Researchers have discovered that vitamin B12 has a crucial role when it comes to tissue regeneration.
Tissue Regeneration
Tissue regeneration refers to the reconstruction process of damaged body organs and tissues. This is done in order for these organs and tissues to heal or be replaced. This is also commonly referred to as regenerative medicine. Generally, this medical field is still quite experimental and new.
The tissues could have been injured by trauma, aging, congenital defects, or disease. Researchers are now examining ways to maximize tissue regeneration in treating conditions including bone fractures, heart disease and injuries, pancreatitis, cartilage conditions, and inflammatory bowel disease.
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Vitamin B12 in Tissue Regeneration
A new study has revealed that vitamin B12 could have a grave impact on tissue regeneration and cellular reprogramming. The results were documented in the "Vitamin B12 is a limiting factor for induced cellular plasticity and tissue repair" study.
The theory was tested in an ulcerative colitis model. This condition is a specific type of inflammatory bowel disease. The tests revealed cells in the intestine attempting to self-repair could benefit from receiving vitamin B12.
Study co-leader Manuel Serrano from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine during the time of the study explains that the researchers decided to examine vitamin B12 after coming across an unexpected finding when looking into how colon microbial populations changed as reprogramming took place.
Dr. Serrano explains that the mammal microbiota is in equilibrium with its host. Hence, if there are changes in the metabolism of the host, the microbiota will be affected. This also works vice versa. The researchers discovered that while mouse reprogramming was taking place, the microbiota exhibited alterations that indicated that Vitamin B12 experienced a shortage.
With both cultured cell and mouse models, the scientists discovered that supplementation with vitamin B12 boosted cell reprogramming efficiency. This is considered tissue repair at an early stage.
According to Dr. Marta Kovatcheva, who is a co-leader of the study and a researcher from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, vitamin B12 plays a role in mammalian metabolic reactions. One reaction is crucial to the production of a chemical tag, which is used for tagging several DNA regulatory proteins and DNA itself. Doing so enables the modification and reprogramming of the DNA. Such tagging is dynamic and complex. It is crucial to determining cell behavior, including how they could regenerate or repair tissue.
The researchers discovered that cells in the intestine that initiate repair go through a process that resembles cellular reprogramming, which vitamin B12 supplementation could benefit. They reported that supplementation of vitamin B12 boosted tissue repair in the ulcerative colitis mouse model.
According to the two scientists, these findings could lead to new opportunities for the field of regenerative medicine. Dr. Serrano notes that vitamin B12 supplementation is safe, inexpensive, and simple.
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