Using plant-derived nanothylakoid units to induce anabolism in mammals to reduce disease progression

A team of researchers at Zhejiang University School of Medicine has developed a way to use photosynthetic cells from plants when treating osteoarthritis in mice.

In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes how they created nanoscale thylakoid structures, called nanothylakoid units, in plants and delivered them into animal cells as a way to slow or stop disease progression. Two of the team members, Pengfei Chen and Xianfeng Lin have also published a Research Briefing outlining their work in the same journal issue.

Prior research has shown that in some progressive diseases, such as osteoarthritis, cells lack the amount of energy they need to function properly due to insufficient anabolism (where simple molecules are converted to complex molecules). Prior research has also shown that the compound ATP provides the energy needed by mammalian cells.

Prior research has also shown that the molecule NADPH plays an important role in allowing cells to use ATP. And finally, prior research has also shown that both ATP and NADHP are produced in plants during photosynthesis. The researchers therefore wondered if it might be possible to deliver some of the plant machinery into a mammalian cell where it could be used to produce ATP and NADPH for use by the mammalian cells when a light was applied, instigating the photosynthetic process.

To find out, the researchers created structures called nanothylakoid units (NTUs) from plant chloroplasts. They then covered them with mouse cells to prevent the mouse immune system from attacking when the NTUs were injected into the knee joints of mice with osteoarthritis.

Next, they shined a light on the joints to incite the photosynthetic process and thus the production of ATP and NADPH. Testing showed that the technique led to improved anabolism in the mouse cells, which in turn led to reducing the progression of the disease (slowed cartilage degeneration) in the test mice.

The researchers suggest their initial experiments show that their approach holds promise as a therapeutic approach to treating progressive diseases. They also note that the same approach could be used to metabolize cells as part of a process to create biofuels and perhaps other useful chemicals. 

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