内毒素休克时大鼠肠系膜微血管对去甲肾上腺素反应性的变化

本文应用微循环显微也视录象技术,研究内毒素休克大鼠在休克不同时期肠系膜微血管对去甲肾上腺素(NA)反应性的变化。发现局部滴用由低至高浓度NA使微血管口径呈剂量依赖性缩小,对照组在相当于休克相应时间三次观察收缩反应曲线无明显差异(P>0.05),而休克早期微血管对NA的缩血管反应明显,晚期收缩反应减弱(均P<0.01);同时,休克早期浓度—反应曲线右移,EC_(50)减小,反应阈值降低;休克晚期浓度—反应曲线左移,EC_(50)增大,反应阈值增高;但对照组三次观察无明显变化。提示内毒素休克早期微血管对NA的反应性增高,晚期反应性降低,一、二级细动脉的变化尤为显著。可能是休克早期的代偿与晚期的失代偿机理之一。     

肝细胞生长因子促进人胚胎干细胞向神经前体细胞分化

目的:研究肝细胞生长因子(HGF)诱导人胚胎干细胞(hESCs)定向分化为神经前体细胞(NPs)的作用。方法:诱导拟胚体(EBs)生成,随机将EBs分为正常对照组、G5 supplement组、HGF组和HGF+G5 supple-ment组,悬浮培养诱导7d,转移至多聚赖氨酸/层黏连蛋白(20mg/L)包被的24孔培养板中继续培养7-10d。免疫荧光染色鉴定NPs和体外分化能力,流式细胞仪检测各组巢蛋白(nestin)阳性细胞的比例,RT-PCR检测音猥因子(Shh)对NPs的脑区标记基因表达的影响。结果:HGF+G5可诱导hESCs定向分化为NPs,HGF+G5组的nestin阳性的NPs比例(87.3%±3.9%)显著高于其它组(P0.05),NPs具有分化成神经元、少突和星形胶质细胞的能力;HGF+G5诱导时间对于NPs的分化有影响,7d时nestin+细胞比例达到最大;Shh可使NPs表达腹侧化基因,后脑标记表达上调,而前脑标记表达下调。结论:含HGF和G5的无血清神经分化体系可有效诱导hESCs神经分化,是研究神经诱导的良好体系。     

CA-125 secretion by luteal phase endometrium in vitro

The source of CA-125 in normal women and the mechanisms which control CA-125 production remain to be defined. This study was initiated to examine the pattern of secretion of CA-125 from luteal phase endometrium. Endometrial samples were obtained during the early luteal phase (histological days 16-18) and late luteal phase (histological days 25-27) from ovulatory women with a laparoscopically normal pelvis. The tissue was maintained in explant culture using Trowell's T-8 medium with either no additions (NA), progesterone (P), oestradiol (E2), or E2 + P. The concentration of CA-125 in spent media from the second day in culture was determined by immunoradiometric assay. In early luteal endometrium, the concentration of CA-125 in spent media from the NA treated wells was significantly higher than when the endometrium was exposed to either P or E2 + P. Similar differences were noted between treatments for the late luteal endometrium. Within each treatment, there was a higher concentration of CA-125 in the spent media from the late versus the early luteal endometrium. We conclude that the endometrium is a potential source of serum CA-125 and that endometrial CA-125 is suppressed by P in both the early and the late luteal phase. Further, there appears to be an increase in endometrial CA-125 secretion from the early to the late luteal phase.     

Effect of temporally patterned TNF-α delivery on in vitro osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells cultured on biodegradable polymer scaffolds

Recent insight into the critical role of pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), in bone regeneration has heralded a new direction in the design of tissue engineering constructs. Previous studies have demonstrated that continuous delivery of 50?ng/ml TNF-α to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured on three-dimensional (3D) biodegradable electrospun poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) microfiber meshes stimulates mineralized matrix deposition, a marker of osteogenic differentiation. Since TNF-α exhibits a biphasic pattern of expression following bone fracture in vivo, this study aimed to investigate the effects of temporal patterns of TNF-α delivery on in vitro osteogenic differentiation of MSCs cultured on 3D electrospun PCL scaffolds. MSCs were cultured for 16?days and exposed to continuous, early, intermediate, or late TNF-α delivery. To further elucidate the effects of TNF-α on osteogenic differentiation, the study design included MSCs precultured both in the presence and absence of typically required osteogenic supplement dexamethasone. Mineralized matrix deposition was not observed in constructs with dexamethasone-naïve MSCs, suggesting that TNF-α is not sufficient to trigger in vitro osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. For MSCs precultured with dexamethasone, TNF-α suppressed alkaline phosphatase activity, an early marker of osteogenic differentiation, and stimulated mineralized matrix deposition, a late stage marker of MSC osteogenic differentiation. By elucidating the impact of temporal variations in TNF-α delivery on MSC osteogenic differentiation, our results offer insight into the regenerative mechanism of TNF-α and provide the design parameters for a novel tissue engineering strategy that rationally controls TNF-α signaling to stimulate bone regeneration.     

Osteoblast differentiation of amniotic fluid-derived stem cells irradiated with visible light

The effect of visible light irradiation on the expression of pluripotent genes (Oct-4, Sox2, and Nanog) in amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs) and on the osteogenic differentiation ability of AFSCs was investigated using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at 0-2 mW/cm(2) in various wavelengths: [blue (470 nm), green (525 nm), yellow (600 nm), and red (630 nm)]. Pluripotent gene expression in AFSCs was up-regulated by visible light irradiation from a LED for more than 6 h. Green light irradiation of AFSCs up-regulated the expression of pluripotent genes more significantly than irradiation with other light. The osteogenic differentiation of AFSCs was facilitated by green and blue light irradiation. Facilitated differentiation into osteogenic cells by visible light irradiation was not mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS); alkaline phosphatase activity (a marker of early osteogenic differentiation) and gene expression of osteopontin (a marker of late osteogenic differentiation) did not change significantly between AFSCs in differentiation medium with or without a ROS scavenger (vitamin C). The mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase pathway, as well as other unknown signaling pathways, may be responsible for the activation of signaling pathways that facilitate the differentiation of AFSCs into osteogenic cells on light irradiation.     

Effects of retinoic acid on keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation in a psoriatic skin model

Psoriasis is a skin disease characterized by the presence of red plaques on the skin. This pathology is well-known to be a retinoid-sensitive disease. Previous investigations have shown that retinoids can modulate epidermal proliferation with an antiproliferative potential in hyperproliferative skins. The aim of this study was to compare the development of psoriatic substitutes cultured in a retinoic acid supplemented medium with those cultured in medium receiving no supplement, to define the effects of this growth factor on keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. The self-assembly method was used to create substitutes. Characterization of the psoriatic substitutes was performed by histological and immunolabeling analyses. Results showed that psoriatic keratinocyte substitutes cultured with retinoic acid have a thinner epidermis compared with psoriatic keratinocyte substitutes cultured without this supplement. Further, the expression of all tested cell differentiation markers was restored in psoriatic keratinocyte substitutes cultured in presence of retinoic acid. No significant change in epidermal thickness or in the expression of late differentiation markers was observed in healthy keratinocyte substitutes cultured with or without retinoic acid; however, some changes were reported for proliferation and early differentiation markers. Results suggest that retinoic acid can modulate epidermal differentiation and proliferation with an antiproliferative potential in psoriatic substitutes such as observed in psoriatic skin in vivo.     

Impact of static magnetic fields on human myoblast cell cultures

Treatment of skeletal muscle loss due to trauma or tumor ablation therapy still lacks a suitable clinical approach. Creation of functional muscle tissue in vitro using the differentiation potential of human satellite cells (myoblasts) is a promising new research field called tissue engineering. Strong differentiation stimuli, which can induce formation of myofibers after cell expansion, have to be identified and evaluated in order to create sufficient amounts of neo-tissue. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of static magnetic fields (SMF) on human satellite cell cultures as one of the preferred stem cell sources in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Experiments were performed using human satellite cells with and without SMF stimulation after incubation with a culture medium containing low [differentiation medium (DM)] or high [growth medium (GM)] concentrations of growth factors. Proliferation analysis using the alamarBlue assay revealed no significant influence of SMF on cell division. Real-time RT-PCR of the following marker genes was investigated: myogenic factor 5 (MYF5), myogenic differentiation antigen 1 (MYOD1), myogenin (MYOG), skeletal muscle α1 actin (ACTA1), and embryonic (MYH3), perinatal (MYH8) and adult (MYH1) skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain. We detected an influence on marker gene expression by SMF in terms of a down-regulation of the marker genes in cell cultures treated with SMF and DM, but not in cell cultures treated with SMF and GM. Immunocytochemical investigations using antibodies directed against the differentiation markers confirmed the gene expression results and showed an enhancement of maturation after stimulation with GM and SMF. Additional calculation of the fusion index also revealed an increase in myotube formation in cell cultures treated with SMF and GM. Our findings show that the effect of SMF on the process of differentiation depends on the growth factor concentration in the culture medium in human satellite cultures. SMF alone enhances the maturation of human satellite cells treated with GM, but not satellite cells that were additionally stimulated with serum cessation. Therefore, further investigations are necessary before consideration of SMF for skeletal muscle tissue engineering approaches.     

Nanofibrous poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan hybrid scaffolds for bone tissue engineering using mesenchymal stem cells

In the present study, based on a biomimetic approach, novel 3D nanofibrous hybrid scaffolds consisting of poly(epsilon-caprolactone), poly(vinyl alcohol), and chitosan were developed via a multi-jet electrospinning method. The influence of chemical, physical, and structural properties of the scaffolds on the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts, and the proliferation of the differentiated cells were investigated. Osteogenically induced cultures revealed that cells were well-attached, penetrated into the construct and were uniformly distributed. The expression of early and late phenotypic markers of osteoblastic differentiation was upregulated in the constructs cultured in osteogenic medium.     

Technical advance: immunophenotypical characterization of human neutrophil differentiation

The current study reports a flow cytometry-based protocol for the prospective purification of human BM populations representing six successive stages of terminal neutrophil differentiation, including early promyelocytes and late promyelocytes, myelocytes, metamyelocytes, band cells, and PMN neutrophilic granulocytes. Validation experiments revealed a high purity of each bone marrow population and biological meaningful expression profiles for marker genes of neutrophil differentiation at a hitherto unprecedented resolution. Hence, the present protocol should be useful for studying neutrophil differentiation in vivo in the human setting and constitutes an important alternative to models that are based on in vitro differentiation of myeloid cell lines and HPCs.     

The role of moderate static magnetic fields on biomineralization of osteoblasts on sulfonated polystyrene films

We have investigated the effects of moderate static magnetic fields (SMFs) on murine MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts, and found that they enhance proliferations and promote differentiation. The increase in proliferation rates in response to SMFs was greater in cultures grown on partially sulfonated polytstyrene (SPS, degree of sulfonation: 33%) than in cultures grown on tissue culture plastic. We have previously shown that when the degree of sulfonation exceeded a critical value (12%) [1], spontaneous fibrillogenesis occured which allowed for direct observation of the ECM fibrillar organization under the influence of external fields. We found that the ECM produced in cultures grown on the SPS in the presence of the SMFs assembled into a lattice with larger dimensions than the ECM of the cultures grown in the absence of SMFs. During the early stages of the biomineralization process (day 7), the SMF exposed cultures also templated mineral deposition more rapidly than the control cultures. The rapid response is attributed to orientation of diamagnetic ECM proteins already present in the serum, which could then initiate further cellular signaling. SMFs also influenced late stage osteoblast differentiation as measured by the increased rate of osteocalcin secretion and gene expression beginning 15 days after SFM exposure. This correlated with a large increase in mineral deposition, and in cell modulus. GIXD and EDXS analysis confirmed early deposition of crystalline hydroxyapatite. Previous studies on the effects of moderate SMF had focused on cellular gene and protein expression, but did not consider the organization of the ECM fibers. Our ability to form these fibers has allowed us explore this additional effect and highlight its significance in the initiation of the biomineralization process.     

Differentiation markers of Sertoli cells and germ cells in fetal and early postnatal human testis

The definition of the temporal sequence of appearance of fetal markers during prenatal and early postnatal development in Sertoli and germ cells may be important for understanding the mechanisms underlying their reexpression in disorders of the adult testis. For this reason, we studied the expression of Sertoli and germ cell markers in 25 human testes spanning a period from 8 gestational weeks to 4 years. Well-characterized antibodies were employed to anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), cytokeratin 18 (CK18), vimentin (VIM), M2A-antigen (M2A), germ cell alkaline phosphatase (GCAP), and somatic angiotensin-converting enzyme (sACE) on formalin-fixed and microwave-pretreated paraffin sections. In Sertoli cells, AMH and VIM were consistently present. While VIM and CK18 were coexpressed in embryonic testes, CK18 was progressively downregulated and completely absent from the 20th gestational week. M2A was absent or moderately expressed in fetal Sertoli cells but increased during further development. In germ cells, M2A was consistently found in primordial germ cells (PGCs) as well as in M- and T₁-prespermatogonia. In contrast, sACE and GCAP were absent from PGCs but were a distinct feature of late M- and early T₁-prespermatogonia and appeared predominantly between the 18th and the 22nd gestational weeks. Both T₂-prespermatogonia and postnatal prespermatogonia were devoid of any marker. While CK18 represents a differentiation marker for fetal Sertoli cells, M2A, GCAP, and sACE can be used as differentiation markers for the discrimination of different germ cell types during human prespermatogenesis. Because various immunophenotypes reflect distinct differentiation stages, this knowledge may be important for understanding adult testicular pathology.     

Effects of Lipopolysaccharide on Oligodendrocyte Differentiation at Different Developmental Stages: an In Vitro Study

BackgroundLipopolysaccharide (LPS) exerts cytotoxic effects on brain cells, especially on those belonging to the oligodendrocyte lineage, in preterm infants. The susceptibility of oligodendrocyte lineage cells to LPS-induced inflammation is dependent on the developmental stage. This study aimed to investigate the effect of LPS on oligodendrocyte lineage cells at different developmental stages in a microglial cell and oligodendrocyte co-culture model.MethodsThe primary cultures of oligodendrocytes and microglia cells were prepared from the forebrains of 2-day-old Sprague–Dawley rats. The oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) co-cultured with microglial cells were treated with 0 (control), 0.01, 0.1, and 1 µg/mL LPS at the D3 stage to determine the dose of LPS that impairs oligodendrocyte differentiation. The co-culture was treated with 0.01 µg/mL LPS, which was the lowest dose that did not impair oligodendrocyte differentiation, at the developmental stages D1 (early LPS group), D3 (late LPS group), or D1 and D3 (double LPS group). On day 7 of differentiation, oligodendrocytes were subjected to neural glial antigen 2 (NG2) and myelin basic protein (MBP) immunostaining to examine the number of OPCs and mature oligodendrocytes, respectively.ResultsLPS dose-dependently decreased the proportion of mature oligodendrocytes (MBP+ cells) relative to the total number of cells. The number of MBP+ cells in the early LPS group was significantly lower than that in the late LPS group. Compared with those in the control group, the MBP+ cell numbers were significantly lower and the NG2+ cell numbers were significantly higher in the double LPS group, which exhibited impaired oligodendrocyte lineage cell development, on day 7 of differentiation.ConclusionRepetitive LPS stimulation during development significantly inhibited brain cell development by impairing oligodendrocyte differentiation. In contrast, brain cell development was not affected in the late LPS group. These findings suggest that inflammation at the early developmental stage of oligodendrocytes increases the susceptibility of the preterm brain to inflammation-induced injury.     

Cultivation of Fungi in Synthetic and Semi-Synthetic Liquid Medium

Four allergologically important fungi, viz. Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium notatum, Alternaria alternata, and Cladosporium herbarum were cultured in a liquid synthetic medium, with or without addition of 0.1% yeast extract (YE). After 10 and 28 days of cultivation, immunochemical properties of the fungal extracts, characterised by precipitation pattern and IgG- and IgE-binding capacity, were studied. In pure synthetic medium no large differences were observed in number of precipitates, as measured by DID, among the four antigenic fractions of each fungus (metabolic and mycelial antigens of both early and late phase cultures). Addition of YE to the growth medium hardly changed the number of precipitates and generally caused a decrease in IgG-binding capacity of the extracts. In contrast to these observations were the findings with the IgE-binding capacities of the fungal extracts as measured by RAST. Most allergenic fractions demonstrated an increase (sometimes strong) in IgE-binding capacity after YE was added to the growth medium. It is concluded that the time of cultivation influences the immunochemical characteristics of fungal extracts and that mycelial as well as metabolic antigens of both early and late phase cultures should be used in order to obtain a wide spectrum of allergens in extracts used for diagnostic purposes.     

Lectin binding of rat bone marrow cells during colony-stimulating factor type 1--induced differentiation: soybean agglutinin as a marker of mature rat macrophages

Rat bone marrow cells (BMC) cultured in the presence of murine colony-stimulating factor type 1 (CSF-1) differentiate within 7 days into a cell population containing 96-100% macrophages (M phi). In this study, binding of 10 different fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated lectins to cultured BMC at various stages of differentiation into M phi was investigated. Only soybean agglutinin (SBA) showed a binding pattern that was significantly correlated to M phi differentiation. Nearly all adherent (A) cells bound SBA. Binding of SBA to nonadherent (NA) cells increased from 20% on day 0 to 80% on day 8. NA cells were separated by means of a fluorescence-activated cell sorter into SBA-, SBA +/-, and SBA+ fractions. On day 0 and day 2, M phi, blast-like cells, eosinophils, and some neutrophils were found in the SBA+ population. From day 4 onwards, the SBA+ fraction contained almost exclusively M phi. Neutrophils and some blasts were found in the SBA- population on days 0 and 2. In the SBA +/- fraction, mainly blasts and lymphocytes were identified. With increasing time of culture, M phi or M phi precursors prevailed also in the SBA-/ +/- cell population. Cells forming colonies in soft agar in the presence of CSF-1 were highly enriched in the SBA +/- fraction. A large number of cells in S-G2/M phases but few colony-forming cells were found in the SBA+ population. Our data suggest that SBA is a useful additional tool to define late stages of M phi differentiation.     

Cell density-dependent expression of viral antigens during persistence of foot-and-mouth disease virus in cell culture

Immunofluorescence analyses of FMDV persistently infected BHK-21 cells showed that in cultures from early stages of the persistence (passage 15) only about 10% of cells displayed viral antigens, while at late stages (passage 100) no FMDV antigen-positive cells were found. Positive cells at passage 15 displayed a number of structural alterations that did not differ from those observed in lytically infected cells. In these monolayers, and remarkably, clusters of cells that exceeded confluence were associated with an enhancement of cells positive for FMDV antigens, suggesting cell density-dependent expression of viral antigens. Inhibition of virus spread by blocking endosomal acidification, or addition of neutralizing antibodies to the culture medium reduced the number of FMDV antigen-positive cells within the monolayers. These results suggest that extracellular virus transmission plays an important role during FMDV persistence in cell culture and that this process fits the characteristics of a carrier culture model.     

Comparative recovery of fungi from biphasic and conventional blood culture media.

A brain heart infusion broth and agar biphasic bottle was compared with a vented broth brain heart infusion bottle for the recovery of fungi from blood. A total of 40 fungi, all yeasts, were recovered from 5,000 blood cultures. The biphasic bottle slightly increased the overall recovery of six species of yeasts. In addition, yeasts were first detected more often in the biphasic bottle (73%) than in the vented broth bottle (38%). A routine early (6- to 24-h) or late (5-day) subculture of macroscopically negative cultures may not be required for yeast isolation when a biphasic medium is used. Of the yeasts initially detected in the biphasic medium, 83% were seen to be growing on the agar slant. Only four were detected from a 24-h subculture, a Candida glabrata of questionable clinical significance, was recovered after our routine blood culture period of 7 days; however, other fungi, not recovered in this study, require extended incubation periods.     

Efficient proliferation and maturation of fetal liver cells in three-dimensional culture by stimulation of oncostatin M, epidermal growth factor, and dimethyl sulfoxide

For the purpose of applying fetal liver cells (FLCs) as a cell source to tissue-engineered bioartificial livers, three-dimensional (3-D) cultures of FLCs using a porous polymer scaffold, as well as monolayer cultures as a control, were simultaneously performed. To achieve efficient growth and differentiation, the FLCs were cultured in the growth medium for the first 3 weeks and then cultured in the differentiation medium for 3 more weeks. In these cultures, stimulating factors (oncostatin M (OSM), epidermal growth factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) were added to the media, and their effects were examined. When the growth medium containing OSM and EGF was used, EGF stimulated the growth of FLCs synergistically with OSM. For the differentiation of FLCs into mature hepatocytes, DMSO added to the differentiation medium remarkably enhanced albumin secretion in the 3-D and monolayer cultures, although HGF was effective only in the monolayer culture. Microscopic observation proved that FLCs exhibited hepatocyte-like morphology only in the media containing DMSO. In conclusion, successive supply of the growth medium containing EGF and OSM and the differentiation medium containing DMSO efficiently induced the growth of the 3-D cultured FLCs and their differentiation into mature hepatocytes.