Nutraceutical augmentation of circulating endothelial progenitor cells and hematopoietic stem cells in human subjects

Endothelial progenitor cells as an emerging cardiovascular risk factor in the field of food and nutrition research: advances and challenges

Dietary modifications can help prevent many cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) actively contribute to cardiovascular system maintenance and could function as surrogate markers for evaluating improvement in cardiovascular health resulting from nutritional interventions. This review summarizes the latest research progress on the impact of food and nutrients on EPCs, drawing on evidence from human, animal, and in vitro studies. Additionally, current trends and challenges faced in the field are highlighted. Findings from studies examining cells as EPCs are generally consistent, demonstrating that a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet or a supervised diet for overweight people, specific foods like olive oil, fruit, vegetables, red wine, tea, chia, and nutraceuticals, and certain nutrients such as polyphenols, unsaturated fats, inorganic nitrate, and vitamins, generally promote higher EPC numbers and enhanced EPC function. Conversely, an unhealthy diet, such as one high in sugar substitutes, salt, or fructose, impairs EPC function. Research on outgrowth EPCs has revealed that various pathways are involved in the modulation effects of food and nutrients. The potential of EPCs as a biomarker for assessing the effectiveness of nutritional interventions in preventing CVDs is immense, while further clarification on definition and characterization of EPCs is required.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell: Regulation and Nutritional Intervention

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are crucial for the life maintenance of bio-organisms. However, the mechanism of HSC regulation is intricate. Studies have shown that there are various factors, either intrinsically or extrinsically, that shape the profile of HSCs. This review systematically summarizes the intrinsic factors (i.e., RNA-binding protein, modulators in epigenetics and enhancer-promotor-mediated transcription) that are reported to play a pivotal role in the function of HSCs, therapies for bone marrow transplantation, and the relationship between HSCs and autoimmune diseases. It also demonstrates the current studies on the effects of high-fat diets and nutrients (i.e., vitamins, amino acids, probiotics and prebiotics) on regulating HSCs, providing a deep insight into the future HSC research.

Impact of following a healthy dietary pattern with co-consuming wolfberry on number and function of blood outgrowth endothelial cells from middle-aged and older adults

Blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) have received growing attention in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the effect of diet intervention, a primary strategy for CVD prevention, on BOECs is not reported. This study aims to investigate the effect of following a healthy dietary pattern (HDP) with or without wolfberry consumption, healthy food with potential cardiovascular benefits, on the number and function of BOECs in middle-aged and older adults. Twenty-four subjects consumed either an HDP only (n = 9) or an HDP supplemented with 15 g day^-1 wolfberries (n = 15) for 16 weeks. At pre- and post-intervention, vascular health biomarkers and composite CVD risk indicators were assessed. BOECs were derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and their angiogenic and migration activities were measured. Isolated BOECs have typical endothelial cobblestone morphology, express von Willebrand factor and KDR. Consuming an HDP improved the BOEC colony's growth rate, which was demonstrated by significant time effects in the colony's culture time between passages 1 and 2 (P = 0.038). Both interventions increased BOECs' tube formation capacity. Moreover, HDP intervention contributed to a time effect on BOEC migration activity (P = 0.040 for t_1/2gap). Correlation analysis revealed that BOEC colony number was positively associated with blood pressure, atherogenic index, vascular age, and Framingham risk score. In conclusion, adherence to an HDP improved BOECs' function in middle-aged and older populations, while additional wolfberry consumption did not provide an enhanced effect. Our results provide mechanistic dissection on the beneficial effects on BOECs of dietary pattern modification.

Markers and Biomarkers of Endothelium: When Something Is Rotten in the State

Endothelium is a community of endothelial cells (ECs), which line the blood and lymphatic vessels, thus forming an interface between the tissues and the blood or lympha. This strategic position of endothelium infers its indispensable functional role in controlling vasoregulation, haemostasis, and inflammation. The state of endothelium is simultaneously the cause and effect of many diseases, and this is coupled with modifications of endothelial phenotype represented by markers and with biochemical profile of blood represented by biomarkers. In this paper, we briefly review data on the functional role of endothelium, give definitions of endothelial markers and biomarkers, touch on the methodological approaches for revealing biomarkers, present an implicit role of endothelium in some toxicological mechanistic studies, and survey the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in modulation of endothelial status.

Effect of Infla-Kine supplementation on the gene expression of inflammatory markers in peripheral mononuclear cells and on C-reactive protein in blood

Background

Chronic inflammation is a predisposing factor to numerous degenerative diseases including cancer, heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease. Infla-Kine is a natural supplement comprised of a proprietary blend of Lactobacillus fermentum extract, burdock seed (arctigenin), zinc, alpha lipoic acid, papaya enzyme and an enhanced absorption bio-curcumin complex (BCM-95^®).

Methods

Infla-Kine was administered twice daily to 24 health volunteers for 4 weeks. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to assess mRNA transcripts of IL-1b, IL8, IL-6, NF-κB, and TNF-α from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). C reactive protein (CRP) was measured from serum. Additionally, quality of life questionnaires were employed to assess general feeling of well-being. Assessments were made before treatment and at conclusion of treatment (4 weeks).

Results

As compared to pre-treatment, after 4 weeks, a statistically significant reduction of IL8, IL-6, NF-κB, and TNF-α transcripts was observed in PBMC. Furthermore, reduction of IL-1b transcript and serum CRP was observed but did not reach statistical significance. Quality of life improvements were most prevalent in muscle and joint pains.

Conclusions

Overall, our data demonstrate that twice daily administration of Infla-Kine for 4 weeks reduces inflammatory markers and quality of life in healthy volunteers.

Exercise on Progenitor Cells in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

PURPOSE

To evaluate the acute effect of aerobic exercise (AE) and resistance exercise (RE) on the release of endothelial progenitor cell (EPCs, CD34+/KDR+/CD45 dim) and vascular function in type 1 diabetes (T1DM).

METHODS

Fourteen men with T1DM and 5 nondiabetic controls were randomly assigned to 40-min AE (60% VO 2peak) and RE sessions (60% 1-RM). The study had a crossover design, and interventions were 1 wk apart. Venous occlusion plethysmography (blood flow, reactive hyperemia, and vascular resistance) and blood collection (EPC levels, flow cytometry) were done immediately before and after exercise sessions.

RESULTS

Patients were 30.3 ± 1.6 yr-old, HbA1c 7.7% ± 0.2%; controls were 26.8 ± 2.3 yr-old. Groups did not differ in EPC levels at baseline or in relation to exercise. Over time, exercise did not induce changes in patients with T1DM, whereas, in controls, EPCs were decreased after AE (-10.7%, P = 0.017) and increased after RE (+12.2%, P = 0.004). Compared with baseline, blood flow increased and vascular resistance decreased after RE in both groups. Reactive hyperemia was increased 10 min after AE and RE sessions in patients with T1DM (36.5% and 42.0%, respectively) and in controls (35.4% and 74.3%), but no group differences were observed between groups in response to exercise.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the increased vascular reactivity in both groups after both exercise sessions, EPCs were only influenced by exercise in controls. The unchanged number of EPCs in T1DM after exercise sessions might indicate a blunted endothelium regenerating capacity, revealing an early deterioration of the functional arterial characteristics not disclosed by only evaluating vascular functional variables.

Upregulation of circulating cancer stem cell marker, DCLK1 but not Lgr5, in chemoradiotherapy-treated colorectal cancer patients

Cancer stem cell (CSC) markers have attracted considerable attention in tumor diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications. Detection of cancer stem cells in circulating blood using cancer stem cell markers has received remarkable attention recently. In this study, we aimed to investigate the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level of Lgr5 and DCLK1 as most proposed colorectal CSC markers in blood circulation also determine the subsequent association to patients' clinical and pathological findings. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 58 patients with colorectal cancer at stage I-IV with 33 out of 58 patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT), as well as 58 healthy controls have been isolated and the extracted RNAs were analyzed using real-time PCR. The mRNA expression pattern of CSC markers of patients and controls was compared using ΔΔCt method. The expression level of Lgr5 was significantly higher in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients comparing to healthy group (4.8-fold change, p < 0.001). Also there was a significant increase in expression level of Lgr5 in patients at stages III and IV comparing to stages I and II (p = 0.031) and higher grades (p = 0.039) of CRC. The expression of DCLK1 was also elevated in patients significantly (2.7-fold change, p < 0.001) and the related expression was increased by increasing disease stage (p = 0.025). Combination of DCLK1 and Lgr5 markers was analyzed by logistic regression and proved to be a slightly better marker compared to each marker alone. Interestingly the DCLK1 expression level was significantly higher in patients undergoing preoperative CRT (p = 0.041); however, no association to neoadjuvant CRT was observed for Lgr5. Considering the over-expression of DCLK1 and Lgr5 in circulating blood of CRC patients comparing to controls, our results might emphasize on the presence of CSCs in blood of these patients which might be attributed to their clinical and pathological characteristics and may lead to apply in future clinical implications. Moreover, the higher expression level of DCLK1 in patients undergoing CRT can propose it as a more relevant candidate among CSC markers comparing to Lgr5 for CRC patients.

Could metabolic syndrome, lipodystrophy, and aging be mesenchymal stem cell exhaustion syndromes?

One of the most important and complex diseases of modern society is metabolic syndrome. This syndrome has not been completely understood, and therefore an effective treatment is not available yet. We propose a possible stem cell mechanism involved in the development of metabolic syndrome. This way of thinking lets us consider also other significant pathologies that could have similar etiopathogenic pathways, like lipodystrophic syndromes, progeria, and aging. All these clinical situations could be the consequence of a progressive and persistent stem cell exhaustion syndrome (SCES). The main outcome of this SCES would be an irreversible loss of the effective regenerative mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) pools. In this way, the normal repairing capacities of the organism could become inefficient. Our point of view could open the possibility for a new strategy of treatment in metabolic syndrome, lipodystrophic syndromes, progeria, and even aging: stem cell therapies.

Stem cell stratagems in alternative medicine

Stem cell research has attracted an extraordinary amount of attention and expectation due to its potential for applications in the treatment of numerous medical conditions. These exciting clinical prospects have generated widespread support from both the public and private sectors, and numerous preclinical studies and rigorous clinical trials have already been initiated. Recent years, however, have also seen alarming growth in the number and variety of claims of clinical uses of notional 'stem cells' that have not been adequately tested for safety and/or efficacy. In this article, I will survey the contours of the stem cell industry as practiced by alternative medicine providers, and highlight points of commonality in their strategies for marketing.

Endothelial progenitor cells as therapeutic agents in the microcirculation: an update

This review evaluates novel beneficial effects of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) as shown by several preclinical studies and clinical trials carried out to test the safety and feasibility of using EPCs. There are 31 registered clinical trials (and many others still ongoing) and 19 published studies. EPCs originate in the bone marrow and migrate into the bloodstream where they undergo a differentiation program leading to major changes in their antigenic characteristics. EPCs lose typical progenitor markers and acquire endothelial markers, and two important receptors, (VEGFR and CXCR-4), which recruit circulating EPCs to damaged or ischemic microcirculatory (homing to damaged tissues) beds. Overall, therapeutic angiogenesis will likely change the face of regenerative medicine in the next decade with many patients worldwide predicted to benefit from these treatments.