regeneration Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Minerals Can Be Key to Healing Damaged Tissue

AHA Publisher — Mon, 09 May 2022 07:00:02 +0000

Texas A&M University via Newswise – Every species, from bacteria to humans, is capable of regeneration. Regeneration is mediated by the molecular processes that regulate gene expression to control tissue renewal, restoration and growth. A collaboration between researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University identifies the crucial role of minerals in regulating gene expression, thus controlling the number of proteins that a cell should make, thereby encouraging tissue regeneration and redefining cellular identity. This research paves the way for future studies to identify the role of specific minerals, as well as how they can be assembled to design the next generation of mineral medicine to heal damaged tissue. This study was recently published in Science Advances. Minerals are inorganic elements that play many vital roles, working interactively with vitamins, enzymes, hormones and other nutrient cofactors to regulate thousands of the body’s biological functions. Although several minerals have been shown to regulate gene expression and cellular activity, very little work has focused on understanding underlying molecular mechanisms. This engineering research group is led by Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar, associate professor of biomedical engineering and Presidential Impact Fellow, in collaboration with Dr. Irtisha Singh, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at Texas A&M and the co-corresponding author of the study where a new class of mineral-based nanoparticles has been introduced to direct human stem cells toward bone cells. These nanoparticles are known specifically as nanosilicates, and with them, the team is able to determine the role of minerals in regulating gene expression profiles to direct stem cell differentiation. These nanosilicates are disc-shaped mineral-nanoparticles 20-30 nanometers (nm) in diameter and 1-2 nm in thickness. These nanoparticles are highly biocompatible and are readily eaten up by cells. Once inside the cell body, these nanoparticles slowly dissolve into individual minerals such as silicon, magnesium and lithium. Nanosilicates dissociate into individual minerals inside the cells and turn “on” a set of key genes that result in information flow throughout the cells, known as signaling pathways. These signaling pathways are responsible for instructing the cells to take on specific functions, such as converting into another type of cells or starting the healing process by secreting tissue-specific proteins known as extracellular matrix. These extracellular matrices are composed of various proteins, including glycoproteins and proteoglycans that facilitate tissue healing and support tissue functions. Combining interdisciplinary techniques and biomedical engineering and genomics methods, the lead authors of this study, doctoral students Anna Brokesh and Lauren Cross, identify and characterize significant genes that are turned “on” and activated by different signaling pathways due to treatment with minerals. One of the major findings of this study is that minerals such as silicon, magnesium and lithium are involved in inducing endochondral ossification, a process by which stem cells are transformed into soft and hard tissues such as cartilage and bone in young humans. The Singh Laboratory, managed by Singh, leverages high-throughput functional assays and perturbations to dissect the functional regulatory programs in mammalian cells. In this study, they analyzed whole transcriptomic sequencing (RNA-seq) data to evaluate the effect of nanosilicates and ionic dissolution products on the gene expression profiles of stem cells. RNA-seq, a transcriptome-wide high throughput sequencing assay, provides an unbiased and holistic overview of the gene expression profiles to identify pathways that are perturbed by specific treatments. “There are a lot of people who want to understand how minerals impact the human body, but there is limited evidence to identify how they affect us on the cellular level,” Brokesh said. “Our study is one of the first studies to utilize unbiased transcriptome-wide sequencing to determine how mineral ions can direct stem cell fate.” The proposed approach addresses a long-standing challenge in current therapeutic approaches that utilize supraphysiological doses of growth factors to direct tissue research. Such a high dose of growth factors results in a range of complications, including uncontrolled tissue formation, inflammation and tumorigenesis, the production or formation of tumor cells. These adversely limit the usage of growth factors as a therapeutic agent in the field of regenerative medicine. Gaharwar said the impact of this work is far-reaching because understanding the effect of minerals to achieve desired regulation of cellular activity has a strong potential to open novel avenues for developing clinically relevant therapeutics for regenerative medicine, drug delivery and immunomodulation. To read the original article click here.

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Here Is How to Regenerate Your Bodily Tissues Through Nutrition

AHA Publisher — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 08:00:05 +0000

Stephanie Woods via NaturalHealth365 – “You only get one body, so treat it right!” You’ve likely heard this at least once in your life and probably from the mouth of a reputable healthcare professional. And while that statement is true, for the most part, there are areas of your body that can not only heal but regenerate. In fact, regeneration is the natural state for many cells and tissues throughout the body. These Six Areas of the Body Have Powerful Ability to Regenerate There have been numerous studies exploring how the body manages disease and healing. Researchers are leaving Western medicine searching for ways to return the body and healing practices to the natural state. Six areas of the body have huge regenerative properties, and it just so happens that these areas are essential to the body’s overall health. Regenerating these areas not only improves health but can extend life. This means more efficient disease management that results in eradication, not just control and keeping symptoms at bay. It means that the entire body is healthier. It means a decreased need for medical care – and the conventional medical community is running scared. These are the key areas that have strong regenerative properties and the substances that support them: Nerves: Curcumin, lion’s mane mushroom, Apigenin, blueberry, ginseng, huperzine, natto, red sage, resveratrol, royal jelly, theanine, ashwagandha, trigonelline (coffee) Liver: Carvacrol, curcumin, Korean ginseng, rooibos, vitamin E Beta-Cells: Gymenna sylvestre, nigella sativa, vitamin D, curcumin, arginine, avocado, barbering, bitter melon, chard, corn silk, stevia, sulforaphane Cardiac cells: Resveratrol, Siberian ginseng, red wine extract, geum japonicum, N-acetyl-cysteine Cartilage, Joint, and Spine: Boswellia, curcuma, resveratrol, turmeric, baicalin/catechin, glucosamine/chondroitin/quercetin, fish oil/nettle/vitamin E You will notice that each of these areas is integral to sustaining life and makes up the body’s infrastructure. Blunt TRUTH: Our Ability to Regenerate Healthy Cells (Naturally) Threaten the Profit Potential of Western Medicine Unfortunately, a cultlike reliance on Western medicine has robbed many of us of our body’s regenerative potential. The practice is rife with drugs containing chemicals that not only have no regenerative potential; instead, they strip away any potential, blocking the body’s self-renewal processes – all in the name of symptom relief. It doesn’t stop there, though. Many practitioners of Western medicine frown on natural remedies and nutritional healing. They often discourage patients from pursuing a more natural means of healing – methods that address the root of the problem and not just the symptoms – encouraging instead drugs, surgery, and invasive procedures that focus on the symptoms. Bottom line, natural remedies and the regeneration of key body components threaten the economic standing of the medical community. Again, it comes down to dollars and cents. Feeding Your Body for Regeneration Feeding the body the right foods, the foods it needs to restore its natural regenerative properties, is the first step in bringing it to that optimal state of wellness. In addition, different tissues and cells respond to different substances, so incorporating foods and supplements rich in specific compounds will feed those areas, and you will reap the rewards of a healthier you. In addition, regular exercise is very beneficial to the body. It helps with flexibility, mobility and circulation while helping to maintain a healthy body weight. However, specific exercises like Tai Chi have been shown to be exceptionally beneficial for people with osteoarthritis, heart failure, and COPD. Maintaining a healthy, balanced (organic) diet is the foundation for good health. Incorporating the foods containing these substances and adding supplements as needed will give your diet a nutritional boost. For instance, celery contains Apigenin which is essential for nerve regeneration. Likewise, broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane that helps to regenerate beta-cells, as do Swiss chard and avocado. Supplements round out the program, providing vital compounds beneficial to the body and stimulating regeneration of the tissues and cells. Regenerative (functional) medicine is the missing component to a long, healthy life and the dramatic reduction or even eradication of chronic disease and even certain cancers. The stronger and healthier the body is, the better able it is to fight disease. Bottom line: the stronger the body’s infrastructure is, the stronger it is as a whole. If you need “extra help,” seek coaching advice from an integrative healthcare provider and/or health coach. Sources used for this article: Herbs.news To read the original article click here.

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