- Tissue regeneration is the process of rebuilding, healing, or replacing damaged tissues and organs in the body.
- The field of regenerative medicine is still new, and researchers are considering how tissue regeneration can be used to treat specific diseases.
- Researchers at the Spanish Institute of Biomedical Research have discovered that vitamin B12 plays an important role in tissue regeneration.
- Scientists also reported that vitamin B12 supplementation promoted tissue repair in a model of ulcerative colitis.
These tissues and organs may be damaged by aging, trauma, disease, or congenital defects.
The field of regenerative medicine is still new and experimental.
Now, researchers at Spain’s Institute of Biomedical Research have reported evidence suggesting that vitamin B12 plays an important role in cell reprogramming and tissue regeneration.
The results of this study were recently published in the journal
Scientists tested the theory in a model of ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and showed that intestinal cells attempting to repair themselves benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation.
according to Dr. Manuel SerranoAt the time of the study, he was a researcher at the Biomedical Research Institute in Spain and had recently moved to the Altos Institute in the UK, where he was co-lead author and decided to study the health effects of vitamin B12. did. When they analyzed how the colon’s microbial population changes during reprogramming, they made an unexpected discovery, revealing cellular reprogramming and tissue regeneration.
“The mammalian microbiome is in equilibrium with the host,” Dr. Serrano explained. Today’s medical news. “Changes in host metabolism affect the microbiome, and vice versa. During reprogramming in mice, we found that the microbiome [vitamin] B12. [Vitamin] B12 is essential not only for mammals but also for bacteria. ”
Past research has shown that vitamin B12 helps the body repair itself, including stimulating essential nerve tissue.
Vitamin B12 has also been shown to play a protective role in:
And a study published in August 2022 found that vitamin B12 helps repair and regenerate damaged skin.
Using both mice and cultured cell models, the researchers found that vitamin B12 supplementation increased the efficiency of cellular reprogramming, considered an early step in tissue repair.
Dr. Marta KovacevaHe is a researcher at Spain’s Biomedical Research Institute and co-lead author of the study. MNT How vitamin B12 helps with cell reprogramming and tissue regeneration.
“[Vitamin] B12 is involved in only two metabolic reactions in mammals, including mice and humans, and one of these reactions is important for health. [producing)] Chemical tags, more technically “
“This ‘tagging’ is highly complex and dynamic, and is not yet fully understood, but is key to determining cell behavior, including tissue repair or regeneration capacity,” Dr. Kovacheva elaborates. Stated.
“At critical times, such as during injury, cells require large amounts of ‘methyl tags’ and therefore B12. Despite eating a normal healthy diet, the reprogramming mice even develop a partial B12 deficiency. Supplementing with B12 promotes reprogramming and tissue repair, which occurs faster and more extensively. ”
– Dr. Marta Kovaceva
Doctors. Serrano and Kovacheva also led the team in testing the vitamin B12 theory in a mouse model of ulcerative colitis.
Researchers have found that intestinal cells that begin repair undergo a process similar to cellular reprogramming and may benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation. They reported that vitamin B12 supplementation promoted tissue repair in a mouse model of ulcerative colitis.
Both scientists believe that these discoveries could open new doors in regenerative medicine.
“Vitamin B12 supplementation is easy, inexpensive, and safe,” Dr. Serrano commented. “We want to know how this will impact the recovery of surgical patients, for example.”
“There are some conditions where it can be helpful, such as colon ulcers,” Dr. Kovatcheva added. “In theory, any disease with an active damaging process could benefit from this. But of course this requires appropriate clinical testing.”
Dr. Serrano was also in attendance.
“This study, led by Professors Rosa Ramuela and Ramon Estorche from the University of Barcelona, found that increased levels of B12 in the blood of volunteers were associated with decreased levels of inflammatory markers,” Dr Serrano said. explained.
“These inflammatory markers reflect the presence of ongoing injury or damage that can occur on a very local scale. The association between high B12 and low inflammation suggests that high B12 “This is consistent with the idea that it can help resolve and repair tissue damage,” he added.
After reviewing this research, Dr. Rosario Ligurestisaid Chief of Gastroenterology and Director of the Pancreas Center at Hackensack University Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. MNT He found the research interesting.
“While much is known about how cells repair themselves, there are also many unknowns. This study sheds light on the complex processes involved. When the gastrointestinal tract is damaged, The body tries to repair itself quickly. Part of the repair process involves the recruitment of stem cells. However, these stem cells undergo a process called reprogramming so that they can replace lost or damaged cells. You have to go through a process.”
– Dr. Rosario Liguresti
“In the gastrointestinal tract, as highlighted in this paper, this relies on two functional systems: the microbiome and adequate levels of vitamin B12,” he added. “If either of these two elements is missing or altered, intestinal regeneration will not be as effective as one might hope.”
Dr. Babak FirouziA board-certified gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., agreed, saying it adds to current knowledge about regenerative medicine.
“Especially in my field, gastroenterology, the cells in the intestines have to regenerate at a very constant level, so whenever there’s damage, you want to repair that damage in the right way, so you can do the right thing. We need tools,” Dr. Firouzi explained. MNT. “Especially when it comes to vitamins, to do that effectively and in the best way, you need to get the right nutrients.”
Dr. Firouzi said he hopes a B12-based treatment will be developed for ulcerative colitis.
“The problem with ulcerative colitis is that the inflammation is severe and the cell turnover is very high,” he added. “And I think it would be great if we could not only stop it, but reverse it and see if we could eventually get normal tissue back again.”
Dr. Liguresti said vitamin B12 deficiency is primarily seen in people who follow a vegan diet, in the elderly due to malabsorption, and in people with chronic illnesses. Helicobacter pylori infection.
For those looking to increase their vitamin B12 intake, Dr. Firouzi recommends
However, dairy products and eggs also naturally contain vitamin B12. Vegan- and vegetarian-friendly sources of B12 include fortified plant milks, nutritional yeast, fortified cereals, and supplements.
“Older patients may find that visiting their doctor for monthly vitamin B12 injections is the easiest way to supplement their intake. Oral vitamin B12 supplementation is “It has little effect,” Dr. Firouzi said.
