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Proudly written by Christophe de JAEGER, for our partner Anti-âge Magazine

Our body is made up of a multitude of cells which age and are changed over time. In medical terms, this phenomenon is called senescence.

Our cells can be stimulated using growth factors which, along with stem cells, are one of the cornerstones of regenerative medicine. When a signal is given, the stem cells present in all of our organs break off and repair any tissue damaged by injury, illness or even aging. This signal is given by the growth factors.

Growth factors

These are proteins with a weak molecular weight, capable of controlling cellular growth by stimulating or hindering cell mul- tiplication in tissues or organs. They should not be confused with growth hormones. There are specific growth factors for each type of cell. The majority of them were discovered by chance during research into cancer. Fibroblast growth factors (FGF), for example, have an effect on the growth of blood vessels and neurones. They help with vision (retina), gastric regulation and secretions, and the production of hormones such as prolactin or TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone). Others take part in the development of an embryo.

We can also cite growth factors such as GM-CSF (Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Fac- tor) or GCSF (Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor) which stimulate the multiplication of white blood cells, erythropoietin (which is involved in the reproduction of red blood cells), and even thrombopoietin (which enables the platelets to multiply). There are numerous other growth factors that influence cell growth, such as epidermal growth factors (EGF) or fibroblast growth factors (FGF). Some encourage blood vessel formation, such as vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) or plate- let-derived growth factors (PDGF).

Action

Growth factors can either act on the cell membrane or within its nucleus. After fixing itself onto a receptor located in the part of the cell that is specific to each growth factor, the latter is activated and this triggers the manufacture of another chemical molecule called the “second messenger”. These mechanisms provoke a chemical reaction which ends with the manufacture of a “regulating” protein, i.e. one that is able to accelerate or slow down all of these phenomena. Within the nucleus of the cell, these proteins attach themselves to the genes (structures located on the chromosomes which trigger the manufacture of elements that make up the cell), which are involved in both cell division and differentiation, thus modifying its rate of activity. In this way, growth factors have the ability to stimulate or limit, de- pending on the case, the synthesis of new tissues but also their growth and their repair when the body suffers from an injury. Given that each cell has its own properties, characteristics and particular character, growth factors have the ability to deter- mine more or less abundant cell divisions, the volume of the tissue, and differentiation. In this way, a blood cell will not play the same role as a bone cell or hormonal cell. Growth factors are involved in the manufacture of new cells, and therefore new tissue. They play a particularly important role following an injury. The specific nature of each cell, and the- refore each tissue, directly depends on the action of the growth factors: blood tissue, glandular tissue which causes hormone secretion, bone tissue which makes up the skeleton, etc.

L’ensemble de ces mécanismes est à l’origine d’une réaction chimique qui aboutit à la fabrication d’une protéine appelée régulatrice, c’est-à-dire capable d’accélérer ou de ralentir l’ensemble de ces phénomènes. Ces protéines se fixent au niveau du noyau de la cellule sur des gènes (structure située sur les chromosomes à l’origine du déclenchement de la fabrication des éléments constitutifs de la cellule) qui interviennent sur la division mais également sur la différenciation de la cellule, modifiant ainsi son degré d’activité.

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Aesthetic medicine can also benefit from the contributions of regenerative medicine. Injecting autologous growth factors (harvested from the patient’s own body) into the face, décolle- tage or even the scalp to fight against progressive baldness or thinning hair, are all natural alternatives to the conventional treatments used in classical aesthetic medicine. Growth factors are obtained from the patient’s own blood and are then re-in- jected into areas (skin, scalp) where the fibroblasts need sti- mulating (production of endogenous collagen) or hair follicles. They enable not only the activation of the stem cells which are located in the scalp to make the hair grow, but also optimise the scalp’s microcirculation, a real motor for cell bio-stimulation, by providing oxygen and essential nutrients.

Going Further: www.institutdejaeger.com

Doctor Christophe de Jaeger, professor of medical physiology and holder of the Chair on Longevity (MTU). One of the very first pioneers in Europe to recommend actively fighting aging in humans. Author of Techniques for fighting aging and We are not made to age from Grasset. Founder and president of the French Society of the Medicine and Physiology for Longevity (SFMPL) and of a new movement of thought called “longevism”.