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Discovery of the interstitium, potentially the 80th organ in the human body!

Credits: JSC Features / NASA

The “interstitium” could be the largest organ in the body, a sort of layer of tissue filled with fluid that circulates all over the body, under the skin. This discovery could explain the spread of certain cancers.

American researchers from the NYU School of Medicine have discovered a layer of tissue made up of spaces containing fluid that circulates throughout the human body. Called the “interstitium”, it could be the 80th organ in our bodies, but also the largest, as is explained in a study which appeared in the journal Scientific Reports on the 27th March 2018.

As indicated in an NYU communication, this new organ firstly needs to be validated by the scientific community. It could then provide new information about the functioning of all the other organs and the majority of bodily tissue. Equally, the mechanisms underlying the majority of major illnesses could be better understood.

According to the researchers, the tissue layers that until now we believed to be dense connective tissues, are in reality interconnected fluid-filled compartments. We find them under the skin near the lungs, the digestive system and the urinary passages, but also around the veins and arteries as well as between the muscles. Scientists explain that this fluid contains strong collagen type proteins and flexible elastin type proteins.

Credits: Jill Gregory/ NYU School of Medicine

The fact is that up until now, this potential new organ remained invisible because of the microscope techniques used by researchers. In fact, the classic technique was to place the tissue to be examined on a microscope slide, which was in fact too small to allow for the existence of the interstitum to be detected or understood.

The scientists estimate that this is a discovery that will help us understand the mechanisms of certain diseases such as cancer. The interstitum is an open space, a veritable “highway for moving fluid”, which could “easily be traveled by invasive tumour cells”. This would explain “the high increase in the probability of metastases” from when the mucous membranes are affected by such tumours. Additionally, this discovery could facilitate future diagnostics, and the scientists are now awaiting the approval of the rest of the scientific community before conducting follow up research.

Sources : Sciences et AvenirFutura Sciences