The gastrointestinal tract epithelium is continually renewed and this process is controlled by several factors, such as food, hormones, growth factors and innervation. We used several approaches to assess the complex interaction between these elements and their effect on epithelial cell kinetics during the development of the gastric and intestinal mucosa. At the beginning of postnatal development, breastfeeding acts as an important route in controlling growth and maturation of the gastrointestinal tract. Thus we aim to study the effect of some hormones and growth factors present in milk on cell kinetics, using mainly immunohistochemical/cytochemical techniques.

Figure at right: Immunofluorecence for the identification of proliferative cells in the gastric mucosa of rats 30 days post birth. Ki-67 identified with AlexaFluor®-563 (red). Nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). Original magnification: 400x