[Review Paper] Managing Type 1 Diabetes from Gynecological Waste: Trash to Treasure

Abstract: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), an autoimmune disease, involves the destruction of pancreatic β cells. β cells maintain glucose homeostasis by identifying blood glucose and accordingly releasing insulin in order to maintain normal physiologic glucose levels. Human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) cells posture a lesser risk of viral contamination as there is low placental transmission during prenatal life. Additionally, they have advantages such as non-invasive harvest procedure gynaecological waste, low immunogenicity, easy expansion in-vitro, and easy ethical access as compared to deriving stem cells from other sources. According to the published preclinical data infusion of autologous cord blood cells is considered to be safe as they are non-antigenic. Depending on the degree of differentiation, the ability to regenerate themselves, and the origin of many stem cell types can be differentiated. The application of stem cells (SCs) embraces the great potential for the management of T1DM due to their regenerative capabilities and their promising immunological characteristics. Due to lesser ethical complications and easy procedures of isolation, hUCB has become a precious medical intervention.

Journal: Current Diabetes Review

Keywords: Umbilical cord blood stem cells; glucose homeostasis; gynecological waste; immunogenicity; plasticity; type 1 diabetes mellitus.

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