It is not really a new finding, because a few years ago I talked about it, but it is surprising because more things have been known since then. It was in 2009 when I told you about fetal microchimerism, which is the name given to the phenomenon by which some baby cells pass into the mother's body and some cells of the mother pass to the fetus.
What was known by then is that the baby's cells were pluripotent stem cells that could help regenerate some tissues and organs of the mother, although they could also negatively affect in some cases. Now we also know that they could help to stop cancer cells and that they can even reach the maternal brain, perhaps being able to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.
Repairing the heart, kidney, liver ...
The pluripotent stem cells they are a type of cells that have not yet specified the type of cell they will be They are tremendously valuable because they can end up being any cell, and this means that in the mother's body they can become the cell that is most needed.
It is something like if nature had anticipated that in each pregnancy a few baby cells would pass to the mother to do a "maintenance" and help her repair some organs of her body, as if trying to make that baby more likely to survive, Thanks to having a mother with a better state of health.
In Babies and more Having children ages mothers' cells up to 11 years, but makes up for it in happinessApparently, there is data that these cells have helped repair the heart of mothers suffering from heart disease, and it is that when analyzing their hearts it was seen that some cells had the Y chromosome, which is exclusive to men, who had arrived there from the pregnancy of a male baby.
These cells have also been seen in other organs such as the liver, kidney and brain, where it was not known very well what function they could play.
Studying women's brains
In 2012, the Scientific American website spoke of a study of the same year in which the brains of 59 women were studied by autopsy.
In 37 of 59 cells were found with the Y chromosome (63% of the sample), and it was seen that women with Alzheimer's had fewer Y cells. This opened a new line of research, very interesting, because it presents many unknowns: Is there a causality? That is, does it have something to do with the existence of these cells and that women are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's or is it a coincidence? And on the other hand, women without Y cells in their brain, could they not have X cells of their daughters? Because it is likely that those who do not have them are because they have not had sons but perhaps daughters, and have cells of their daughters in the brain. Do they not have the same restorative or protective effect?
Also in mice
In 2015, we were able to read in One more of the family a study done with mice that transplanted damaged kidneys. When these kidneys reached a young animal, in 82% of the cases the tissues regenerated. When it was an older rat, it only happened in 46%. The most surprising thing is that when a pregnant older rat was transplanted, then 96% of damaged tissues were repaired, in clear evidence that pregnancy is decisive when it comes to regenerating.
And what about cancer cells?
It is a hypothesis that opened another new line of research that hopefully gives positive results. It is thought that the cells that reach women through fetal microchimerism can influence their immune system, for good. A baby's mother cell is recognized by its immune system as its own, because it shares half of the mother's genetic code, but at the same time as a foreign part, because the other half is from the father's genetic code. This could somehow prepare the immune system to be aware of cells that are similar to those of oneself, but with some genetic differences.
Cancer cells are like that, but with genetic mutations, and some studies suggest that fetal cells that pass from the baby to the mother could stimulate the mother's immune system to stop tumor growth. By providing some data, it is known that there are more microchemical cells in the blood of healthy women than in women who have suffered breast cancer.
But not everything always works so well, because sometimes the immune system, instead of using what has been learned for good, uses it for evil. These cells are more present in women with multiple sclerosis than in those who do not suffer from the disease, and this means that they could cause autoimmune responses In some people.
In fact, in 2009 I explained something similar, that in a study of women with preeclampsia it was observed that they had approximately 1 fetal cell per 1,000 cells in the maternal circulation, while in healthy pregnant women, the proportion was only 1 per million (Although again it is necessary to prove that one thing is a consequence of the other)
And the cells that pass from mother to son?
There is less data on this phenomenon, which is actually similar, but it has been seen that the cells that pass from the mother to the child also try to do something for him: these cells have been observed trying to repair damaged tissue in the pancreas of diabetic children.
Surprising or not?
Yes right? I find it fascinating that during pregnancy there is this exchange of cells from one being to another and that it has been seen to have benefits for both. As I said above, it seems that nature has everything planned to try to make the species survive a long time: in each pregnancy, a few cells of each baby arrive to repair possible damage that time or diseases may have left , with the purpose of try to make the mother live as long as possible, both to take care of the baby that is born, and to be able to have more children.
