Epithelial cell

Epithelial cells are specialized, tightly packed cells forming continuous sheets that line the surfaces and cavities of the body's organs and tissues, including skin, the digestive and respiratory tracts, urinary tract, and many glands[1][2][5][6][8]. Their main roles are to protect underlying tissues, enable selective absorption and secretion, regulate permeability, sense environmental signals, and participate in immune responses[1][2][3][6][8]. They are classified by shape (squamous, cuboidal, columnar) and arrangement (simple, stratified, pseudostratified, transitional) and exhibit distinct apical–basal polarity[1][3][5][9]. Epithelial cell markers, such as keratins and E-cadherin, assist in identifying subtypes and states including during pathological processes like epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is critical in development, wound healing, and metastasis[5][9]. Note: “Epithelial cell” is not a single molecular therapeutic target, such as a specific receptor or enzyme, but rather a broad cell type. Therefore, it is not considered a canonical drug target, and typical data fields for target drugs or specific mechanisms of action do not apply.

Other names

Epitheliumepithelial tissue