Effects of Antioxidant Supplements on the Survival and Differentiation of Stem Cells

Abstract

Although physiological levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are required to maintain the self-renewal capacity of stem cells, elevated ROS levels can induce chromosomal aberrations, mitochondrial DNA damage, and defective stem cell differentiation. Over the past decade, several studies have shown that antioxidants can not only mitigate oxidative stress and improve stem cell survival but also affect the potency and differentiation of these cells. Further beneficial effects of antioxidants include increasing genomic stability, improving the adhesion of stem cells to culture media, and enabling researchers to manipulate stem cell proliferation by using different doses of antioxidants. These findings can have several clinical implications, such as improving neurogenesis in patients with stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as improving the regeneration of infarcted myocardial tissue and the banking of spermatogonial stem cells. This article reviews the cellular and molecular effects of antioxidant supplementation to cultured or transplanted stem cells and draws up recommendations for further research in this area.

Local transplantation of adipose-derived stem cells has a significant therapeutic effect in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis

“…Moreover, from a clinical perspective, spheroids may have some advantages, as they promote the migration of large numbers of cells or aggregates to the lesion site. In previous studies, many stem cell-based therapies have shown dose-dependent effectiveness 30,31 . Therefore, higher numbers of stem cells delivered locally to the lesion may promote a favourable therapeutic effect.…”

Metabolic regulation of neurodifferentiation in the adult brain

“…ROS levels are known to be able to influence and activate various gene expression profiles [133] and have been suggested to be important for stem cell fate [134]. For instance, culturing NPCs in the presence of antioxidants improves neurodifferentiation [135,136], and regulation of ROS levels has been suggested to be important for proliferation of hippocampal NPCs in mouse embryos [137]. Additionally, an age-dependent reduction in NRF2 expression has been linked to a reduced capacity of NPCs to regenerate in the SVZ of rats [138], but not in the SGZ of the dentate gyrus [139].…”

Bioengineered human skeletal muscle with a Pax7+ satellite cell niche capable of functional regeneration

“…The supplement contains a broad range of components aimed at promoting redox balance, increasing metabolic flexibility, providing trace nutrients and driving cell growth with supplemental growth factors (Insulin) and steroids (triiodothyronine (T3), corticosterone and progesterone). The roles of these components are broad with protection from redox stress and provision of trace nutrients likely to promote cell survival and lead to increased cell numbers (Shaban et al, 2017). Growth factors and steroid hormones are more likely to have cell type specific effects, with insulin having been shown in myoblasts to increase fusion and the expression of myogenic genes, as well as driving proliferation (Saini et al, 2018;Wu et al, 2014).…”