Insights from Ayurveda for translational stem cell research

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of a nanoparticle based intracanal drugs

The most common intracanal medication is calcium hydroxide. Its efficacy can be affected by a number of factors, including pH, serum proteins, collagen, and dentin. It's also ineffective against E. faecalis and fungus, lacks an anti-inflammatory component, and has mixed reviews when it comes to pain relief. Natural alternatives to synthetic intracanal medication are being researched at the moment. We evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of green synthesized silver nanoparticle based intracanal medicaments. Silver nanoparticles integrated into calcium hydroxide and graphene oxide nanoparticles were the experimental groups and Calcium hydroxide served as the control. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH and Nitric oxide assays, while anti-inflammatory activity was determined using the protein denaturation and Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition assays. Both experimental groups had higher antioxidant activity than the control group based on DPPH and Nitric oxide assays. Calcium hydroxide combined with silver nanoparticles demonstrated improved anti-inflammatory efficacy in a protein denaturation and Xanthine oxidase inhibition assay. Within the constraints of an in vitro study, it can be concluded that intracanal medicaments containing silver nanoparticles can be employed efficiently during root canal preparation. In comparison to standard calcium hydroxide-based intracanal medicaments, it has effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Mesenchymal stem cells as a platform for research on traditional medicine

The translation of Traditional Medicines (TMs) such as Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine into clinical practice remains obstructed due to lack of scientific evidence by means of safety, quality, standardization, clinical efficacy, and mode of action. These limitations can be attributed to the lack of synonymous invitro models which reflect invivo features. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have emerged as an efficient cell source for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. In this review, the authors discuss how hMSCs can be used as an invitro platform to screen herbs described in TMs using modern methods such as evaluation of its potential, safety, quality, mode of action, etc. Integration of traditional knowledge systems like Ayurveda and hMSCs as a platform to screen and study TMs using modern tools will effectively increase the validity of TMs as evidence-based medicine.

Novel therapeutic approaches: Rett syndrome and human induced pluripotent stem cell technology

Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology target screening and discovering of therapeutic agents for the possible cure of human diseases. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are the right kind of platform for testing potency of specific active compounds. Ayurveda, the Indian traditional system of medicine developed between 2,500 and 500 BC, is a science involving the intelligent formulations of herbs and minerals. It can serve as a "goldmine" for novel neuroprotective agents used for centuries to treat neurological disorders. This review discusses limitations in screening drugs for neurological disorders and the advantages offered by hiPSC integrated with Indian traditional system of medicine. We begin by describing the current state of hiPSC technology in research on Rett syndrome (RTT) followed by the current controversies in RTT research combined with the emergence of patient-specific hiPSC that indicate an urgent need for researchers to understand the etiology and drug mechanism. We conclude by offering recommendations to reinforce the screening of active compounds present in the ayurvedic medicines using the human induced pluripotent neural model system for research involving drug discovery for RTT. This integrative approach will fill the current knowledge gap in the traditional medicines and drug discovery.

Potential role of herbal remedies in stem cell therapy: proliferation and differentiation of human mesenchymal stromal cells

Stem cell therapy has revolutionized modern clinical therapy with the potential of stem cells to differentiate into many different cell types which may help to replace different cell lines of an organism. Innumerous trials are carried out to merge new scientific knowledge and techniques with traditional herbal extracts that may result in less toxic, affordable, and highly available natural alternative therapeutics. Currently, mesenchyamal stromal cell (MSC) lines are treated with individual and mixtures of crude herbal extracts, as well as with purified compounds from herbal extracts, to investigate the mechanisms and effects of these on stem cell growth and differentiation. Human MSCs (hMSCs) possess multilineage, i.e., osteogenic, neurogenic, adipogenic, chondrogenic, and myogenic, differentiation abilities. The proliferative and differentiation properties of hMSCs treated with herbal extracts have shown promise in diseases such as osteoporosis, neurodegenerative disorders, and other tissue degenerative disorders. Well characterized herbal extracts that result in increased rates of tissue regeneration may be used in both stem cell therapy and tissue engineering for replacement therapy, where the use of scaffolds and vesicles with enhanced attaching and proliferative properties could be highly advantageous in the latter. Although the clinical application of herbal extracts is still in progress due to the variability and complexity of bioactive constituents, standardized herbal preparations will strengthen their application in the clinical context. We have critically reviewed the proliferative and differentiation effects of individual herbal extracts on hMSCs mainly derived from bone marrow and elaborated on the plausible underlying mechanisms of action. To be fruitfully used in reparative and regenerative therapy, future directions in this area of study should (i) make use of hMSCs derived from different non-traditional sources, including medical waste material (umbilical cord, Wharton's jelly, and placenta), (ii) take account of the vast numbers of herbal extracts used in traditional medicine globally, and (iii) investigate the mechanisms and pathways of their effects on hMSCs.