2023-11-18 12:24:31
A recent study has found an important role played by vitamin B12 in cell reprogramming and tissue regeneration.
The study was conducted by researchers led by Dr. Manuel Serrano at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, and was published in the journal Nature Metabolism.
Vitamin B12 is one of the well-known nutrients that has an essential role in maintaining nerve function, supporting the production of red blood cells, facilitating DNA synthesis, and all vital processes for public health.
But in the new research, scientists focused on a process known as “cellular reprogramming,” which is thought to mimic the early stages of tissue repair.
The researchers found that cellular reprogramming in mice consumed large amounts of vitamin B12. In fact, vitamin B12 depletion becomes a limiting factor that delays and impairs some aspects of the reprogramming process.
Given the abundance of vitamin B12 in the mice’s natural diet, the researchers were surprised to note that simple vitamin B12 supplementation significantly enhanced the efficiency of reprogramming.
Therapeutic potential in ulcerative colitis
The researchers validated their findings in a model of ulcerative colitis, showing that intestinal cells that begin repair undergo a process similar to cellular reprogramming and also benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation.
Patients suffering from intestinal diseases can benefit from vitamin B12 supplements.
Dr. Manuel Serrano said, “Our research reveals the critical role of vitamin B12 in cell reprogramming and tissue repair. These results hold promise for regenerative medicine, with the potential to benefit patients through improved nutrition.”
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease in which inflammation occurs in the large intestine (colon) and rectum (the last part of the intestine where stool is stored before emptying).
In the disease, small ulcers develop in the lining of the colon, and they can bleed and secrete pus, according to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.
Ulcerative colitis is a type of autoimmune disease, in which the immune system attacks the body’s tissues.
It is believed that during the disease, the immune system incorrectly recognizes harmless bacteria in the intestines as a source of danger, and attacks colon tissue, leading to inflammation.
Understanding the role of vitamin B12 in cellular reprogramming
In this study, researchers found that vitamin B12 is a limiting factor for a specific branch of metabolism involved in a reaction known as methylation.
Specifically, the DNA of cells initiating reprogramming or tissue repair requires very high levels of this methylation reaction, and therefore of vitamin B12.
The researchers discovered that vitamin B12 deficiency during reprogramming or tissue repair led to significant genetic changes, leading to errors in the function of multiple genes.
Researcher Dr. Marta Kovaceva confirms that “vitamin B12 supplements corrected this defect, which led to enhancing the accuracy of gene function and improving the efficiency of reprogramming in general.”
A separate study links vitamin B12 to reduced inflammation
The group led by Dr. Serrano recently published another study – in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Rosa Lamuela Raventos at the University of Barcelona and Dr. Ramon Estroche at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona – in which it concluded that people with higher levels of vitamin B12 in the blood had lower levels of Signs of inflammation.
These observations indicate that vitamin B12 exerts an anti-inflammatory action by reducing these markers in the body, and they also provide insight into the potential health benefits of vitamin B12.
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