Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor-loaded extracellular matrix macromolecules enhance cartilage regeneration and inhibit degeneration in osteoarthritis.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent joint disorder, characterized by cartilage degradation driven by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and dysregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover. Biological macromolecules, such as ECM-derived scaffolds, offer therapeutic potential by mimicking native cartilage composition, yet their rapid enzymatic breakdown hampers regenerative potential. We hypothesized that embedding an MMP inhibitor within ECM could mitigate MMP-driven breakdown, thereby halting OA progression, while stabilizing ECM structure and boosting chondrogenesis.

The role of MMPs and TIMPs in regenerative medicine: From pathological ECM remodeling to therapeutic applications.

Regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) dynamics is mediated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs). While their involvement in many processes is well recognized, their specific impression on regenerative medicine remains an area of active investigation. This review highlighted the impact of MMPs in six fundamental phenomena-tissue remodelling, angiogenesis, cell migration, cell proliferation and growth, immunogenicity, and apoptosis -emphasizing their significance in regenerative medicine.

The interaction of the biocompatible scaffold containing nanochitosan-chitosan-polycaprolactone with telomerase activator and rock inhibitor in propagation and functional properties of corneal endothelial cells.

Background: Corneal endothelial disfunction, which is results from the injury or loss of corneal endothelial cells (CECs), is the major cause of corneal opacity and visual impairment. Corneal transplantation is the only therapeutic choice for endothelium deficiency, but global donor shortage has posed a serious challenge worldwide. Alternative treatments, especially regenerative medicine strategies including cell therapy and tissue engineering, can overcome this limitation.

Advancing chronic and acute wound healing with cold atmospheric plasma: cellular and molecular mechanisms, benefits, risks, and future directions.

Chronic and acute wounds represent significant challenges in healthcare, often leading to prolonged recovery times and increased complications. While chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers, persist due to underlying conditions and biofilm formation, acute wounds, including surgical incisions and burns, can also benefit from innovative therapeutic approaches. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has emerged as a promising non-invasive therapy capable of enhancing wound healing outcomes across both wound types.

Therapeutic potential of placenta-derived stem cells cultivated on noggin-loaded nanochitosan/polypyrrole-alginate conductive scaffold to restore spinal cord injury.

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe and permanent nerve damage condition that poses significant burdens on individuals and society. Various therapeutic approaches have been explored to mitigate the consequences of SCI. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have emerged as a promising avenue for addressing this issue.

Decellularized Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds for Soft Tissue Augmentation: From Host-Scaffold Interactions to Bottlenecks in Clinical Translation.

Along with a paradigm shift in looking at soft tissue fillers from space-filling to bioactive materials, decellularized extracellular matrix (DEM) fillers have gained more attention considering their superior bioactivity. However, the complex mechanisms that govern the interaction between host tissues and DEMs have been partially understood. This review first covers the mechanisms that determine immunogenicity, angiogenesis and vasculogenesis, and recellularization and remodeling after DEM implantation into host tissue, with a particular focus on related findings from filler materials.

Advancements in cell-based therapies for thermal burn wounds: a comprehensive systematic review of clinical trials outcomes.

Background: Burn trauma is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The standard management of burn wounds consists of early debridement, dressing changes, surgical management, and split-thickness skin autografts (STSGs). However, there are limitations for the standard management that inclines us to find alternative treatment approaches, such as innovative cell-based therapies.

Amnion-derived hydrogels as a versatile platform for regenerative therapy: from lab to market.

In recent years, the amnion (AM) has emerged as a versatile tool for stimulating tissue regeneration and has been of immense interest for clinical applications. AM is an abundant and cost-effective tissue source that does not face strict ethical issues for biomedical applications. The outstanding biological attributes of AM, including side-dependent angiogenesis, low immunogenicity, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and antibacterial properties facilitate its usage for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Retinoic acid loaded with chitosan nanoparticles improves spermatogenesis in scrotal hyperthermia in mice.

Objective: High temperatures can trigger cellular oxidative stress and disrupt spermatogenesis, potentially leading to male infertility. We investigated the effects of retinoic acid (RA), chitosan nanoparticles (CHNPs), and retinoic acid loaded with chitosan nanoparticles (RACHNPs) on spermatogenesis in mice induced by scrotal hyperthermia (Hyp).

Methods: Thirty mice (weighing 25 to 30 g) were divided into five experimental groups of six mice each.

Exosomal Cargo: Pro-angiogeneic, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects in ischemic and non-ischemic heart diseases - A comprehensive review.

Heart diseases are the primary cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide which inflict a heavy social and economic burden. Among heart diseases, most deaths are due to myocardial infarction (MI) or heart attack, which occurs when a decrement in blood flow to the heart causes injury to cardiac tissue. Despite several available diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic approaches, heart disease remains a significant concern.

Comparison of the effects of preservation methods on structural, biological, and mechanical properties of the human amniotic membrane for medical applications.

Amniotic membrane (AM), the innermost layer of the placenta, is an exceptionally effective biomaterial with divers applications in clinical medicine. It possesses various biological functions, including scar reduction, anti-inflammatory properties, support for epithelialization, as well as anti-microbial, anti-fibrotic and angio-modulatory effects. Furthermore, its abundant availability, cost-effectiveness, and ethical acceptability make it a compelling biomaterial in the field of medicine.

Wet-spinnability and crosslinked Fiber properties of alginate/hydroxyethyl cellulose with varied proportion for potential use in tendon tissue engineering.

Researchers have examined different bio-inspired materials in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to fabricate scaffolds to address tendon regeneration requirements. We developed fibers based on alginate (Alg) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) by wet-spinning technique to mimic the fibrous sheath of ECM. Various proportions (25:75, 50:50, 75:25) of 1 % Alg and 4 % HEC were blended to this aim.

Angiogenesis and Re-endothelialization in decellularized scaffolds: Recent advances and current challenges in tissue engineering.

Decellularization of tissues and organs has recently become a promising approach in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to circumvent the challenges of organ donation and complications of transplantations. However, one main obstacle to reaching this goal is acellular vasculature angiogenesis and endothelialization. Achieving an intact and functional vascular structure as a vital pathway for supplying oxygen and nutrients remains the decisive challenge in the decellularization/re-endothelialization procedure.

Exosomes for angiogenesis induction in ischemic disorders.

Ischaemic disorders are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While the current therapeutic approaches have improved life expectancy and quality of life, they are unable to "cure" ischemic diseases and instate regeneration of damaged tissues. Exosomes are a class of extracellular vesicles with an average size of 100-150 nm, secreted by many cell types and considered a potent factor of cells for paracrine effects.

Immunogenicity of decellularized extracellular matrix scaffolds: a bottleneck in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Tissue-engineered decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds hold great potential to address the donor shortage as well as immunologic rejection attributed to cells in conventional tissue/organ transplantation. Decellularization, as the key process in manufacturing ECM scaffolds, removes immunogen cell materials and significantly alleviates the immunogenicity and biocompatibility of derived scaffolds. However, the application of these bioscaffolds still confronts major immunologic challenges.

Hypoxia-sensitive miRNA regulation CRISPR/dCas9 loaded in hybrid exosomes: A novel strategy to improve embryo implantation and prevent placental insufficiency during pregnancy.

Assisted reproductive techniques as a new regenerative medicine approach have significantly contributed to solving infertility problems that affect approximately 15% of couples worldwide. However, the success rate of an fertilization (IVF) cycle remains only about 20%-30%, and 75% of these losses are due to implantation failure (the crucial rate-limiting step of gestation). Implantation failure and abnormal placenta formation are mainly caused by defective adhesion, invasion, and angiogenesis.

Effects of Different Perfusing Routes through The Portal Vein, Hepatic Vein, and Biliary Duct on Whole Rat Liver Decellularization.

Objective: Organ transplantation is the last therapeutic choice for end-stage liver failure, which is limited by the lack of sufficient donors. Decellularized liver can be used as a suitable matrix for liver tissue engineering with clinical application potential. Optimizing the decellularization procedure would obtain a biological matrix with completely removed cellular components and preserved 3-dimensional structure.

Antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of conditioned medium released from human amniotic epithelial stem cells on breast and cervical cancer cells.

Introduction: Human amniotic membrane (hAM) and its cells have been proposed for several clinical applications, including cancer therapy. However, reports on the anticancer effects of human amniotic epithelial stem cells-conditioned media (hAECs-CM) are limited. This work aims to evaluate the anticancer effects of hAECs-CM on cervical cancer and breast cancer cell lines in vitro

Methods: Human term placentas were gained from uncomplicated Cesarean sections from healthy donor women.

Osteogenic Differentiation Effect of BMP-9 with Phenamil and Simvastatin on Intact Human Amniotic Epithelial Stem Cells.

Background: Background: Bone tissue engineering has shown to be a promising strategy for repairing bone defects without causing harmful side effects to the patient. Three main building blocks of tissue engineering, including seeding cells, scaffold, and signaling molecules, are required for adequate bone regeneration. The human amniotic membrane (hAM) is the innermost of the placental membranes.

Recent advances on small molecules in osteogenic differentiation of stem cells and the underlying signaling pathways.

Bone-related diseases are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in elderly people and the current treatments result in insufficient healing and several complications. One of the promising areas of research for healing bone fractures and skeletal defects is regenerative medicine using stem cells. Differentiating stem cells using agents that shift cell development towards the preferred lineage requires activation of certain intracellular signaling pathways, many of which are known to induce osteogenesis during embryological stages.

Anti-cancer effects of human placenta-derived amniotic epithelial stem cells loaded with paclitaxel on cancer cells.

Available therapeutic strategies for cancers have developed side effects, resistance, and recurrence that cause lower survival rates. Utilizing targeted drug delivery techniques has opened up new hopes for increasing the efficacy of cancer treatment. The current study aimed to investigate the appropriate condition of primming human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) with paclitaxel as a dual therapeutic approach consisting of inherent anticancer features of hAECs and loaded paclitaxel.

The role of spinal cord tractography in detecting lesions following selective bladder afferent and efferent fibers injury: A novel method for induction of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction in rabbit.

Objective: Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD), a challenging disorder, is defined by lack of bladder control due to the abnormalities in neural pathways and can be classified based on the location of lesions within the nervous system, thus investigating the neural pathways can help us to know the site of the lesion and specify the class of the NLUTD. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) tractography, a noninvasive advanced imaging method, is capable of detecting central nervous system pathologies, even if routine magnetic resonance imaging shows no abnormality. Accordingly, tractography is an ideal technique to evaluate patients with NLUTD and visualize the pathology site within the spine.

The Cross-Talks Among Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) Signaling and Other Prominent Pathways Involved in Neural Differentiation.

The bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a group of potent morphogens which are critical for the patterning, development, and function of the central nervous system. The appropriate function of the BMP pathway depends on its interaction with other signaling pathways involved in neural differentiation, leading to synergistic or antagonistic effects and ultimately favorable biological outcomes. These opposite or cooperative effects are observed when BMP interacts with fibroblast growth factor (FGF), cytokines, Notch, Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), and Wnt pathways to regulate the impact of BMP-induced signaling in neural differentiation.

Human placenta-derived amniotic epithelial cells as a new therapeutic hope for COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and systemic inflammation.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become in the spotlight regarding the serious early and late complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), systemic inflammation, multi-organ failure and death. Although many preventive and therapeutic approaches have been suggested for ameliorating complications of COVID-19, emerging new resistant viral variants has called the efficacy of current therapeutic approaches into question. Besides, recent reports on the late and chronic complications of COVID-19, including organ fibrosis, emphasize a need for a multi-aspect therapeutic method that could control various COVID-19 consequences.