It is rare that anyone confronted with the term “proliferation” can understand what it is right away. A terrible incurable disease, a prescribed medicine, or maybe doctors among themselves let you know about the patient’s oddities?
Definition of the term
So proliferation - what is that word? This is a biological term that means cell growth, otherwise - mitosis. Cells that have the same properties, simultaneously begin to develop in the same place - in the language of science - have a local location. At this time, they are affected by external and internal factors:
- Neurogenic and hormonal stimulation.
- Proteins of own cytoplasm.
Sometimes cell growth can be delayed or changed under the influence of a pathogenic factor.
How is proliferation carried out?
Proliferation occurs at the very end of the inflammatory process, when the destruction of bacteria and viruses pathologically affecting the tissue ends. Signs of proliferation can be seen at the stage at which the destroyed cells begin to recover, the toxins begin to be excreted, and the damaged surface tissues recover.
Of course , it is impossible to notice with a simple glance how inflammation replaces proliferation . All processes take place at the intracellular level. The b2-macroglobulin protein produced at this stage restores vascular permeability, reduced during the disease, protects the connective tissue from damage. Free radicals disappear inside the cells , they are neutralized by superoxide dismutase - a substance contained in the human body, an antioxidant enzyme. At this stage, proliferation occurs. That this is a cellular rebirth is evident from the processes. Cells stop synthesizing pathogenic mediators, and new, healthy receptors appear on their surface. Old ones are sucked in and destroyed.
The mechanism of proliferation
In order to understand proliferation - what it is and how it occurs, we can consider for example an ordinary wound, for example, on the oral mucosa.
Everyone saw how a white film - fibrin - forms on the surface of the ulcer. It fills the damaged surface. The main educator is protein - fibrin. Then the tissue becomes more mature, new vessels appear in it - the surface of the former ulcer rises above the main one. The epithelium begins to recover literally immediately after damage, and this already shows that the body is instructed from within to build a new surface over the damage, to resume the lost structure.
How proliferation occurs, what kind of process is at this stage, under the scab, the tissue surface is restored or with primary and secondary tension - it all depends on the depth of the wound and its area.
- The primary tension is when the wound heals without the use of effort, it is small, there is no infection in it. The appearance of epithelial tissue causes a scab, and the abrasion heals within 3-7 days. The scab is torn away.
- Secondary healing takes place,if the damage surface is significant, or an infection has entered the wound. Then they usually resort to medical care: the scab that has initially arisen is removed, the required manipulations are performed, and only then, under the newly formed scab, proliferation occurs.
The pathological process of cell growth
Proliferation is not always good. Consider the example of the gastrointestinal tract.
Under the influence of increased acidity, ulcerative lesions and erosion can form in the stomach. Of course, the proliferation mechanism is triggered. Cells begin to form in the deepest basal layer of the epithelium. They rise to the surface, form an impenetrable barrier, restore the destroyed surface - everything seems to be fine.
However, the organs of the gastrointestinal tract have a rather heterogeneous tissue structure, many cells take part in it: parietal, endocrine, mucous membranes ... And if at least one of the proliferation structures fails, some cells begin to divide faster than others under the influence of internal factors - differentiation is impaired , and a tumor forms.
Proliferation in Gynecology
In the life cycle of women of childbearing age, proliferation occurs regularly. During menstruation, the endometrium is rejected, then restored. Therefore, when taking hysteroscopy - scraping from the uterine wall - or when examining with an ultrasound machine, it is very important to consider what phase of the endometrial proliferation. During the monthly cycle, the endometrium has a different thickness, and it is from it that they judge the work of the woman's genital organs.
The endometrial growth phase is a very important parameter for assessing the pathomorphological picture. Without knowledge of this parameter, an accurate diagnosis cannot be made even by an experienced specialist.