XUYI WANG¹, WEN ZHANG², LEI GAO², KUANXIN LI^1,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.9, pp. 2065-2072, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018265

Abstract Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious traumatic disease of the central nervous system, and there is currently no effective treatment for SCI because of its complicated pathophysiology. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have multidirectional differentiation abilities. Our study aims to explore the effects of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7)-modified BMSCs transplantation on the repair of SCI in rats. Methods: In this study, a rat spinal cord injury model was established with the modified Allen method. Then, BMSCs transfected with the BMP7 gene were transplanted to treat the spinal cord injury in rats. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly… More >

ALEKSANDRA GORNOSTAEVA, ELENA ANDREEVA^*, LUDMILA BURAVKOVA^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.9, pp. 2049-2052, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019993

Abstract Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are actively involved in reparation and inflammation processes, providing damaged tissue reparation and suppressing immune cell responses in vivo. The effects are mostly due to the production of a wide range of paracrine factors, including growth factors and immunomodulatory mediators. To induce immunosuppressive activity, MSCs are primed by inflammatory cytokines, which results in an increased production of immunomodulatory molecules. However, stimulation of reparative properties is also necessary. This viewpoint manuscript highlights the possibilities of inflammatory priming to increase the production of growth factors by MSCs. More >

ADRIANA L. FERREIRA, GUSTAVO C. PARIS, ALINE DE A. AZEVEDO, ERIKA A. C. CORTEZ, SIMONE N. CARVALHO, LAIS DE CARVALHO, ALESSANDRA A. THOLE^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1807-1813, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019363

Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have pushed the field of stem cell-based therapies by inducing tissue regeneration, immunosuppression, and angiogenesis mainly through vesicles and soluble factors release (paracrine signaling). MSC-extracellular vesicles (MSC-EV) adaptable secretome and homing to injured sites allowed researchers to unlock a new era of cell-free based therapy. In parallel, nanoparticles (NP) have been explored in contributing to transport and drug delivery systems, giving drugs desired physical-chemical properties to exploit cell behavior. However, NPs can be quickly recognized by immune cells and cleared from circulation. In this viewpoint, we explore how combining both therapeutic strategies can improve efficacy and… More >

MARCO TATULLO^1,*, LUISA LIMONGELLI², ROSA MARIA MARANO³, ALESSANDRA VALLETTA⁴, ANGELA TEMPESTA², SANDRO RENGO⁴

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1837-1842, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020570

Abstract The scientific community is continuously working to translate the novel biomedical techniques into effective medical treatments. CRISPR-Cas 9 system (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-9), commonly known as the “molecular scissor”, represents a recently developed biotechnology able to improve the quality and the efficacy of traditional treatments, related to several human diseases, such as chronic diseases, neurodegenerative pathologies and, interestingly, oral diseases. Of course, dental medicine has notably increased the use of biotechnologies to ensure modern and conservative approaches: in this landscape, the use of CRISPR-Cas-9 system may speed and personalize the traditional therapies, ensuring a good predictability of clinical… More >

MASSIMO CONESE^1,*, AURELIO PORTINCASA²

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1815-1826, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019448

Abstract The treatment of nonhealing and chronic cutaneous wounds still needs a clinical advancement to be effective. Both mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), obtained from different sources, and their secretome derived thereof (especially exosomes) can activate signaling pathways related to promotion of cell migration, vascularization, collagen deposition, and inflammatory response demonstrating prohealing, angiogenetic and anti-scarring capacities. On the other hand, biodegradable biomimetic scaffolds can facilitate endogenous cell attachment and proliferation as well as extracellular matrix production. In this Review, we revise the complex composites made by biomimetic scaffolds, mainly hydrogels, and MSC-derived exosomes constructed for cutaneous wound healing. Studies demonstrate that there… More >

PANKE CHEN^*, SHUAI MA

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1903-1909, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018651

Abstract This work aimed to investigate the effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on vascular stenosis in carotid balloon-injured rats. The CGRP gene labeled with EGFP was transfected into bone marrow MSCs, and CGRP protein expression in MSCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence assays. A rat carotid balloon injury model was established using a surgical method. CGRP-modified MSCs were orthotopically transplanted into the injured area of the rats. At 28 days after cell transplantation, EGFP and CD31 expression was detected by immunofluorescence staining. Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining was used to detect the intima/media area of the injured carotid artery… More >

CHANYUAN JIN^1,4,#, ZIYAO ZHUANG^2,4,#, LINGFEI JIA^3,4,*, YUNFEI ZHENG^2,4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.7, pp. 1717-1724, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018706

Abstract Osteoporosis is a frequently occurring bone remodeling disorder worldwide with one characteristic being decreasing bone mineral density and a predisposition to bone fracture, which diminishes patients’ quality of life. Several studies showed that imbalance between the osteogenesis and adipogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) took part in the development of osteoporosis. In previous study, we found MIR22HG regulated the osteogenesis of human BMSCs positively. In this study, we found that MIR22HG was decreased during the adipogenesis of human BMSCs and exerted negative effects on adipogenesis with the involvement of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway both in vitro and in vivo.… More >

GIORDANO WOSGRAU CALLONI^1,*, MARCO AUGUSTO STIMAMIGLIO^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.6, pp. 1375-1381, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019681

Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their byproducts have been widely validated as potential therapeutic products for regenerative medicine. The therapeutic effects result mainly from the paracrine activity of MSCs, which consists of the secretion of bioactive molecules, whether dispersed in medium conditioned by cell culture or encapsulated in extracellular vesicles. The composition of the MSC secretome, which represents the set of these secreted cellular products, is crucial for the performance of the desired therapeutic functions. Different cell culture strategies have been employed to adjust the secretome composition of MSCs to obtain the best therapeutic responses for different clinical contexts. However,… More >

MIN TANG^1,#, XUELING HE^1,2,#, XINGHONG YAO¹, JIRUI WEN¹, MINGYUE BAO¹, LIANG LI^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.6, pp. 1465-1472, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018967

Abstract The present study was designed to investigate the role of estrogen receptor α (ERα) in biaxial tensile strain (BTS) regulated osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs). rBMSCs were derived from rats and overexpressed ERα. The rBMSCs were subjected to BTS at 1 Hz with a strain of 2% for 4 h per day, 3 days, with or without ERα inhibitor ICI 182,780 (ICI). Then, bone mineralization was performed by Alizarin Red Staining. The markers of osteogenic differentiation and downstream Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling were detected by western blotting. Results showed that BTS enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs,… More >

IGOR A. KHLUSOV^1,*, LARISA S. LITVINOVA^2,*, KRISTINA A. YUROVA², MARINA Y. KHLUSOVA³

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.6, pp. 1365-1373, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018917

Abstract Stem cell microterritories (niches), as a specialized part of the extracellular matrix (ECM), are considered an important target and tool for the development of new materials, medical implants, and devices. However, tissue bioengineering products that have stem cell niches of known size on the surface or in the bulk structure of artificial materials are practically unknown. This brief review attempts to draw attention to the problematic aspects of niches as specific parts of the ECM, such as their hierarchy and size for mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). These parameters arise directly from numerous definitions of stem cell niches as specialized morphological… More >