Nutritional Regulation of Leukocyte Function

Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP) is a dietary supplement that is available as over-the-counter in the US. FPP possesses antioxidant properties, which provide benefit against age-related complications[]. 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. Several independent observations convergently point toward the hypothesis that treatment with papaya preparations may facilitate wound healing responses. 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 the dose at which FPP is able to improve inducible respiratory burst outcomes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and neutrophils of participants. Our investigators have reported that supplementation with standardized fermented papaya preparation (FPP) in mice improves dermal wound healing outcomes. Therefore, based on these observations, the investigators propose to study the dose at which FPP supplementation induces respiratory burst in blood-derived myeloid cells in healthy subjects.