cellular repair Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Cells ‘Vomit’ Waste to Promote Healing, Mouse Study Reveals

The AHA! Team — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 05:36:33 +0000

Washington University in St. Louis via Newswise – Newly discovered purging process in gastric cells hints at how injury recovery can go wrong – The researchers dubbed the new purging process “cathartocytosis,” combining Greek root words meaning cellular cleansing. When injured, cells have well-regulated responses to promote healing. These include a long-studied self-destruction process that cleans up dead and damaged cells as well as a more recently identified phenomenon that helps older cells revert to what appears to be a younger state to help grow back healthy tissue. Now, a new study in mice led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Baylor College of Medicine reveals a previously unknown cellular purging process that may help injured cells revert to a stem cell-like state more rapidly. The investigators dubbed this newly discovered response cathartocytosis, taking from Greek root words that mean cellular cleansing. Published online in the journal Cell Reports, the study used a mouse model of stomach injury to provide new insights into how cells heal, or fail to heal, in response to damage, such as from an infection or inflammatory disease. “After an injury, the cell’s job is to repair that injury. But the cell’s mature cellular machinery for doing its normal job gets in the way,” said first author Jeffrey W. Brown, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at WashU Medicine. “So, this cellular cleanse is a quick way of getting rid of that machinery so it can rapidly become a small, primitive cell capable of proliferating and repairing the injury. We identified this process in the GI tract, but we suspect it is relevant in other tissues as well.” Jettisoning of waste Brown likened the process to a “vomiting” or jettisoning of waste that essentially adds a shortcut, helping the cell declutter and focus on regrowing healthy tissues faster than it would be able to if it could only perform a gradual, controlled degradation of waste. As with many shortcuts, this one has potential downsides: According to the investigators, cathartocytosis is fast but messy, which may help shed light on how injury responses can go wrong, especially in the setting of chronic injury. For example, ongoing cathartocytosis in response to an infection is a sign of chronic inflammation and recurring cell damage that is a breeding ground for cancer. In fact, the festering mess of ejected cellular waste that results from all that cathartocytosis may also be a way to identify or track cancer, according to the researchers. A novel cellular process The researchers identified cathartocytosis within an important regenerative injury response called paligenosis, which was first described in 2018 by the current study’s senior author, Jason C. Mills, MD, PhD. Now at the Baylor College of Medicine, Mills began this work while he was a faculty member in the Division of Gastroenterology at WashU Medicine and Brown was a postdoctoral researcher in his lab. In paligenosis, injured cells shift away from their normal roles and undergo a reprogramming process to an immature state, behaving like rapidly dividing stem cells, as happens during development. Originally, the researchers assumed the decluttering of cellular machinery in preparation for this reprogramming happens entirely inside cellular compartments called lysosomes, where waste is digested in a slow and contained process. From the start, though, the researchers noticed debris outside the cells. They initially dismissed this as unimportant, but the more external waste they saw in their early studies, the more Brown began to suspect that something deliberate was going on. He utilized a model of mouse stomach injury that triggered the reprogramming of mature cells to a stem cell state all at once, making it obvious that the “vomiting” response — now happening in all the stomach cells simultaneously — was a feature of paligenosis, not a bug. In other words, the vomiting process was not just an accidental spill here and there but a newly identified, standard way cells behaved in response to injury. Although they discovered cathartocytosis happening during paligenosis, the researchers said cells could potentially use cathartocytosis to jettison waste in other, more worrisome situations, like giving mature cells that ability to start to act like cancer cells. The downside to downsizing While the newly discovered cathartocytosis process may help injured cells proceed through paligenosis and regenerate healthy tissue more rapidly, the tradeoff comes in the form of additional waste products that could fuel inflammatory states, making chronic injuries harder to resolve and correlating with increased risk of cancer development. “In these gastric cells, paligenosis — reversion to a stem cell state for healing — is a risky process, especially now that we’ve identified the potentially inflammatory downsizing of cathartocytosis within it,” Mills said. “These cells in the stomach are long-lived, and aging cells acquire mutations. If many older mutated cells revert to stem cell states in an effort to repair an injury — and injuries also often fuel inflammation, such as during an infection — there’s an increased risk of acquiring, perpetuating and expanding harmful mutations that lead to cancer as those stem cells multiply.” More research is needed, but the authors suspect that cathartocytosis could play a role in perpetuating injury and inflammation in Helicobacter pylori infections in the gut. H. pylori is a type of bacteria known to infect and damage the stomach, causing ulcers and increasing the risk of stomach cancer. The findings also could point to new treatment strategies for stomach cancer and perhaps other GI cancers. Brown and WashU Medicine collaborator Koushik K. Das, MD, an associate professor of medicine, have developed an antibody that binds to parts of the cellular waste ejected during cathartocytosis, providing a way to detect when this process may be happening, especially in large quantities. In this way, cathartocytosis might be used as a marker of precancerous states that could allow for early detection and treatment. “If we have a better understanding of this process, we could develop ways to help encourage the healing response and perhaps, in the context of chronic injury, block the damaged cells undergoing chronic cathartocytosis from contributing to cancer formation,” Brown said. Brown JW, Lin X, Nicolazzi GA, Liu X, Nguyen T, Radyk MD, Burclaff J, Mills JC. Cathartocytosis: jettisoning of cellular material during reprogramming of differentiated cells. Cell Reports. Online July 20, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116070. To read the original article click here.

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Beyond Keto Cacao Pumpkin Muffins

The AHA! Team — Wed, 15 May 2024 08:09:36 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Pumpkin recipes are one of the best blessings of Autumn. When you use real pumpkin puree and ingredients, you get nutrients that fortify your body from your head to your toes. And, our Beyond Keto Cacao Pumpkin Muffins are full of pumpkin! Ready to try them yourself? They boost real pumpkin, healthy coconut flour, pumpkin spice, cacao nibs and more. Here’s how to make them and why you should. Delicious Beyond Keto Cacao Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil for the muffin liners 4 large eggs ½ cup organic pure pumpkin puree 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled) 3/4 teaspoon organic liquid stevia (equals about ⅓ cup sugar) 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin spice 6 tablespoons coconut flour 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 cup cacao nibs OR coconut flakes Instructions Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 6 muffin cups with foil or silicone liners. Spray or wipe liners with oil to prevent sticking (coconut flour can stick especially if you use paper liners). Set aside. Whisk eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter, stevia, vanilla, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add in the coconut flour and salt, mixing patiently until very smooth. Then, mix in the baking powder. Finally, fold in cacao nibs or coconut flakes. Using a 4-tablespoon scoop (1/4 cup), scoop and pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake muffins until they are set and a toothpick inserted in their center comes out clean, 22-25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and cool them completely before enjoying them (if they look odd to start, don’t worry – their texture significantly improves as they cool). Muffins can be stored in a sealed container for up to 5 days (but they won’t last!). They also freeze well up to 3 months. Enjoy! Nutrition info (1 muffin): 196 calories, 15 grams fat, 9 grams saturated fats, 4.5 gm net carbs (10.5 grams total carbs, 6 grams fiber), 6 grams protein, 3 grams protein Health Benefits of Cacao Pumpkin Muffins One of the best parts of Autumn is pumpkin. These days, we find it everywhere. In our coffee, in our soups, and certainly in our snacks. Fortunately, offers amazing health benefits (1). Here’s what pumpkin has for your body: 1. Antioxidants Pumpkin contains alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These are strong antioxidants, and they will work together to fight free radicals, reduce the risk of cancer, promote heart health, reduce cholesterol-plaque formations, and preserve eye health. In fact, when pumpkins are analyzed, lutein is the most abundant carotenoid therein (2). Lutein and the other carotenoids can protect body organs and tissue from free radical damage and oxidative stress. This is incredibly beneficial as oxidative damages are always related to cancer, premature aging, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, atherosclerosis, and a series of other degenerative diseases (3). 2. Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients The cell walls of pumpkin contain pectin. Pectin contains components that are highly anti-inflammatory. How does this help you? Anti-inflammatory diets can improve many chronic diseases and symptoms. These include heart disease, joint pain, arthritis, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, asthma, and more. 3. Cellular Health The flesh of the pumpkin is not the only valuable component. Pumpkin seed oil is highly nutritious and beneficial to the body. In fact, pumpkin seed oil has specifically been shown to reduce the risk of cellular overgrowth and unhealth in the prostate, breast, colorectal, gastric, joints, heart, and lungs (4, 5, 6). Amazing! This is a great reason to also buy whole pumpkins, roast, and eat the seeds! 4. Heart-Health Components Pumpkin seeds also contain phytosterols. Phytosterols are the components used in cholesterol-lowering supplements, functional foods, and more. They are often termed plant sterols. What’s more, the carotenoids in pumpkin flesh can protect the heart and other body organs and tissue from free radical damage, oxidative stress, and plaque formation (3). 5. High Energy and More Nutrients Additionally, pumpkin is a great source of fiber, monounsaturated fats, omega-3s, B-vitamins, and copper. B-Vitamins and Copper both play a part in energy production, and can make a difference in your get-up-and-go! Pumpkin Spice Nutrition In addition, the spices used in our homemade pumpkin spice recipe are no nutrition slouches. Individually and together, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger provide anti-inflammatory, digestion, brain, circulation, heart health, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, and other health benefits. Additionally, it fights free radicals and oxidative stress. Read all about them, and learn how to make your own homemade pumpkin spice here. Cacao Nutrition Lastly, cacao nibs are great for full-body health. In fact, their polyphenols can provide benefits to your heart, brain, and energy levels. Cocoa nibs promote reduced inflammation, reduced oxidative stress and free radicals, cellular health, and neurodegenerative protection. Bottom Line It simply doesn’t get better than this: amazing flavor and amazing health benefits! Our Beyond Keto Pumpkin Muffins are just what the doctor ordered for Autumn. Enjoy! To read the original article click here.

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Holy Fruit Turns on Healing Stem Cells

AHA Publisher — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 07:00:12 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – New research has found a way to dramatically increase the number of stem cells circulating in the blood using the “holy fruit of the Himalayas,” or seaberry. This bright orange fruit has been used for thousands of years to treat inflammation and infections, boost immunity, and slow the aging process. Modern research explains why it works. In the study, 12 healthy adults had their blood drawn before and after eating either seaberry extract or a placebo. Data on stem cell activity was analyzed following each blood draw.1 Within two hours of eating the berry, researchers found that: Progenitor stem cells capable of cardiovascular maintenance and repair increased 24%. Endothelial stem cells increased by 33%. These multipotent stem cells found in bone marrow, have the ability to develop into multiple specialized cells. Increasing the number of circulating stem cells in your body has been proven to potentially repair: Acute myocardial infarction2 Stroke3 Bone fracture4 Muscle injury5 Spinal cord injury6 Inner ear damage7 Boost Your Stem Cells Easily at Home First take seaberry extract daily. To get the results researchers saw in the study, take 500 mg daily. It’s available as a softgel, powder and juice. Look for certified organic, non-GMO products. Second, try fasting for two days every six months. A study from the University of Southern California shows that this kind of fasting causes stem cells to awake from their normal dormant state and start regenerating. This practice destroyed damaged and older cells, and caused new cells to be born, effectively renewing the immune system.8 Finally, workout intensely. A study in the European Heart Journal showed that vigorous exercise in mice activated 60% of their cardiac stem cells.9 In a human study, researchers proved that strenuous exercise leads to high levels of stem cells in bone, liver and other organs.10 To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS 1. Drapeau C, et al. “Rapid and selective mobilization of specific stem cell types after consumption of a polyphenol-rich extract from sea buckthorn berries (Hippophae) in healthy human subjects.” Clin Interv Aging. 2019:14:253-263. 2. Luo Y, et al. “Short-term intermittent administration of CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 facilitates myocardial repair in experimental myocardial infarction.” Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai). 2013;45(7):561-569. 3. Wang L, et al. “Mobilization of endogenous bone marrow derived endothelial progenitor cells and therapeutic potential of parathyroid hormone after ischemic stroke in mice.” PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e87284. 4. Toupadakis CA, et al. “Mobilization of endogenous stem cell populations enhances fracture healing in a murine femoral fracture model.” Cytotherapy. 2013;15(9):1136-1147. 5. Stratos I, et al. “Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor enhances muscle proliferation and strength following skeletal muscle injury in rats.” J Appl Physiol. 2007;103(5):1857-1863. 6. Urdziková L, et al. “Flt3 ligand synergizes with granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor in bone marrow mobilization to improve functional outcome after spinal cord injury in the rat.” Cytotherapy. 2011;13(9):1090-1104. 7. Elbana AM. “Role of endogenous bone marrow stem cells mobilization in repair of damaged inner ear in rats.” Int J Stem Cells. 2015;8(2):146-154. 8. Cheng CW, et al. “Prolonged fasting reduces igf-1/pka to promote hematopoietic-stem-cell-based regeneration and reverse immunosuppression.” Cell Stem Cell. 14(6):810-823. 9. Gariani K, et al. “Eliciting the mitochondrial unfolded protein response by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide repletion reverses fatty liver disease in mice.” Hepatology. 2016;63(4):1190-1204. 10. Valero MC, et al. “Eccentric Exercise facilitates mesenchymal stem cell appearance in skeletal muscle.” PLOS One. 2012;7(1):e29760. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here. For more articles by Al Sears MD click here.

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