Wharton's jelly
Wharton's jelly (substantia gelatinea funiculi umbilicalis) is a gelatinous substance within the umbilical cord, largely made up of mucopolysaccharides (hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate). It also contains some fibroblasts and macrophages. [1] It is derived from extra-embryonic mesoderm.
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[edit] Umbilical cord occlusion
As a mucous tissue it protects and insulates umbilical blood vessels. Wharton's jelly, when exposed to temperature changes, collapses structures within the umbilical cord and thus will provide a physiological clamping of the cord, an average of 5 minutes after birth.
[edit] Stem cells
Cells in Wharton's jelly express several stem cell genes, including telomerase. They can be extracted, cultured, and induced to differentiate into mature cell types such as neurons [2]. Wharton's jelly is therefore a potential source of adult stem cells (also see the more common method of storing cord blood) [3]
[edit] Etymology
It is named for the English physician and anatomist Thomas Wharton (1614-1673) who first described it in his publication Adenographia, or "The Description of the Glands of the Entire Body", first published in 1656.[4]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Wharton's jelly in the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary.
- ^ Mitchell KE, Weiss ML, Mitchell BM, Martin P, Davis D, Morales L, Helwig B, Beerenstrauch M, Abou-Easa K, Hildreth T, Troyer D, Medicetty S. Matrix cells from Wharton's jelly form neurons and glia. Stem Cells. 2003;21(1):50-60.
- ^ Wharton's Jelly, Hair Follicles New Sources of Adult Stem Cells, Studies Find StemCellNews.com, 13 May 2005.
- ^ Warton T (1656). Adenographia: sive glandularum totius corporis descriptio. London: Wharton. pp. pg 243–44.
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