Transitional epithelium
[1] This tissue consists of multiple layers of epithelial cells which can contract and expand in order to adapt to the degree of distension needed.[3] The basal layer fosters the epithelial stem cells in order to provide constant renewal of the epithelium.[6] Because of its importance in acting as an osmotic barrier between the contents of the urinary tract and the surrounding organs and tissues, transitional epithelium is relatively impermeable to water and salts.[7] The membrane is made up of a hexagonal lattice put together in the Golgi apparatus and implanted into the surface of the cell by reverse pinocytosis, a type of exocytosis.Transitional epithelium also functions as a barrier between the lumen, or inside hollow space of the tract that it lines and the bloodstream.Aristolochic acid, a compound found in plants of the family Aristolochiaceae, also causes DNA mutations and is a cause of liver, urothelial and bladder cancers.Transitional cell carcinoma can metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body via the surrounding tissues, the lymph system, and the bloodstream.Common risk factors of transitional cell carcinoma include long-term misuse of pain medication, smoking, and exposure to chemicals used in the making of leather, plastic, textiles, and rubber.However, while this method is effective in improving the function of the bladder, it can actually increases the risk of cancer, and can cause other complications, such as infections, urinary stones, and electrolyte imbalance.For example, current research paves the way for use of pluripotent stem cells to derive urothelium, as they are highly and indefinitely proliferative in vitro (i.e. outside of the body).
bladderSystemUrinary systemAnatomical terms of microanatomyEpitheliaSquamous epithelial cellSimpleStratifiedColumnar epithelial cellPseudostratifiedCuboidal epithelial cellOlfactoryRespiratoryIntestinalVaginalfemaleTable of epithelia of human organsepithelialcuboidalcolumnarsquamousmitochondriarough endoplasmic reticulumdesmosomesGolgi apparatusfacet cellsmicrovillitonofibrilshemidesmosomesbasement membranebladder cancercigarette smokingAristolochic acidAristolochiaceaearomatic aminespolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsCarcinomaTransitional cell carcinomaurachusInterstitial cystitisumbrella cellsUrothelial papillomaPapillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potentialPUNLMPInvasive urothelial carcinomaurothelial carcinomaList of distinct cell types in the adult human bodyList of human cell types derived from the germ layersWayback MachineHistology at KUMCMedical Subject HeadingsSquamous Cuboidal Simple squamous epitheliumEndotheliumMesotheliumSimple cuboidal epitheliumSimple columnar epitheliumStratified squamous epitheliumStratified cuboidal epitheliumStratified columnar epitheliumPseudostratified columnar epitheliumRespiratory epitheliumUrotheliumMerocrineEccrineApocrineHolocrineSebaceousMeibomianTubular glandAlveolar glandSerous glandsMucous glandsMyoepithelial cellSerous demiluneIntralobularStriated Intercalated Acinus