International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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17 pages, 2311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Establishment of a New Device for Electrical Stimulation of Non-Degenerative Cartilage Cells In Vitro

by Simone Krueger, Alexander Riess, Anika Jonitz-Heincke, Alina Weizel, Anika Seyfarth, Hermann Seitz and Rainer Bader

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(1), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22010394 - 1 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4027

Abstract

In cell-based therapies for cartilage lesions, the main problem is still the formation of fibrous cartilage, caused by underlying de-differentiation processes ex vivo. Biophysical stimulation is a promising approach to optimize cell-based procedures and to adapt them more closely to physiological conditions. The [...] Read more.

In cell-based therapies for cartilage lesions, the main problem is still the formation of fibrous cartilage, caused by underlying de-differentiation processes ex vivo. Biophysical stimulation is a promising approach to optimize cell-based procedures and to adapt them more closely to physiological conditions. The occurrence of mechano-electrical transduction phenomena within cartilage tissue is physiological and based on streaming and diffusion potentials. The application of exogenous electric fields can be used to mimic endogenous fields and, thus, support the differentiation of chondrocytes in vitro. For this purpose, we have developed a new device for electrical stimulation of chondrocytes, which operates on the basis of capacitive coupling of alternating electric fields. The reusable and sterilizable stimulation device allows the simultaneous use of 12 cavities with independently applicable fields using only one main supply. The first parameter settings for the stimulation of human non-degenerative chondrocytes, seeded on collagen type I elastin-based scaffolds, were derived from numerical electric field simulations. Our first results suggest that applied alternating electric fields induce chondrogenic re-differentiation at the gene and especially at the protein level of human de-differentiated chondrocytes in a frequency-dependent manner. In future studies, further parameter optimizations will be performed to improve the differentiation capacity of human cartilage cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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22 pages, 6399 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biological Characteristics and Osteogenic Differentiation of Ovine Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Stimulated with FGF-2 and BMP-2

by Sandra Gromolak, Agnieszka Krawczenko, Agnieszka Antończyk, Krzysztof Buczak, Zdzisław Kiełbowicz and Aleksandra Klimczak

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(24), 9726; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21249726 - 20 Dec 2020

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 4992

Abstract

Cell-based therapies using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising tool in bone tissue engineering. Bone regeneration with MSCs involves a series of molecular processes leading to the activation of the osteoinductive cascade supported by bioactive factors, including fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and [...] Read more.

Cell-based therapies using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising tool in bone tissue engineering. Bone regeneration with MSCs involves a series of molecular processes leading to the activation of the osteoinductive cascade supported by bioactive factors, including fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). In this study, we examined the biological characteristics and osteogenic differentiation potential of sheep bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) treated with 20 ng/mL of FGF-2 and 100 ng/mL BMP-2 in vitro. The biological properties of osteogenic-induced BM-MSCs were investigated by assessing their morphology, proliferation, phenotype, and cytokine secretory profile. The osteogenic differentiation was characterized by Alizarin Red S staining, immunofluorescent staining of osteocalcin and collagen type I, and expression levels of genetic markers of osteogenesis. The results demonstrated that BM-MSCs treated with FGF-2 and BMP-2 maintained their primary MSC properties and improved their osteogenic differentiation capacity, as confirmed by increased expression of osteocalcin and collagen type I and upregulation of osteogenic-related gene markers BMP-2, Runx2, osterix, collagen type I, osteocalcin, and osteopontin. Furthermore, sheep BM-MSCs produced a variety of bioactive factors involved in osteogenesis, and supplementation of the culture medium with FGF-2 and BMP-2 affected the secretome profile of the cells. The results suggest that sheep osteogenic-induced BM-MSCs may be used as a cellular therapy to study bone repair in the preclinical large animal model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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17 pages, 2226 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Endotoxins in Gelatine Hydrogels on Chondrogenic Differentiation and Inflammatory Cytokine Secretion In Vitro

by Wilhelmina M. G. A. C. Groen, Lizette Utomo, Miguel Castilho, Debby Gawlitta, Jos Malda, P. René van Weeren, Riccardo Levato and Nicoline M. Korthagen

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(22), 8571; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21228571 - 13 Nov 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3525

Abstract

Gelatine methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels are widely used in studies aimed at cartilage regeneration. However, the endotoxin content of commercially available GelMAs and gelatines used in these studies is often overlooked, even though endotoxins may influence several cellular functions. Moreover, regulations for clinical use [...] Read more.

Gelatine methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels are widely used in studies aimed at cartilage regeneration. However, the endotoxin content of commercially available GelMAs and gelatines used in these studies is often overlooked, even though endotoxins may influence several cellular functions. Moreover, regulations for clinical use of biomaterials dictate a stringent endotoxin limit. We determined the endotoxin level of five different GelMAs and evaluated the effect on the chondrogenic differentiation of equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Cartilage-like matrix production was evaluated by biochemical assays and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured on the hydrogels for 24 h, followed by the assessment of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and C–C motif chemokine ligand (CCL)2 as inflammatory markers. The GelMAs were found to have widely varying endotoxin content (two with >1000 EU/mL and three with <10 EU/mL), however, this was not a critical factor determining in vitro cartilage-like matrix production of embedded MSCs. PBMCs did produce significantly higher TNF-α and CCL2 in response to the GelMA with the highest endotoxin level compared to the other GelMAs. Although limited effects on chondrogenic differentiation were found in this study, caution with the use of commercial hydrogels is warranted in the translation from in vitro to in vivo studies because of regulatory constraints and potential inflammatory effects of the content of these hydrogels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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17 pages, 3006 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ceramic Scaffolds in a Vacuum Suction Handle for Intraoperative Stromal Cell Enrichment

by André Busch, Monika Herten, Marcel Haversath, Christel Kaiser, Sven Brandau and Marcus Jäger

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(17), 6393; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176393 - 2 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2966

Abstract

During total joint replacement, high concentrations of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are released at the implantation site. They can be found in cell–tissue composites (CTC) that are regularly removed by surgical suction. A surgical vacuum suction handle was filled with bone substitute granules, [...] Read more.

During total joint replacement, high concentrations of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are released at the implantation site. They can be found in cell–tissue composites (CTC) that are regularly removed by surgical suction. A surgical vacuum suction handle was filled with bone substitute granules, acting as a filter allowing us to harvest CTC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the osteopromotive potential of CTC trapped in the bone substitute filter material during surgical suction. In the course of 10 elective total hip and knee replacement surgeries, β-tricalcium-phosphate (TCP) and cancellous allograft (Allo) were enriched with CTC by vacuum suction. Mononuclear cells (MNC) were isolated from the CTC and investigated towards cell proliferation and colony forming unit (CFU) formation. Furthermore, MSC surface markers, trilineage differentiation potential and the presence of defined cytokines were examined. Comparable amounts of MNC and CFUs were detected in both CTCs and characterized as MSC‰ of MNC with 9.8 ± 10.7‰ for the TCP and 12.8 ± 10.2‰ for the Allo (p = 0.550). CTCs in both filter materials contain cytokines for stimulation of cell proliferation and differentiation (EGF, PDGF-AA, angiogenin, osteopontin). CTC trapped in synthetic (TCP) and natural (Allo) bone substitute filters during surgical suction in the course of a joint replacement procedure include relevant numbers of MSCs and cytokines qualified for bone regeneration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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Review

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15 pages, 1082 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Progress of Stem Cell Technology for Skeletal Regeneration

by Shoichiro Tani, Hiroyuki Okada, Ung-il Chung, Shinsuke Ohba and Hironori Hojo

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(3), 1404; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031404 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4796

Abstract

Skeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis and bone fractures, are among the major conditions that can compromise the quality of daily life of elderly individuals. To treat them, regenerative therapies using skeletal cells have been an attractive choice for patients with unmet clinical needs. [...] Read more.

Skeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis and bone fractures, are among the major conditions that can compromise the quality of daily life of elderly individuals. To treat them, regenerative therapies using skeletal cells have been an attractive choice for patients with unmet clinical needs. Currently, there are two major strategies to prepare the cell sources. The first is to use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or embryonic stem cells (ESCs), which can recapitulate the skeletal developmental process and differentiate into various skeletal cells. Skeletal tissues are derived from three distinct origins: the neural crest, paraxial mesoderm, and lateral plate mesoderm. Thus, various protocols have been proposed to recapitulate the sequential process of skeletal development. The second strategy is to extract stem cells from skeletal tissues. In addition to mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), multiple cell types have been identified as alternative cell sources. These cells have distinct multipotent properties allowing them to differentiate into skeletal cells and various potential applications for skeletal regeneration. In this review, we summarize state-of-the-art research in stem cell differentiation based on the understanding of embryogenic skeletal development and stem cells existing in skeletal tissues. We then discuss the potential applications of these cell types for regenerative medicine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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20 pages, 3605 KiB

Open AccessReview

Synthetic Scaffold/Dental Pulp Stem Cell (DPSC) Tissue Engineering Constructs for Bone Defect Treatment: An Animal Studies Literature Review

by Felice Lorusso, Francesco Inchingolo, Gianna Dipalma, Francesca Postiglione, Stefania Fulle and Antonio Scarano

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(24), 9765; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21249765 - 21 Dec 2020

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4968

Abstract

Background: Recently a greater interest in tissue engineering for the treatment of large bone defect has been reported. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of dental pulp stem cells and synthetic block complexes for bone [...] Read more.

Background: Recently a greater interest in tissue engineering for the treatment of large bone defect has been reported. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of dental pulp stem cells and synthetic block complexes for bone defect treatment in preclinical in vivo articles. Methods: The electronic database and manual search was conducted on Pubmed, Scopus, and EMBASE. The papers identified were submitted for risk-of-bias assessment and classified according to new bone formation, bone graft characteristics, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) culture passages and amount of experimental data. The meta-analysis assessment was conducted to assess new bone formation in test sites with DPSCs/synthetic blocks vs. synthetic block alone. Results: The database search identified a total of 348 papers. After the initial screening, 30 studies were included, according to the different animal models: 19 papers on rats, 3 articles on rabbits, 2 manuscripts on sheep and 4 papers on swine. The meta-analysis evaluation showed a significantly increase in new bone formation in favor of DPSCs/synthetic scaffold complexes, if compared to the control at 4 weeks (Mean Diff: 17.09%, 95% CI: 15.16–18.91%, p < 0.01) and at 8 weeks (Mean Diff: 14.86%, 95% CI: 1.82–27.91%, p < 0.01) in rats calvaria bone defects. Conclusion: The synthetic scaffolds in association of DPSCs used for the treatment of bone defects showed encouraging results of early new bone formation in preclinical animal studies and could represent a useful resource for regenerative bone augmentation procedures Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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28 pages, 1740 KiB

Open AccessReview

Clinical Application of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells to Repair Skeletal Tissue

by Agnieszka Arthur and Stan Gronthos

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(24), 9759; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21249759 - 21 Dec 2020

Cited by 160 | Viewed by 9865

Abstract

There has been an escalation in reports over the last decade examining the efficacy of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BMSC) in bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine-based applications. The multipotent differentiation potential, myelosupportive capacity, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties of BMSC underpins [...] Read more.

There has been an escalation in reports over the last decade examining the efficacy of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BMSC) in bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine-based applications. The multipotent differentiation potential, myelosupportive capacity, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties of BMSC underpins their versatile nature as therapeutic agents. This review addresses the current limitations and challenges of exogenous autologous and allogeneic BMSC based regenerative skeletal therapies in combination with bioactive molecules, cellular derivatives, genetic manipulation, biocompatible hydrogels, solid and composite scaffolds. The review highlights the current approaches and recent developments in utilizing endogenous BMSC activation or exogenous BMSC for the repair of long bone and vertebrae fractures due to osteoporosis or trauma. Current advances employing BMSC based therapies for bone regeneration of craniofacial defects is also discussed. Moreover, this review discusses the latest developments utilizing BMSC therapies in the preclinical and clinical settings, including the treatment of bone related diseases such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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14 pages, 1257 KiB

Open AccessReview

Exercise as an Adjuvant to Cartilage Regeneration Therapy

by John Kelly Smith

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(24), 9471; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21249471 - 12 Dec 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5620

Abstract

This article provides a brief review of the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis and the ontogeny of chondrocytes and details how physical exercise improves the health of osteoarthritic joints and enhances the potential of autologous chondrocyte implants, matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implants, and mesenchymal stem cell [...] Read more.

This article provides a brief review of the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis and the ontogeny of chondrocytes and details how physical exercise improves the health of osteoarthritic joints and enhances the potential of autologous chondrocyte implants, matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implants, and mesenchymal stem cell implants for the successful treatment of damaged articular cartilage and subchondral bone. In response to exercise, articular chondrocytes increase their production of glycosaminoglycans, bone morphogenic proteins, and anti-inflammatory cytokines and decrease their production of proinflammatory cytokines and matrix-degrading metalloproteinases. These changes are associated with improvements in cartilage organization and reductions in cartilage degeneration. Studies in humans indicate that exercise enhances joint recruitment of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and upregulates their expression of osteogenic and chondrogenic genes, osteogenic microRNAs, and osteogenic growth factors. Rodent experiments demonstrate that exercise enhances the osteogenic potential of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells while diminishing their adipogenic potential, and that exercise done after stem cell implantation may benefit stem cell transplant viability. Physical exercise also exerts a beneficial effect on the skeletal system by decreasing immune cell production of osteoclastogenic cytokines interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ, while increasing their production of antiosteoclastogenic cytokines interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-β. In conclusion, physical exercise done both by bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell donors and recipients and by autologous chondrocyte donor recipients may improve the outcome of osteochondral regeneration therapy and improve skeletal health by downregulating osteoclastogenic cytokine production and upregulating antiosteoclastogenic cytokine production by circulating immune cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Therapy Approaches for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration)

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