Human mesenchymal stem cells are used frequently in regenerative medicine, such as in the regeneration of joint, bone, muscle and adipose tissue.  In some applications, the stem cells must survive in low nutrient conditions caused by avascularity in the graft area, which means that discovering strategies to improve the survival of these stem cells can be highly significant in terms of tissue engineering.  

 

In the words of Dr Núria Casals, “in the study we demonstrated that the CPT1C protein, which is exclusively present in cancerous neurons and cells, can also be found in human mesenchymal stem cells and protects them against glucose starvation, glycolysis inhibition and oxygen/glucose deprivation”.  In order to perform the analysis, the research group used human mesenchymal stem cells originating from dental pulp. 

 

The results obtained from the study “will allow us to demonstrate for the first time that the CPT1C protein promotes cell survival under glucose deficiency conditions through the enhancement of the autophagic flux and lipid droplet synthesis. Autophagy is a key process in states of energy stress because it allows useless intracellular organelles to be converted into nutrients once again” explained Dr Rut Fadó and Dr Xavier Roa, the main authors of the publication. “This project reveals the new role of the CPT1C protein, different to that noted until now in relation to tumour or neuron cells, and identifies CPT1C as a potential objective for strategies that aim to improve the survival of human mesenchymal stem cells in regenerative medicine”.