Effects of pomegranate juice in circulating parameters, cytokines, and oxidative stress markers in endurance-based athletes: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of pomegranate juice on the level of oxidative stress in the blood of endurance-based athletes. Pomegranate juice is rich in polyphenols, conferring it a higher antioxidant capacity than other beverages with polyphenolic antioxidants. METHODS: A randomized double-blind, multicenter trial was performed in athletes from three different sport clubs located in southeastern of Spain. Plasma oxidative stress markers (protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde [MDA]) as well as C-reactive protein and sE-selectin were measured. Thirty-one athletes participated in the study. Participants were divided into three groups. The first group was supplemented with 200 mL/d pomegranate juice (PJ; n = 10) over a 21-d period, the second with 200 mL/d pomegranate juice diluted 1:1 with water (PJD; n = 11), and a control group that did not consume pomegranate juice (C; n = 10). Nine athletes were excluded due to protocol violations (n = 4 in the PJ group and n = 5 in the PJD group) because they did not observe the 24 h of rest before the last blood test. RESULTS: The control group increased levels of carbonyls (+0.7 ± 0.3 nmols/mg protein) and MDA (+3.2 ± 1.0 nmols/g protein), whereas the PJ and PJD groups maintained or decreased their levels, respectively. On the other hand, lactate levels increased in the PJ group (from 10.3 at day 0 to 21.2 mg/dL at day 22). A nonsignificant decrease was detected in sE-selectin and C-reactive protein in the groups consuming pomegranate juice. CONCLUSION: Consumption of pomegranate juice over a 21-d period improved MDA levels and carbonyls, and thus decreased the oxidative damage caused by exercise.

Culture, maintenance and control of mouse embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem cells are considered to have a potential use in RegenerativeMedicine due to three key properties: a) pluripotency, thatis, the plasticity to differentiate into any cell type through asymmetricdivisions, b) high proliferation rate and clonal regeneration throughsymmetric divisions, and c) the ability, although limited, to maintainan undifferentiated state in culture. For these reasons, the use ofmouse embryonic stem cells is a fundamental tool for the decipheringof the operating mechanisms that need to occur for the in vitrodifferentiation of insulin-producing cells. This strategy may have anenormous implication in Regenerative Medicine for the treatment ofdiabetes. In this context, the in vitro culture of embryonic stem cellsrequires the control of a number of factors. Variability in such factorscan compromise the differentiation potential of these cells in bothdirected and spontaneous differentiation protocols, resulting in a dramaticalteration of the final cell product

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From stem cells to insulin-producing cells: towards a bioartificial endocrine pancreas.

The total absence or low production of insulin by beta-cells avoids a proper control of glycemia forcing diabetic people to daily insulin injection for survival. Islet transplantation represents a hallmark in the cure of diabetes and has been successfully applied to more than 400 patients, resulting in insulin independency for periods longer than 4 years. However, transplantation trials for diabetes have to face the scarcity of islets from cadaveric donors. Therefore, the finding of renewable sources of cells could circumvent this problem. In this respect, embryonic or adult stem cells are representing an interesting alternative. Stem cells display robust proliferation and the plasticity to differentiate to other cell types, including insulin-containing cells. The current therapeutical use in the future of bioengineered insulin-secreting cells derived from stem cells needs at present to fulfill several criteria. These criteria concern to the type of stem cell to be used as starting biomaterial (embryonic or adult), the in vitro differentiation protocol applied, the functional phenotype reached for the final cell product and the transplantation associated problems (likely immune rejection and tumor formation). This review will try to focus on these different aspects in order to emphasize in the key points to consider for designing unified strategies for diabetes cell therapy.