Document Type : Research articles

Authors

• Hossein Ranjbaran ¹
• Saeid Abediankenari ²
• Marzei Momeninezhad Amiri ³

¹ Immunogenetics Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

² Immunogenetics Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

³ School of Traditional Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: With regards to the high potential of medicinal plants in the production of biopharmaceuticals, one can rely on the promising prospect of insulin production via plant resources. Objectives: This study was conducted with the aim of using plant extract for insulin-producing cells. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. In this study, critical case sampling was used. Six samples were gathered from the umbilical cord (Wharton’s jelly) at Imam hospital, after successful isolation of mesenchymal stem cells. Initially, Nigella sativa seeds extraction was performed to prepare the extract for cellular differentiation. Next, dithizone (DTZ) staining was used to evaluate insulin production and insulin level was examined by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. All data was analyzed with the SPSS version 16 software using independent sample t-test. Results: The mean of the amount of insulin secretion was 92.33 ± 5.13 for the intervention and 0.33 ± 0.15 for the control group. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the average insulin in the culture obtained from Nigella sativa seeds between control and intervention groups (P = 0.001). In addition, via the ELISA kit and specific dithizone staining, insulin-producing cells were proven. Conclusions: In this regard, it could be concluded that the extract of Nigella sativa seeds was capable in the induction of differenti- ation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton’s jelly to IPCs.

Keywords

• Diabetes
• Mesenchymal Stem Cells
• Insulin Producing Cells
• Nigella Sativa