Can yoga therapy stimulate stem cell trafficking from bone marrow?

It has been established that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from bone marrow enter the peripheral circulation intermittently for possible tissue regeneration, repair and to take care of daily wear and tear. This is evident from the detection of MSCs from peripheral blood. The factors governing this migration remain elusive. These MSCs carry out the work of policing and are supposed to repair the injured tissues. Thus, these cells help in maintaining the tissue and organ homeostasis. Yoga and pranayama originated in India and is now being practiced all over the world for positive health. So far, the chemical stimulation of bone marrow has been widely used employing injection of colony stimulating factor. However, the role of physical factors such as mechanical stimulation and stretching has not been substantiated. It is claimed that practicing yoga delays senescence, improves the physiological functions of heart and lung and yoga postures make the body elastic. It remains to be seen whether the yoga therapy promotes trafficking of the stem cells from bone marrow for possible repair and regeneration of worn out and degenerating tissues. We cover in this short review, mainly the role of physical factors especially the yoga therapy on stem cells trafficking from bone marrow. (C) 2016 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Publishing Services by Elsevier B.V.