ABSTRACT

Stem cell research is being pursued in the hope of achieving major medical breakthroughs in treatment of diseases. Experiments over several years have purported to show that stem cells have a phenomenon known as plasticity which includes blood cells becoming neurons and liver cells that can be made to produce hematopoietic stem cells that can develop into cardiac muscle. Stem cells are considered as a ‘Holy grail’ of the modern Medicine. Herbal decoction with a combination of coriander, hibiscus flower petals and pomegranate extract powder was prepared and used in different concentrations on cultures of different age chicken cardiomyocytes from embryonic to adults (8 weeks). The radical scavenging activity of the cultured supernatant analyzed showed increased activity. The cellular proliferation also showed a positive correlation to the concentration of herbal extract supplemented cultures (p<0.05).The population doubling time (PDT) was recorded during different culture days and have shown significant correlation to the proliferation Index (PI).The result of the preliminary study further encourages the concept that natural compounds have the ability to stimulate stem cell proliferation in culture. The enhanced antioxidant potential in herbal supplementation recommends herbal incorporation in food preparation and helps in maintaining the health prophylaxis of the individual.