11 research outputs found
Cardiac stem cells possess growth factor-receptor systems that after activation regenerate the infarcted myocardium, improving ventricular function and long-term survival.
Cardiac stem cells and early committed cells (CSCs-ECCs) express c-Met and insulin-like growth factor-1
(IGF-1) receptors and synthesize and secrete the corresponding ligands, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and IGF-1.
HGF mobilizes CSCs-ECCs and IGF-1 promotes their survival and proliferation. Therefore, HGF and IGF-1 were
injected in the hearts of infarcted mice to favor, respectively, the translocation of CSCs-ECCs from the surrounding
myocardium to the dead tissue and the viability and growth of these cells within the damaged area. To facilitate
migration and homing of CSCs-ECCs to the infarct, a growth factor gradient was introduced between the site of storage
of primitive cells in the atria and the region bordering the infarct. The newly-formed myocardium contained arterioles,
capillaries, and functionally competent myocytes that with time increased in size, improving ventricular performance at
healing and long thereafter. The volume of regenerated myocytes was 2200 m3 at 16 days after treatment and reached
5100 m3 at 4 months. In this interval, nearly 20% of myocytes reached the adult phenotype, varying in size from 10 000
to 20 000 m3. Moreover, there were 4313 arterioles and 15548 capillaries/mm2 myocardium at 16 days, and 316
arterioles and 39056 capillaries at 4 months. Myocardial regeneration induced increased survival and rescued animals
with infarcts that were up to 86% of the ventricle, which are commonly fatal. In conclusion, the heart has an endogenous
reserve of CSCs-ECCs that can be activated to reconstitute dead myocardium and recover cardiac function
The probiotics in dentistry: a narrative review
The total number of microbes that colonize the human body is far greater than the number of cells that make it up. In recent years, it has been shown that bacteria play an essential role in the body; in fact, they are essential for the maturation of the intestine, the development and control of the immune system, the development of the brain, the metabolism of macronutrients, the synthesis of vitamins, and the energy balance. Bacteria play an essential role in defense of their territory against the entry of other bacteria that may be pathogenic to health. Metchnikoff, about a century ago, invented probiotics, assuming that the use of certain bacteria could be beneficial to maintaining health. Bacteria colonize our body from birth and breastfeeding, using the bacterial flora of the mother by accessing newborns through the mouth. Antibiotic therapies in pregnancy or cesarean section prevent this flow of probiotics to infants and open the way for very important diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. The alterations of oral bacterial flora are responsible for numerous diseases of the oral cavity and the idea of the use of probiotics is leading the way to new therapeutic perspectives
Post-prandial effects of hazelnut-enriched high fat meal on LDL oxidative status, oxidative and inflammatory gene expression of healthy subjects: a randomized trial
OBJECTIVE: Postprandial oxidative stress is characterized by an increased susceptibility of the organism towards oxidative damage after consumption of a meal rich in lipids and/or carbohydrates. Micronutrients modulate the immune system and exert a protective action by reducing low-density lipoproteins oxidation (ox-LDL) via induction of antioxidant enzymes.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The clinical study was a randomized and cross-over trial, conducted through the CONSORT flowchart. We evaluated the gene expression of 103 genes related to oxidative stress (HOSp) and human inflammasome pathways (HIp), and ox-LDL level at fasting and after 40 g raw "Tonda Gentile delle Langhe" hazelnut consumption, in association with a McDonald's® Meal (McDM) in 22 healthy human volunteers.RESULTS: Ox-LDL levels significantly increased comparing no dietary treatment (NDT) vs. McDM, and decreased comparing McDM vs. McDM + H (p<0.05). Percentage of significant genes expressed after each dietary treatment were the follows: (A) NDT vs. McDM: 3.88% HIp and 17.48% HOSp; (B) NDT vs. McDM + H: 17.48% HIp and 23.30% HOSp; (C) McDM vs. McDM + H: 17.48% HIp and 33.98% HOSp.CONCLUSIONS: Hazelnut consumption reduced post prandial risk factors of atherosclerosis, such as ox-LDL, and the expression of inflammation and oxidative stress related genes. Chronic studies on larger population are necessary before definitive conclusions
Cardiac stem cells regenerate the infarcted heart, restoring function and long-term survival in mice
Cardiac stem cells possess growth factor-receptor systems that after activation regenerate the infarcted myocardium, improving ventricular function and long-term survival
Cardiac stem cells and early committed cells (CSCs-ECCs) express c-Met and insulin-like growth factor-1
(IGF-1) receptors and synthesize and secrete the corresponding ligands, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and IGF-1.
HGF mobilizes CSCs-ECCs and IGF-1 promotes their survival and proliferation. Therefore, HGF and IGF-1 were
injected in the hearts of infarcted mice to favor, respectively, the translocation of CSCs-ECCs from the surrounding
myocardium to the dead tissue and the viability and growth of these cells within the damaged area. To facilitate
migration and homing of CSCs-ECCs to the infarct, a growth factor gradient was introduced between the site of storage
of primitive cells in the atria and the region bordering the infarct. The newly-formed myocardium contained arterioles,
capillaries, and functionally competent myocytes that with time increased in size, improving ventricular performance at
healing and long thereafter. The volume of regenerated myocytes was 2200 m3 at 16 days after treatment and reached
5100 m3 at 4 months. In this interval, nearly 20% of myocytes reached the adult phenotype, varying in size from 10 000
to 20 000 m3. Moreover, there were 4313 arterioles and 15548 capillaries/mm2 myocardium at 16 days, and 316
arterioles and 39056 capillaries at 4 months. Myocardial regeneration induced increased survival and rescued animals
with infarcts that were up to 86% of the ventricle, which are commonly fatal. In conclusion, the heart has an endogenous
reserve of CSCs-ECCs that can be activated to reconstitute dead myocardium and recover cardiac function
Bone marrow cells differentiate in cardiac lineages after infarction independently of cell fusion.
Recent studies in mice have challenged the ability of bone marrow cells (BMCs) to differentiate into myocytes
and coronary vessels. The claim has also been made that BMCs acquire a cell phenotype different from the blood
lineages only by fusing with resident cells. Technical problems exist in the induction of myocardial infarction and the
successful injection of BMCs in the mouse heart. Similarly, the accurate analysis of the cell populations implicated in
the regeneration of the dead tissue is complex and these factors together may account for the negative findings. In this
study, we have implemented a simple protocol that can easily be reproduced and have reevaluated whether injection of
BMCs restores the infarcted myocardium in mice and whether cell fusion is involved in tissue reconstitution. For this
purpose, c-kit–positive BMCs were obtained from male transgenic mice expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein
(EGFP). EGFP and the Y-chromosome were used as markers of the progeny of the transplanted cells in the recipient
heart. By this approach, we have demonstrated that BMCs, when properly administrated in the infarcted heart, efficiently
differentiate into myocytes and coronary vessels with no detectable differentiation into hemopoietic lineages. However,
BMCs have no apparent paracrine effect on the growth behavior of the surviving myocardium. Within the infarct, in 10
days, nearly 4.5 million biochemically and morphologically differentiated myocytes together with coronary arterioles
and capillary structures were generated independently of cell fusion. In conclusion, BMCs adopt the cardiac cell lineages
and have an important therapeutic impact on ischemic heart failure