Amphiphilic lipid-peptide engineered placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells for liver fibrosis treatment.

The global mortality rate due to liver diseases, particularly liver fibrosis, is increasing. Among various treatment methods, stem cell therapy using placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PDMSCs) offers distinct benefits, including ease of isolation and superior proliferative potential. To enhance the therapeutic efficacy of PDMSCs, the WKYMVm peptide was selected for cell engineering.

3D Bioprinting-Assisted Engineering of Stem Cell-Laden Hybrid Biopatches With Distinct Geometric Patterns Considering the Mechanical Characteristics of Regular and Irregular Connective Tissues.

Connective tissues display distinct mechanical behaviors, ranging from unidirectional stiffness in regular tissues to multidirectional compliance in irregular tissues. Replicating these biomechanical characteristics in engineered constructs remains a key challenge in regenerative medicine. This study presents a novel biofabrication platform for hybrid biopatches composed of tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cell (TMSC)-laden collagen bioink reinforced with 3D printed polymeric patterns.

Efficacy of Light-Emitting Diode-Mediated Photobiomodulation in Tendon Healing in a Murine Model.

The application of light-emitting diode (LED)-dependent photobiomodulation (PBM) in promoting post-tendon injury healing has been recently reported. Despite establishing a theoretical basis for ligament restoration through PBM, identifying effective LED wavelength combinations and ensuring safety in animal models remain unresolved challenges. In our previous study, we demonstrated that combined irradiation at 630 nm and 880 nm promotes cell proliferation and migration, which are critical processes during the early stage of tendon healing in human-derived tendon fibroblasts.

Effects of Black Soldier Fly Larvae Hydrolysate on Culture of Primary Myogenic and Adipogenic Cells Isolated from Broilers for Cultured Meat Development.

Sustainable food resources, including cell-cultured meat and edible insect proteins, are emerging as key solutions to meet future protein demands. This study evaluated the effects of black soldier fly larvae hydrolysate (BLH) on primary cells isolated from broiler leg and breast muscle tissues, as well as abdominal fat tissues. Primary cells isolated from each tissue were characterized for their myogenic and adipogenic (stromal vascular fraction, SVF) properties.

Temporal trends in adherence to lifestyle recommendations of patients with hypertension in Korea, 2007-2021.

Adherence to lifestyle recommendations is crucial in managing hypertension, independent of medical treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of adherence to lifestyle recommendations and analyze the trends in adherence to lifestyle recommendations among patients with hypertension in Korea from 2007 to 2021 using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The study included adults aged ≥20 years.

Concurrent Acute Ischemic Stroke and Myocardial Infarction Associated With Atrial Fibrillation.

An 85-year-old man was admitted with dysarthria. Electrocardiography showed atrial fibrillation and prominent ST-segment elevation in V-V. Multiple acute cerebral infarctions were observed in brain images.

Genome-wide analysis of KIX gene family for organ size regulation in soybean ( L.).

The KIX domain, conserved among various nuclear and co-activator factors, acts as a binding site that interacts with other transcriptional activators and co-activators, playing a crucial role in gene expression regulation. In plants, the KIX domain is involved in plant hormone signaling, stress response regulation, cell cycle control, and differentiation, indicating its potential relevance to crop productivity. This study aims to identify and characterize KIX domains within the soybean ( L.

Hybrid spheroids containing mesenchymal stem cells promote therapeutic angiogenesis by increasing engraftment of co-transplanted endothelial colony-forming cells in vivo.

Background: Peripheral artery disease is an ischemic vascular disease caused by the blockage of blood vessels supplying blood to the lower extremities. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) have been reported to alleviate peripheral artery disease by forming new blood vessels. However, the clinical application of MSCs and ECFCs has been impeded by their poor in vivo engraftment after cell transplantation.

Transplantation of adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments promotes therapy of critical limb ischemia.

Background: Adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments are functional vessel segments derived from arterioles, capillaries, and veins. Microvascular fragments can be used as vascularization units in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering containing microvascular networks. However, the in vivo therapeutic and vascularization properties of human microvascular fragments have not been investigated.

Esophageal wound healing by aligned smooth muscle cell-laden nanofibrous patch.

The esophagus exhibits peristalsis via contraction of circularly and longitudinally aligned smooth muscles, and esophageal replacement is required if there is a critical-sized wound. In this study, we proposed to reconstruct esophageal tissues using cell electrospinning (CE), an advanced technique for encapsulating living cells into fibers that allows control of the direction of fiber deposition. After treatment with transforming growth factor-β, mesenchymal stem cell-derived smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were utilized for cell electrospinning or three-dimensional bioprinting to compare the effects of aligned micropatterns on cell morphology.

Transfer-Tattoo-Like Cell-Sheet Delivery Induced by Interfacial Cell Migration.

A direct transfer of a cell sheet from a culture surface to a target tissue is introduced. Commercially available, flexible parylene is used as the culture surface, and it is proposed that the UV-treated parylene offers adequate and intermediate levels of cell adhesiveness for both the stable cell attachment during culture and for the efficient cell transfer to a target surface. The versatility of this cell-transfer process is demonstrated with various cell types, including MRC-5, HDFn, HULEC-5a, MC3T3-E1, A549, C2C12 cells, and MDCK-II cells.

Mesenchymal stem cell spheroids alleviate neuropathic pain by modulating chronic inflammatory response genes.

Chronic neuropathic pain is caused by dysfunction of the peripheral nerves associated with the somatosensory system. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted attention as promising cell therapeutics for chronic pain; however, their clinical application has been hampered by the poor survival and low therapeutic efficacy of transplanted cells. Increasing evidence suggests enhanced therapeutic efficacy of spheroids formed by three-dimensional culture of MSCs.

Kap1 Regulates the Stability of Lin28A in Embryonic Stem Cells.

Lin28A is an RNA-binding protein that controls mammalian development and maintenance of the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) via regulating the processing of the microRNA let-7. Lin28A is highly expressed in ESCs, and ectopic expression of this protein facilitates reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells. However, the mechanisms underlying the post-translational regulation of Lin28A protein stability in ESCs remain unclear.

Combination Therapy of Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells with WKYMVm Promotes Hepatic Function in a Rat Model with Hepatic Disease via Vascular Remodeling.

Changes in the structure and function of blood vessels are important factors that play a primary role in regeneration of injured organs. WKYMVm has been reported as a therapeutic factor that promotes the migration and proliferation of angiogenic cells. Additionally, we previously demonstrated that placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PD-MSCs) induce hepatic regeneration in hepatic failure via antifibrotic effects.

Echinochrome A Treatment Alleviates Fibrosis and Inflammation in Bleomycin-Induced Scleroderma.

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease caused by the abnormal regulation of extracellular matrix synthesis and is activated by non-regulated inflammatory cells and cytokines. Echinochrome A (EchA), a natural pigment isolated from sea urchins, has been demonstrated to have antioxidant activities and beneficial effects in various disease models. The present study demonstrates for the first time that EchA treatment alleviates bleomycin-induced scleroderma by normalizing dermal thickness and suppressing collagen deposition in vivo.

Formyl Peptide Receptor 2 Alleviates Hepatic Fibrosis in Liver Cirrhosis by Vascular Remodeling.

Hexapeptide WKYMVm (Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-D-Met), a ligand of formyl peptide receptor 2, exhibits anti-inflammatory and angiogenic properties in disease models. However, the therapeutic effects of WKYMVm on hepatic fibrosis have not been evaluated to date. Therefore, we investigated whether WKYMVm exerts antifibrotic effects and induces vascular regeneration in a rat model of bile duct ligation (BDL).

Sodium/glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitor, Empagliflozin, Alleviated Transient Expression of SGLT2 after Myocardial Infarction.

Background And Objectives: Large clinical studies of sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have shown a significant beneficial effect on heart failure-associated hospitalization and cardiovascular events. As SGLT2 is known to be absent in heart cells, improved cardiovascular outcomes are thought to be accounted for by the indirect effects of the drug. We sought to confirm whether such benefits were mediated through SGLT2 expressed in the heart using myocardial infarction (MI) model.

Coadministration of endothelial and smooth muscle cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells as a therapy for critical limb ischemia.

Critical limb ischemia is a condition in which tissue necrosis occurs due to arterial occlusion, resulting in limb amputation in severe cases. Both endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are needed for the regeneration of peripheral arteries in ischemic tissues. However, it is difficult to isolate and cultivate primary EC and SMC from patients for therapeutic angiogenesis.

Antibacterial properties of starch-reduced graphene oxide-polyiodide nanocomposite.

Graphene-based nanocomposites with superior antibacterial activity are highly sought after by the food packaging industries. Here, we report for the first time a method that utilizes soluble starch biopolymer as a functionalizing and reducing agent for the preparation of starch-reduced graphene oxide (SRGO), whereby polyiodide binds to the helical structures of amylose units of the starch (chromophore) to form a SRGO-polyiodide nanocomposite (SRGO-PI NC). UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the presence of polyiodide in SRGO.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Mediated Therapy of Peripheral Artery Disease Is Stimulated by a Lamin A-Progerin Binding Inhibitor.

Objective: Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) have been reported to promote angiogenesis and tissue repair. However, poor survival and engraftment efficiency of transplanted ASCs are the major bottlenecks for therapeutic application. The present study aims to improve the therapeutic efficacy of ASCs for peripheral artery diseases.

Effects of Poly(ethylene--glycidyl methacrylate) on the Microstructure, Thermal, Rheological, and Mechanical Properties of Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Polyester Blends.

In this study, a series of thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester (TLCP)-based blends containing 1-30 wt% poly(ethylene--glycidyl methacrylate) (PEGMA) were fabricated by masterbatch-assisted melt-compounding. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed a uniformly dispersed microfibrillar structure for the TLCP component in cryogenically-fractured blends, without any phase-separated domains. The FT-IR spectra showed that the carbonyl stretching bands of TLCP/PEGMA blends shifted to higher wavenumbers, suggesting the presence of specific interactions and/or grafting reactions between carboxyl/hydroxyl groups of TLCP and glycidyl methacrylate groups of PEGMA.

Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/reduced graphene oxide nanofibrous scaffolds for skin tissue engineering.

Graphene is composed of a two-dimensional (2D) layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice configuration. In this paper, we adopted a green synthetic method of producing reduced graphene oxide using glucose as a reducing and stabilizing agent. We also investigated the fabrication of electrospun nanofibers of glucose-reduced graphene oxide (GRGO) (0-1.

Hemostatic, biocompatible, and antibacterial non-animal fungal mushroom-based carboxymethyl chitosan-ZnO nanocomposite for wound-healing applications.

In this study, non-animal mushroom carboxymethyl chitosan (NAM-CMCS) was used as a natural polymer stabilizing agent in the ultrasonic preparation of a ZnO nanocomposite at ambient laboratory temperatures. The formation and morphology of the ZnO nanoparticles were investigated by applying FTIR, XRD, XPS, FE-SEM, and DLS techniques. The FTIR and XPS spectra confirmed the presence of NAM-CMCS functional groups and ZnO in the nanoparticles.

Formyl Peptide Receptor 2 Activation Ameliorates Dermal Fibrosis and Inflammation in Bleomycin-Induced Scleroderma.

Systemic sclerosis is a profibrotic autoimmune disease mediated by the dysregulation of extracellular matrix synthesis. Formyl peptide receptor 2 (Fpr2) is a G protein-coupled receptor that modulates inflammation and host defense by regulating the activation of inflammatory cells, such as macrophages. However, the role of Fpr2 in the development and therapy of scleroderma is still unclear.