A recent study has found that the use of stem cells could play a significant role in providing back pain relief. Injections of stem cells into the spine resulted in pain relief lasting over a month. Stem cells from bone marrow were used in the study. These types of stem cells are known as bone marrow stromal cells or BMSCs for short. Granted, the study involved mice, but according to the article from the site Science 2.0, there are similar studies involving human subjects showing promise of cell-based treatments for pain relief. I guess you can say that a stem cell, in its most simplistic terms, are like master blue-print cells that can be cloned into other types of cells in the body. For further info on stem cells, you can visit WikiPedia. Keep on reading to find out the connection between stem cells, TGF-ß1 and back pain relief.
Stem Cells Provide Lasting Pain Relief In Mice
Chronic pain caused by the nerve damage of type 2 diabetes, surgical amputation, chemotherapy and other conditions is especially intractable because it resists painkilling medications.
But in a study on mice, a Duke University team has shown that injections of stem cells from bone marrow might be able to relieve this type of neuropathic pain. The researchers say their findings, which appear July 13 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, may also advance cell-based therapies in chronic pain conditions, lower back pain and spinal cord injuries.”
I hope the article wasn’t too wordy with all that scientific nerd talk, but that it was an interesting read for you. Did you get that connection? That is, with the BMSCs, TGF-ß1 and back pain relief? It appears that those with chronic pain have low levels of the anti-inflammatory molecule, TGF-ß1. That means, their bodies do not have the capability to efficiently produce natural pain killers. The key point in the study was that the stem cells treated subjects had higher levels of TGF-ß1 and experienced less pain, indicating the pain-relieving power of BMSCs. If the research scientists can perfect the delivery and strength of BMSCs and use it as a standard treatment for chronic pain, including those suffering from back pain, that could open up a new wave of pain relief which leverages the natural healing ability of the human body.
