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Aloe macroclada from Madagascar Triggers Transient Bone Marrow Stem Cell Mobilization

Christian Drapeau, Kathy F. Benson, John James and Gitte S. Jensen

Objective: Aloe has been used for the treatments of various ailments dating back almost 6000 years. There are more than 450 species of aloe coming from various parts of Africa and South America, and from the island of Madagascar that contains unique species endemic to the island. One such species is Aloe macroclada that has been used for centuries by the local residents as a remedy for a wide variety of ailments. We investigated whether the mechanism of action behind the wide-ranging health benefits of A. macroclada could be mobilization of bone marrow stem cells.
Methods: A. macroclada was prepared into small spherical pellets by Malagasy healers using traditional methods of fabrication. The traditional dose of three pellets was fed to 4 volunteers and the number of circulating stem cells was quantified 1, 2 and 3 hours after consumption using flow-cytometry.
Results: The usual dose and preparation of A. macroclada traditionally used in Madagascar triggered a significant increase (up to 53%) in the number of circulating CD45dim CD34+ and CD34+ CD133+ stem cells within 2 hours of consumption. This increase lasted more than 3 hours and was significant after 120 and 180 minutes of consumption.
Conclusion: Consumption of A. macroclada has been credited with significant improvements in a wide variety of heath conditions. This data suggest that stem cell mobilization may be an important mechanism of action behind the health benefits of A. macroclada.