Amazing Adult Stem Cell Advances:
GCSF, AMD3100, & StemEnhance

Aside from being hard to pronounce and/or spell, what do these terms have in common? If you guessed that they are all molecular participants in adult stem cell advances, you are correct. Each of these molecules increases the number of circulating adult stem cells from the bone marrow, but by different mechanims.

GCSF is the most potent and can only be used short term. AMD3100 has intermediate effects and its safety is currently being evaluated. StemEnhance is the mildest and safest, the first and currently only stem cell enhancer on the market.

The figure below shows that all three compounds act at the same place to release stem cells from the bone marrow. (Figure from Mimeault et al., 2007.)

GCSF has a longer history than the two molecules described below. The first scientific articles on granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) were published in 1987, but the research on various colony stimulating factors goes back several decades earlier.

GCSF is named for its effect in stimulating the growth of a certain subtype of white blood cells called granulocytes or neutrophils. In contrast to AMD3100 and StemEnhance, GCSF actually stimulates the production of new cells, rather than just the release of existing cells from the bone marrow.

GCSF stimulates massive release of stem cells from the bone marrow, on the order of 100-200 fold greater than normal--in other words, 10,000 to 20,000% above baseline.

This huge stimulation does not come without the risk of serious side effects, and GCSF can only be used for 5-6 days in a row.

AMD3100, first developed as an HIV inhibitor in the 1990's, inhibits entry of the HIV viral particle into cells that carry the CXCR4 receptor. Interestingly, AMD3100 is also a specific and potent antagonist (blocker) that inhibits binding of the natural chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) to its CXCR4 chemokine receptor.

In the early 2000's, AMD3100 began to be studied as a treatment for leukemia, ovarian carcinoma (Scotton et al., 2002) and other cancers, based on its ability to inhibit SDF-1 activation of the CXCR4 receptor.

More recently, AMD3100 has been studied as a drug to release stem cells from the bone marrow. The basis of this application is that CXCR4 is found on the surface of bone marrow stem cells and mediates the attachment of stem cells to the bone marrow by an interaction with SDF-1.

Thus, blocking the CXCR4 receptor with AMD3100 helps to release adult stem cells from the bone marrow. A study in 2003 found that giving AMD3100 to healthy volunteers resulted in a 500-1500% increase in the number of circulating bone marrow-derived adult stem cells (Liles et al., 2003.

AMD3100 is currently being evaluated as a stimulant for bone marrow transplantation, and has been shown to have activity against malignant brain tumors (Rubin et al., 2003). Since 2005, an explosion of articles have documented the potential use for AMD3100 in mobilizing adult stem cells from the bone marrow, and in treatment of malignancies and cardiovascular disorders, among others.

StemEnhance is an all-natural derivative of the aquabotanical plant Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, or AFA. AFA has been consumed by individuals seeking natural sources of healthy dietary supplements for over 20 years.

Since the mid-1990's, reports of dramatic health improvements in a number of individuals taking AFA for many months led to studies on possible adult stem cell effects of AFA. These studies led to the discovery of an inhibitory ligand for L-selectin. Like CXCR4, L-selectin is a receptor molecule on the surface of adult stem cells in the bone marrow. A small molecule in AFA, more specifically in a concentrated form of AFA as StemEnhance, inhibits the activity of the L-selectin ligand.

So what is the connection to CXCR4? Well, interestingly, L-selectin activates CXCR4. So inhibiting L-selectin indirectly inhibits CXCR4. Taking 1 gram of StemEnhance leads to a 25-30% increase in the number of circulating bone marrow-derived stem cells. So StemEnhance has some effects that mimic a mild form of AMD3100.

The differences between AMD3100 and StemEnhance are, to begin with, that AMD3100 is a pharmaceutical drug whereas StemEnhance is an all-natural, plant-derived dietary supplement. Thus, thanks to the fact that the positive effects of StemEnhance are milder and the negative effects practically non-existent, everyone has access to the health benefits of StemEnhance NOW. Contact us for more information.

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