Dynamics of laser-induced stem cell proliferation in an animal model

• Grant number: 05/03770-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2006
• End date: February 29, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Bioengineering
• Principal Investigator: Egberto Munin
• Grantee: Allison Gustavo Braz
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (IP&D). Universidade do Vale do Paraíba (UNIVAP). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present proposal stands as a continuation to the research already supported by Fapesp through the project 2001/12754-2. In the previous phase of this research, the biomodulation effect of the low power laser in the regenerative process of planarians (Dugesia tigrina) was studied. The regeneration was investigated in three experimental periods: 4° day; 7° day e 15° day, with daily laser treatments. The proposal for the present work is to investigate the dynamics of the stem-cell proliferation (neoblasts) in Dugesia tigrina in the early phase of the regenerative process, i.e. along the first six days of regeneration, when the influence of the non-ionizing optical radiation is more intense. It is also proposed a comparative study to evaluate the proliferative response at two wavelength, one in the visible (685 nm) and another one in the infrared (780 nm). It is expected that our studies be useful for the characterization of the tissue regeneration, and that our experiments present potential to impact the development of artificial organs and tissue engineering. The study of simple pluricellular organisms presenting capability for physiological response to external stimulus might result in models extensible to organisms of higher complexities. Histological and morphometric techniques will be used for the analyses. We expect, by the end of the proposed experiments, to be detailed the dynamics of the proliferation of undifferentiated cells in planarians Dugesia Tigrina, in early phase of the regenerative process, and identified the general conditions for the occurrence of the maximum proliferative cellular response. The obtained information will give directions for all future experiments, in which photo physical and biochemical aspects of the interaction of the light radiation with undifferentiated cells may be explored. The present research will also dictate the directions for future experiments which can be conducted by using other techniques, such as immunohistochemical and gene expression assays.