Abstracts of Research Articles on Stem Cells

The research articles in their entirety are available from agingwellness@aol.com .

Nutraceuticals Synergistically Promote Proliferation of Human Stem Cells

Paula C. Bickford, 1,2 Jun Tan, 1 R. Douglas Shytle, 1 Cyndy D. Sanberg, 3 Nagwa El-Badri, 1 and Paul R. Sanberg 1

ABSTRACT
A viable alternative to stem cell transplantation is to design approaches that stimulate endogenous stem cells to promote healing and regenerative medicine. Many natural compounds have been shown to promote healing; however, the effects of these compounds on stem cells have not been investigated. We report here the effects of several natural compounds on the proliferation of human bone marrow and human CD34+ and CD133+ cells. A dose-related effect of blueberry, green tea, catechin, carnosine, and vitamin D3 was observed on proliferation with human bone marrow as compared with human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (hGM-CSF). We further show that combinations of nutrients produce a synergistic effect to promote proliferation of human hematopoietic progenitors. This demonstrates that nutrients can act to promote healing via an interaction with stem cell populations.

STEM CELLS AND DEVELOPMENT 15:118-123 (2006)
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Oxidative Stress of Neural, Hematopoietic, and Stem Cells: Protection by Natural Compounds

R. Douglas Shytle,1 Jared Ehrhart,2 Jun Tan,1,2 Jennifer Vila ,1 Michael Cole,1 Cyndy D. Sanberg,4 Paul R. Sanberg,1 and Paula C. Bickford1,3

ABSTRACT
During natural aging, adult stem cells are known to have a reduced restorative capacity and are more vulnerable to oxidative stress resulting in a reduced ability of the body to heal itself. We report here that the proprietary natural product formulation, NT020, previously found to promote proliferation of human hematopoietic stem cells, reduced oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of murine neurons and microglial cells in vitro. Furthermore, when taken orally for 2 weeks, cultured bone marrow stem cells from these mice exhibited a dose-related reduction of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. This preclinical study demonstrates that NT020 can act to promote healing via an interaction with stem cell populations and forms the basis of conducting a clinical trial to determine if NT020 exhibits similar health promoting effects in humans when used as a dietary supplement.

REJUVENATION RESEARCH
Volume 10, Number 2, 2007
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/rej.2006.0515