The Effect of In Vivo Mobilization of Bone Marrow Stem Cells on the Pancreas of Diabetic Albino Rats (A Histological & Immunohistochemical Study)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The rapidly increasing number of diabetic patients across the world drew the attention to develop more effective therapeutic approaches. Recent investigations on newly differentiated insulin producing cells (IPCs) revealed that they could be derived from embryonic, adult mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells. This work was planned to evaluate the role of StemEnhance (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae [AFA] plant extract) in mobilizing naturally occurring bone marrow stem cells as well as in improving streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty adult male albino rats were divided into four groups namely the control, the diabetic, the positive control-StemEnhance and the diabetic-StemEnhance groups. After diabetes induction by streptozotocin (STZ), rats received StemEnhance for four weeks. The mean number of blood CD34 immunopositive cells was measured by flowcytometry and random blood sugar was measured weekly. The pancreas was removed from the sacrificed rats and processed for staining with H&E and immunohistochemical staining for CD34+ve and insulin +ve cells. CD34+ve cells increased in the blood after introduction of StemEnhance. CD34+ve cells were observed in the pancreas and the insulin producing cells in the islets of Langerhans were increased from the second to the fourth week of treatment. Blood glucose level improved but it was still higher than the control level after four weeks of StemEnhance treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This work points to the significant role of StemEnhance in stem cell mobilization and the improvement of diabetes mellitus.

Histological and immunohistochemical assessment of the immunological aspect of certain cells in human palatine tonsils

Tonsils contain four specialized lymphoid compartments that together are involved in immune functions. The capacity of tonsillar lymphocytes to counter infections may be altered during one's lifetime. The classification of lymphocytes by CD antigen expression is now widely used in clinical medicine and experimental immunology. The present work was designed to study the distribution of CD4 and CD8 antigen expression in T lymphocytes in human tonsils at different periods of life. Sixty-two tonsillar specimens were obtained from still birth infants and from children aged 1-9 years. Paraffin sections were prepared and stained with H and E and with immunohistochemical stains to demonstrate CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes. The distribution of these cells in the different components of the tonsils was evaluated with an image analyzer. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using SPSS. There was a significant increase in the distribution of stained CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in the interfollicular areas, mantle zones of lymphoid follicles, and partially in the germinal centers of the examined tonsils with the advancement of age. Activated T lymphocytes differentiate into several subtypes, among which are CD4 and CD8 cells. These types of T lymphocytes express surface antigens, which can interact with different foreign pathogens