Spirulina Promotes Stem Cell Genesis and Protects against LPS Induced Declines in Neural Stem Cell Proliferation

Abstract

Adult stem cells are present in many tissues including, skin, muscle, adipose, bone marrow, and in the brain. Neuroinflammation has been shown to be a potent negative regulator of stem cell and progenitor cell proliferation in the neurogenic regions of the brain. Recently we demonstrated that decreasing a key neuroinflammatory cytokine IL-1β in the hippocampus of aged rats reversed the age-related cognitive decline and increased neurogenesis in the age rats. We also have found that nutraceuticals have the potential to reduce neuroinflammation, and decrease oxidative stress. The objectives of this study were to determine if spirulina could protect the proliferative potential of hippocampal neural progenitor cells from an acute systemic inflammatory insult of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To this end, young rats were fed for 30 days a control diet or a diet supplemented with 0.1% spirulina. On day 28 the rats were given a single i.p. injection of LPS (1 mg/kg). The following day the rats were injected with BrdU (50 mg/kg b.i.d. i.p.) and were sacrificed 24 hours after the first injection of BrdU. Quantification of the BrdU positive cells in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus demonstrated a decrease in proliferation of the stem/progenitor cells in the hippocampus as a result of the LPS insult. Furthermore, the diet supplemented with spirulina was able to negate the LPS induced decrease in stem/progenitor cell proliferation. In a second set of studies we examined the effects of spirulina either alone or in combination with a proprietary formulation (NT-020) of blueberry, green tea, vitamin D3 and carnosine on the function of bone marrow and CD34+ cells in vitro. Spirulina had small effects on its own and more than additive effects in combination with NT-020 to promote mitochondrial respiration and/or proliferation of these cells in culture. When examined on neural stem cells in culture spirulina increased proliferation at baseline and protected against the negative influence of TNFα to reduce neural stem cell proliferation. These results support the hypothesis that a diet enriched with spirulina and other nutraceuticals may help protect the stem/progenitor cells from insults.

Endocannabinoids Are Expressed in Bone Marrow Stromal Niches and Play a Role in Interactions of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells with the Bone Marrow Microenvironment

“…This makes the use of LPS injection a valuable model in the study of the mechanisms of the inflammatory response, which is mediated via the action of proinflammatory cytokines, affecting the homing of the stem cells to sites of inflammatory areas (38). LPS was shown to inhibit neural stem cell proliferation (39) and induce migration of bone marrow cells in mice (40). LPS was also shown to stimulate calcium signaling via G-protein-coupled receptormediated phospholipase C activation and generation of phosphatidylserine-specific phospholipases A 2 activation (41).…”

Beneficial effects of a pyrroloquinolinequinone-containing dietary formulation on motor deficiency, cognitive decline and mitochondrial dysfunction in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

“…In light of recent failures in clinical trials of more than a dozen single-target antiamyloidogenic drugs for the treatment of AD, recent studies have focused on the potential effectiveness of nutritional supplements, or nutraceuticals, with multiple therapeutic targets [12, 13, 14, 15]. NT-020, a propriety blend of blueberry, green tea extract, carnosine and vitamin D3 [16, 17], has previously been shown to reduce cognitive decline in aged rats and humans, by enhancing mitochondrial function, as well as enhancing neural stem cell proliferation and reducing oxidative injury [17, 18, 19]. In the present study, we tested the therapeutic effectiveness of NT-020 on AD-related mitochondrial dysfunction, neuropathology and behavioral impairment in the 5XFAD transgenic mouse model [20].…”

Neuroprotective effect ofArthrospira(Spirulina)platensisagainst kainic acid-neuronal death

“…Wilfrido Massieu s/n esquina Manuel L, Stampa, Col. Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Delegación Gustavo A, Madero CP 07738, México, DF, México stratium dopaminergic neurotransmission in vivo (Tobón-Velasco et al 2013). SP can also help protect against the deleterious effects of inflammation caused by an insult of lipopolysaccharide in the neurogenic region of the brain (Bachstetter et al 2010).…”