Current research in Ecuador

Within the country there are several interesting investigations on how different solutions or applications are postulated to make possible the regeneration of living tissue, for this we will start from one of the most important investigations in Ecuador. And this is where we find ourselves with the investigation of the use of the mitochondria of stem cells to be able to transplant them into affected cells and thus be able to contribute to a faster tissue regeneration, but in order to understand this technology, it is necessary to understand what function the mitochondria fulfills. inside the cell as[2]“Mitochondria are cell organelles that are considered the central part of energy metabolism in humans. These organelles house the enzymes and give structural support to the following processes: in the inner membrane, oxidative phosphorylation, in the mitochondrial matrix, the Krebs cycle, the oxidation of fatty acids, and the biosynthesis of the iron-iron catalytic center. sulfur from various enzymes, as well as the synthesis of the heme group and part of the metabolism of amino acids 1-4”.

When looking at the potential that artificially transplanting this organelle to damaged cells may have, to repair them or speed up the healing process, or to skin cells, which would be a great step to reduce aging, this being one of the greatest interest today. As is known, skin aging is caused by genetic processes, but also by external factors which generate constant change, but the change in the skin is more evident in the skin over the years. years of a person, when the age of 50 is reached it is more evident that the skin begins to atrophy because it has a less dense intercellular matrix caused by a decrease in the number of fibroblasts and collagen fibers. As time goes, collagen fibers become thinner and after 50 years the thinner fibers begin to fragment and undergo progressive lysis. This also occurs with elastin fibers, but at a different rate.[3]

In general, this damage to the skin is generated by UVR damage, which generates a decrease in collagen in the skin, and in turn a significant wear of it, therefore, within the study different techniques are presented for the transplantation of the mitochondria.

• AMT/T Technique

The basic studies of this method were carried out in vitro, but with very promising results, showing that if stem/stromal cells are used, these are the only ones capable of transferring mitochondria to any type of cell and therefore to damaged cells. cancer cells and lung cells, as these have shown positive effects on cell repair, generally improving the energy generated by the cell.[3]

As such, it was possible to demonstrate the process of exchanging mitochondria to repair damaged tissue when seeing that in a mouse after having had a stroke, the affected neurons released mitochondria, instead the astrocytes took these mitochondria and recycled them, Instead, they were given healthy mitochondria to improve their recoveries, and this was what inspired them to seek new therapies using mitochondria.

Mitochondria transfer/transplantation (AMT/T) is gaining more evidence of its regenerative effects from in vitro to in vivo treating ischemic diseases in most cases [3]. Therefore, it might be advantageous to transfer mitochondria to specific cells (AMT/T ex vivo) and reintroduce them back into the organism, giving the mitochondria either an encapsulation or putting it inside a membrane for more efficient introduction.