ABSTRACT
Background: Use of glucosamine as an alternative treatment for osteoarthritis is becoming more frequent, including in those who have diabetes at the same time. The results from in vitro and animal studies propose that glucosamine may inversely affect glucose metabolism. However, the recommended dose of oral glucosamine in healthy people or diabetics did not have such effects consistently. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of glucosamine on glycemic control and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients
Methods: Fifty-four patients with type 2 diabetes participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The participants were assigned to receive 1500 mg glucosamine hydrochloride or placebo for 12 weeks. After determining their baseline characteristics, body mass index and dietary intake components, fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin were measured at weeks of 0, 8, and 12. Indices of insulin function including quantitative insulin sensitivity check index [QUICKI] and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR] were calculated by specific formulas. Independent t-test and general linear model repeated measures were used to analyze the data
Results: In the glucosamine group, the means of fasting blood glucose and insulin were 107.31 +/- 24.07 mg/dl and 8.75 +/- 4.37 [micro]u/ ml, respectively at baseline, which reached 112.38 +/- 31.50 and 9.10 +/- 4.17 at week 12. In the placebo group, the mean for fasting blood glucose and insulin were 103.84 +/- 24.15 and 9.79 +/- 4.02 at the beginning of the study, which reached to 111.40 +/- 26.43 and 8.58 +/- 3.68 at week 12. The results showed that there were no significant differences in fasting blood glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and QUICKI indices at all the studied time points [weeks of 0, 8 and 12] within or between the groups
Conclusion: Twelve weeks of a normal recommended dose of glucosamine supplements may not have adverse effects on glycemic control and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients
ABSTRACT
Tooth loss is a common problem and since current tooth replacement methods cannot counter balance with biological tooth structures, regenerating natural tooth structures has become an ideal goal. A challenging problem in tooth regeneration is to find a proper clinically feasible cell to seed. This study was designed to investigate the odontogenic potential of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells [HBMSCs] for seeding in tooth regeneration. In this experimental study, three pregnant Sprague Dawley [SD] rats were used at the eleventh embryonic day and rat fetuses were removed surgically using semilunar flap under general anesthesia. The primary mandible was cut using a stereomicroscope. The epithelial and mesenchymal components were separated and the dissected oral epithelium was cultured for 3 days. We used flow cytometry analysis to confirm presence of mesenchymal stem cells and not hematopoietic cells and to demonstrate the presence of oral epithelium. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells [BMSCs] and cultured oral epithelium were then co-cultured for 14 days. BMSCs cultured alone were used as controls. Expression of two odontogenic genes Pax9 and DMP1 was assessed using quantitative reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]. Expression of two odontogenic genes, Pax9 and DMP1, were detected in BMSCs co-cultured with oral epithelium but not in the control group. Expression of Pax9 and DMP1 by human BMSCs in the proximity of odontogenic epithelium indicates odontogenic potential of these cells