- Stem cells help the human spine regrow after injury
- 2a/2b. PRP increases fat stem cell growth and efficacy
- Stem cells fight multiple myeloma
- Stem cells from peripheral blood grow bone and cartilage
- Stem cells fight arthritis
- Lasers help stem cells grow
- Stem cells decrease inflammation
- Stem cells fight hair loss in human females
Dramatic recovery of spinal cord function from stem cell injection in a human patient.
A patient with complete disruption of his spine at the midchest level was treated with intravenous and intra-spinal stem cell injections after conventional treatment did not help him. Therapy was continued over a two-year period. His sensation improved from the Thoracic 1 level at the chest to the L3-4 level at the abdomen. Trunk control, absent at injury, was restored as was bladder control. Lower extremity movement was absent at injury, paraplegia, but after treatment partially returned such that he was able to stand in a standing frame. There were no side effects of treatment. While there obviously is no control group for his treatment, his results are quite exciting and unlikely to have occurred without treatment. A link to the abstract is here
2a. The addition of platelet rich plasma increased stem cell growth.
Fat grafting is often used for the treatment of a variety of plastic surgical and orthopaedic problems. However, the graft does not always survive. This study used human fat and PRP and injected it into so-called “nude” mice that do not reject foreign tissue. The results showed that the addition of PRP improved the survival and function of the fat grafts. This study of human tissue thus has direct application to fat grafts in humans, although it is possible that host factors of the mouse may have altered the results. A link to the abstract is here.
Study 2b also showed enhanced growth of fat grafts when combined with PRP. This study was done on the scalp of rats and showed more growth of the fat grafts and more blood vessels in those grafts. The results of both of these studies suggest that it may be beneficial to combine PRP injection with fat grafts when fat grafts are used in human patients, such as for plastic surgical reconstructions or arthritic joints. A link to the abstract is here.
Stem cells fought multiple myeloma
This study in mice found that adipose and umbilical cord-derived stem cells inhibited the growth of multiple myeloma cells in mice. This is of particular interest because bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells have been shown to support multiple myeloma growth, i.e. make it worse. This study is both exciting and cautionary regarding stem cells and cancer. It illustrates that stem cells in cancer treatment can be both beneficial and harmful and dictates extreme caution with their therapeutic use in cancer treatment. A link to the abstract is here.
Stem cells derived from peripheral blood helped grow bone and cartilage
This study isolated stem cells from peripheral blood – avoiding the morbidity of bone marrow and fat graft techniques – and showed that they helped heal bone defects in the skull of mice. The cells also showed the capacity to grow cartilage and fat. They are fibroblastic cells. Their authors named them “blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells.” The authors state that they are the “first peripheral blood-derived cells that fulfill the criteria of mesenchymal stem cells as defined by the International Society for Cellular Therapy.” A link to the abstract is here
Stem cells from fat are effective in treating arthritis in humans
This study from the Czech Republic reported the treatment of 1114 patients after a single stromal vascular injection from fat. Follow-up ranged from 12-54 months. There were no complications. Over 90% of the patients had improvement of at least 50%. Worse arthritis and obesity had worse results. Given the higher rate of obesity in the United States this suggests that results might not be as good overall. Nonetheless, this represents one of the few studies of fat injection in humans and has promising results. A link to the abstract is here.
Lasers increase stem cell proliferation
Lasers represent a promising but still undefined area of treatment for arthritis. This systematic literature review attempted to determine if there is significant data currently available indicating that low level laser light LLLT enhances stem cell proliferation. The conclusion is that it does, although the optimum dose and type of laser light is not yet determined. A link to the abstract is LLLT enhances stem cell proliferation. The conclusion is that it does, although the optimum dose and type of laser light is not yet determined. A link to the abstract is here..
Stem cells modulate the immune system and inflammation
While stem cells are able to regenerate tissue, such as islets of Langerhans cells in diabetes in some experimental models, they also have a significant anti-inflammatory effect. This article reviews the anti-inflammatory effects of stem cells and their immunomodulatory effect. This anti-inflammatory effect is likely a significant mechanism of the efficacy of stem cells in the treatment of arthritis. A link to the abstract is here.
Stem cells fight hair loss in human female pattern hair loss
This retrospective study found that stem cells isolated from fat showed increased hair density and thickness after 12 weeks of treatment. The increase in both parameters was roughly 20%. There were no severe adverse reactions. This is yet another example of stem cell technology with future promise. A link to the abstract is here.
FEB ABSTRACTS
Effects of autologous adipose-derived stem cell infusion on type 2 diabetic rats.
1. Endocr J. 2015 Feb 21 [Epub ahead of print]
Hu J1, Fu Z, Chen Y, Tang N, Wang L, Wang F, Sun R, Yan S.
Author information
1Stem Cell Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266003, China.
Abstract: The effects and possible mechanisms of adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) infusion on type 2 diabetic rats were investigated in this study. Twenty normal male Sprague-Dawley rats were included in normal control group, and 40 male diabetic rats were randomly divided into diabetic control group and ASC group (which received ASC infusion). After therapy, levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, serum insulin and C-peptide, recovery of islet cells, inflammatory cytokines, and insulin sensitivity were analyzed. After ASC infusion, compared with diabetic control group, hyperglycemia in ASC group was ameliorated in 2 weeks and maintained for about 6 weeks, and plasma concentrations of insulin and C-peptide were significantly improved (P< 0.01). Number of islet β cells and concentration of vWF in islets in ASC group increased, while activity of caspase-3 in islets was reduced. Moreover, concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in ASC group obviously decreased (P< 0.05). The expression of GLUT4, INSR, and phosphorylation of insulin signaling molecules in insulin target tissues were effectively improved. ASC infusion could aid in T2DM through recovery of islet β cells and improvement of insulin sensitivity. Autologous ASC infusion might be an effective method for T2DM.
FREE TEXT 25739585
Alleviation of neuropathic scar pain using autologous fat grafting.
Ann Plast Surg. 2015 Feb 18
Huang SH 1, Wu SH, Chang KP, Lin CH, Chang CH, Wu YC, Lee SS, Lin SD, Lai CS.
Author information
1From the *Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, †Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ‡Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, §Center for Stem Cell Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and ∥Department of Anesthesia, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Abstract: Traumatic wounds inflict small- and large-fiber sensory nerve damage, causing neuropathic pain in scar tissue, thus impairing patients’ quality of life and leading to the development of psychological disorders. Autologous fat grafting has been clinically shown to improve scar quality, but few studies have explored the effects of this technique on pain. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of fat grafting on treating neuropathic scar pain. From February 2008 to January 2013, 13 patients who were identified using the Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions (scores >4/10) were enrolled in this study. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI) were used to evaluate pain preoperatively and 1 week, 4 weeks, and 24 weeks postoperatively. The mechanism of trauma, scar location and size, duration of allodynia, fat graft volume, pharmacologic therapy duration, and total follow-up time were recorded. Thirteen patients experiencing neuropathic pain were enrolled in this study. The mean ± SD age was 33.08 ± 16.35 years. The mean duration of pain was 4.29 ± 2.85 months. The mean VAS score before treatment was 7.54 ± 1.05. The mean VAS scores decreased by 4.38 ± 1.66 after 1 week of treatment (P = 0.009), 5.38 ± 2.06 after 4 weeks of treatment, and 5.62 ± 2.18 after 24 weeks of treatment. The mean NPSI scores were 49.38 ± 13.25 before treatment, 25 ± 14.4 after 1 week of treatment (P = 0.004), 21 ± 17.78 after 4 weeks of treatment, and 14.62 ± 16.88 after 24 weeks of treatment. The 13 patients followed a mean of 24 weeks; 10 (77%) of the patients had improvement of 5 or greater on the VAS score. The mean follow-up period was 19.3 ± 12.26 months (range, 6-38 months). No surgical complications were noted in this series. In our study, both VAS and NPSI scores decreased significantly, revealing that the autologous fat grafting can alleviate neuropathic scar pain 1 week after operation and in the long term.
Pubmed 25695456
Antitumor effect of conditioned media derived from murine MSCs and 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) mediated photodynamic therapy in breast cancer in vitro.
Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2015 Feb 23. pii: S1572-1000(15)00022-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2015.02.004. [Epub ahead of print]
Mohammadpour H1, Majidzadeh-A K2
Author information
1Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
2Cancer Genetics Department, Breast Cancer Research Center (BCRC), ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Tasnim Biotechnology Research Center (TBRC), Faculty of Medicine, AJA University of Medical Sciences.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells are multi-potent progenitor cells that inhibit tumor growth by some ligands and releasing factors including TRAIL, DKK-1 and DKK-3. On other hands, photodynamic therapy is commonly used for treatment of different types of cancer. The aims of this study are to investigate of MSCs conditioned media and ALA mediated photodynamic therapy in breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Condition media was derived after documentation of mouse adipose derived MSCs. For photodynamic therapy (PDT), ALA was used at the final concentrations of 1mM for 4-hours followed by exposure to red light with a peak wave length of 632-nm, delivered from diode laser located at 2cm to achieve a total light dose of 5 Joules (J)/cm2. Apoptosis and growth of 4T1 cancer cells were analyzed in different groups including MSCs derived condition media, PDT and MSCs derived condition media plus PDT by flow cytometry. Growth of cancer cells were assessed using MTT test. RESULTS: Our findings showed expression of TRAIL on mouse adipose-derived MSCs surfaces. Furthermore, treatment of 4T1 cancer cells with MSCs conditioned media cause to inhibit the cancer cells growth. Also, MSCs conditioned media with PDT have significantly synergic effects to induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells (P< 0.05). Growth of cancer cells remarkably decreased after treatment with MSCs conditioned media and PDT in time-dependent manner (P< 0.01). CONCLUSION: Results revealed that MSCs conditioned media induced the apoptosis in 4T1 breast cancer cells and apoptotic effects of MSCs conditioned media were intensified following photodynamic therapy. This study showed that MSCs conditioned media combined with PDT may be useful as a novel treatment modality into the development of therapeutic strategies for treatment of breast cancer.
Pubmed 25721458
