and result of renewing (making something return to its original or previous state; changing an old thing for a new one). Cellular , for its part, is what is linked to cells (the primary constituent of living beings).
The cell renewal rate
There is a cell renewal rate for each type of cell. In some cases, cell renewal is rapid and dying cells are “replaced” or “recovered” at high speed . In other cases, however, cell renewal is slow.
This means that, although all organs have cells that can renew themselves, the rate of cell renewal varies in each case. In general, the greater the specialization of the organ, the lower the capacity for cell renewal.
Cell renewal is not only linked to anatomy : genetic inheritance is also important. On the other hand, habits are relevant in cell renewal since diet, physical activity and the consumption of substances such as alcohol or tobacco affect the process .
There is a rate of cell renewal for different types of cells.
An example
An example of cell renewal occurs in the skin when a person tans and then loses the acquired color.
This is because skin cells are renewed as the days go by and, in this way, the tone produced by the action of the sun's rays is gradually eliminated.
Cell renewal according to Jonas Frisen
According to a Swedish biologist named Jonas Frisen , not all cells in the body are the same age, and the difference is truly considerable. Regardless of a person's age, their body is many years younger: between 7 and 10 , to be more precise. This is because a large part of our tissues are in constant cell renewal.
Frisen is also the creator of a method that allows us to calculate the age of cells that aims to reveal more secrets, such as the reason why sooner or later cell renewal stops and, consequently, we die. On the other hand, this discovery indicates that some cells are never renewed , they remain in our body since we are born; This is the minority, and in this group it is possible that all or almost all those belonging to the cerebral cortex can be found.
Calculating the age of a cell
To calculate the age of a human cell, there are various techniques that consist of labeling the DNA with some chemical component, although they are not as precise. Frisen proposed to observe the enrichment of carbon 14 that DNA experiences when the cell is born, although this cannot be practiced at the cellular level but with tissues, so that the penetration of said substance is greater and allows a more correct estimate of age.
According to one study, the rib muscles of people aged around 40 showed an average age of 15.1. In the case of the epithelial cells found on the surface of the intestine, cell renewal occurs every five days, while the rest of the intestine does not exceed 15.9 years of life.
Although there are experts who maintain that the brain is not capable of generating new neurons when it completes the formation of its structure, a scientist named Elizabeth Gould questioned this certainty at the beginning of the 21st century , and all this shows us that cell renewal has several surprises for us, something that especially excites those who dream of combating aging and, why not?, death.