Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP) possesses antioxidant properties, which provide benefit against age-related complications. FPP is also known to protect red blood cells (RBCs) against oxidative damage and to help protect against severe forms of thalassemia. Several independent observations convergently point toward the hypothesis that treatment with papaya preparations may facilitate wound healing responses. Chronic wounds in patients with diabetes represent a major public health problem. Previous studies from the investigators have demonstrated that wound-site macrophages from patients with diabetes are compromised in their ability to support wound healing. Recently, our laboratory reported the first evidence demonstrating that FPP may improve diabetic wound outcomes by specifically influencing the response of wound-site macrophages and the subsequent angiogenic response. FPP has a long track record of safe human consumption.~The objective of the current study is to determine whether FPP is able to improve inducible respiratory burst outcomes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of participants with diabetes. Our investigators have recently reported that supplementation with standardized fermented papaya preparation (FPP) in adult diabetic mice improves dermal wound healing outcomes. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by type 2 diabetics (T2DM) PBMC is markedly inhibited compared to that of the PBMC from non-diabetic donors. We observed that ex vivo FPP supplementation corrected such inhibition in ROS production by PBMC from T2DM donors. Therefore, based on these observations, the investigators propose to study the outcome that FPP supplementation has in patients with diabetes.
Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP) is a sweet and granular substance available over the counter. FPP possesses antioxidant properties, which provide benefit against age-related complications, and is also known to protect red blood cells (RBCs) against oxidative damage and to help protect against severe forms of thalassemia. The investigators recently showed that ex vivo supplementation of FPP can correct respiratory burst performance of diabetic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) via a Sp-1 dependant pathway. Based on these observations, the investigators propose to study the outcome that FPP supplementation has in patients with diabetes.