Asymmetric uptake of sepiapterin and 7,8-dihydrobiopterin as a gateway of the salvage pathway of tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis from the lumenal surface of rat endothelial cells

Rat aortic endothelial cells were cultured on a porous membrane to form a monolayer sheet. They efficiently accumulated tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄) by uptake of sepiapterin but did so only moderately by uptake of dihydrobiopterin. The endothelial cell sheet preferentially took up the pterins from the apical side. Accordingly, a dense accumulation of ENT2-like immunoreactivity was visualized on the apical surface of the cell sheet. The findings suggest that vascular endothelial cells receive BH₄ precursors directly from the blood stream rather than from ablumenal tissues.     

Grafting of gelatin on electrospun poly(caprolactone) nanofibers to improve endothelial cell spreading and proliferation and to control cell Orientation

We modified the surface of electrospun poly(caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers to improve their compatibility with endothelial cells (ECs) and to show the potential application of PCL nanofibers as a blood vessel tissue-engineering scaffold. Nonwoven PCL nanofibers (PCL NF) and aligned PCL nanofibers (APCL NF) were fabricated by electrospinning technology. To graft gelatin on the nanofiber surface, PCL nanofibers were first treated with air plasma to introduce -COOH groups on the surface, followed by covalent grafting of gelatin molecules, using water-soluble carbodiimide as the coupling agent. The chemical change in the material surface during surface modification was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and quantified by colorimetric methods. ECs were cultured to evaluate the cytocompatibility of surface-modified PCL NF and APCL NF. Gelatin grafting can obviously enhance EC spreading and proliferation compared with the original material. Moreover, gelatin-grafted APCL NF readily orients ECs along the fibers whereas unmodified APCL NF does not. Immunostaining micrographs showed that ECs cultured on gelatin-grafted PCL NF were able to maintain the expression of three characteristic markers: platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1). The surface-modified PCL nanofibrous material is a potential candidate material in blood vessel tissue engineering.     

双层蛛丝蛋白血管支架的制备及其生物力学性能与细胞相容性研究

目的 应用静电纺丝法制备一种双层蛛丝蛋白血管支架,观察血管支架的微观结构,并研究其生物力学性能和细胞相容性。方法 配制纺丝液,通过静电纺丝,以旋转接收棒为收集装置,制备(pNSR16/PCL/CS)/(pNSR16/PCL/Gt)双层蛛丝蛋白血管支架。探讨质量分数和管壁厚度对血管支架孔隙率、爆破强度、拉伸性能、缝合强度和水渗透性的影响,并检测血管支架的细胞毒性和细胞黏附性能。结果 血管支架的微观结构为纤维随机分布的三维多孔网状,爆破强度、拉伸强度和缝合强度大小均与支架的质量分数和管壁厚度成正比,孔隙率、水渗透性和断裂伸长率大小与支架的质量分数和管壁厚度成反比。血管支架爆破强度的范围为43~183 kPa,高于生理血压;缝合强度高于0.19 N,符合体内移植要求;拉伸强度高于人体桡动脉血管,满足体内移植的要求;水渗透性为0.3~0.6 mL?min-1?cm-2。血管支架无细胞毒性,并有利于内皮细胞细胞黏附及增殖。结论 使用静电纺丝法制备的双层蛛丝蛋白血管支架是可行的,其优异的生物力学性能和生物相容性能表明其能应用于体外组织工程血管的构建,具有进一步应用于血管移植物研究的前景,为临床应用奠定了一定的基础。     

Human endothelial cell growth on mussel-inspired nanofiber scaffold for vascular tissue engineering

The endothelialization of prosthetic scaffolds is considered to be an effective strategy to improve the effectiveness of small-diameter vascular grafts. We report the development of a nanofibrous scaffold that has a polymeric core and a shell mimicking mussel adhesive for enhanced attachment, proliferation, and phenotypic maintenance of human endothelial cells. Polycaprolactone (PCL) was chosen as a core material because of its good biodegradability and mechanical properties suitable for tissue engineering. PCL was electrospun into nanofibers with a diameter of approximately 700 nm and then coated with poly(dopamine) (PDA) to functionalize the surface of PCL nanofibers with numerous catechol moieties similar to mussel adhesives in nature. The formation of a PDA ad-layer was analyzed using multiple techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. When PDA-coated PCL nanofibers were compared to unmodified and gelatin-coated nanofibers, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exhibited highly enhanced adhesion and viability, increased stress fiber formation, and positive expression of endothelial cell markers (e.g., PECAM-1 and vWF).     

聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖电纺丝纳米纤维支架与兔内皮祖细胞的生物相容性

背景：电纺丝技术能够使许多高分子材料制备出与细胞外基质相似的三维纳米纤维支架。聚乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维复合支架材料能够克服材料的不足,提高组织工程支架生物相容性。 目的：评价聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖电纺丝纳米纤维支架与兔内皮祖细胞的生物相容性。 方法：电纺丝技术制备聚左旋乳酸,壳聚糖,聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖的纳米纤维支架,扫描电镜观察其形貌结构。纳米纤维支架与内皮祖细胞进行复合培养后,观察细胞在不同材料上的黏附率、一氧化氮分泌,生长特征和在聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维支架上的细胞表型特征。 结果与结论：聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维支架比聚左旋乳酸、壳聚糖具有更合适的纤维直径,具有与细胞外基质相似的纳米纤维三维多孔结构。聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维支架能够促进内皮祖细胞黏附率和细胞的一氧化氮分泌(P < 0.05,P < 0.01)。内皮祖细胞能够在聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖复合材料膜上融合成片,保持了细胞的完整形态和分化功能,显示了内皮细胞特异性的vWF表型。提示聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖电纺丝纳米纤维支架与兔内皮祖细胞具有良好的生物相容性。     

预分化脂肪干细胞与纤维蛋白胶和磷酸钙骨水泥自体异位构建血管化移植物

背景：预构骨皮瓣研究启发人们构建预构血管化骨进行游离移植来替代带血管蒂游离自体骨移植修复大段骨缺损的想法。 目的：设计一种基于预分化脂肪干细胞、纤维蛋白胶和多孔磷酸钙骨水泥支架复合体的血管化移植物。 方法：将体外分离培养的大鼠脂肪干细胞在条件培养基中进行血管内皮细胞定向分化,经鉴定活性后,复合至纤维蛋白胶和多孔磷酸钙骨水泥构建血管化组织工程支架。将血管化组织工程支架、纤维蛋白胶/多孔磷酸钙骨水泥支架及多孔磷酸钙骨水泥支架分别植入SD大鼠股四头肌肌袋内,植入后2,4周进行组织学检测、血管定量分析和Western blot检测。 结果与结论：向血管内皮细胞分化的脂肪干细胞与纤维蛋白胶和多孔磷酸钙骨水泥共培养7 d,可见细胞密度适中,与支架组织结合较好。植入实验中,各组支架孔隙中充填有纤维血管组织和脂肪组织,血管化组织工程组支架孔隙中均长入大量血管,并有小动脉长入,不同时间点的血管直径和数量及血管内皮生长因子C的表达量均优于纤维蛋白胶/多孔磷酸钙骨水泥组和多孔磷酸钙骨水泥组(P < 0.01)。表明构建的血管化组织工程支架能够实现可靠迅速血管化。中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：生物材料;骨生物材料; 口腔生物材料; 纳米材料; 缓释材料; 材料相容性;组织工程全文链接：     

Osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in self-assembled peptide-amphiphile nanofibers

The proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) was investigated in a three dimensional (3-D) network of nanofibers formed by self-assembly of peptide-amphiphile (PA) molecules. PA was synthesized by standard solid phase chemistry that ends with the alkylation of the NH(2) terminus of the peptide. The sequence of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) was included in peptide design as well. A 3-D network of nanofibers was formed by mixing cell suspensions in media with dilute aqueous solution of PA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation revealed the formation of fibrous assemblies with an extremely high aspect ratio and high surface areas. When rat MSC were seeded into the PA nanofibers with or without RGD, larger number of cells attached was observed in the PA nanofibers including RGD. When measured to evaluate the osteogenic differentiation of MSC, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin content became maximum for the PA nanofibers including RGD compared with those without RGD, although both the values were significantly higher compared with those in the static tissue culture plate (2-D culture). We concluded that the attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of MSC were influenced by PA nanofibers as the cell scaffold.     

Regulation of endothelial cell activation and angiogenesis by injectable peptide nanofibers

RAD16-II peptide nanofibers are promising for vascular tissue engineering and were shown to enhance angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, although the mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesized that the pro-angiogenic effect of RAD16-II results from low-affinity integrin-dependent interactions of microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) with RAD motifs. Mouse MVECs were cultured on RAD16-II with or without integrin and MAPK/ERK pathway inhibitors, and angiogenic responses were quantified. The results were validated in vivo using a mouse diabetic wound healing model with impaired neovascularization. RAD16-II stimulated spontaneous capillary morphogenesis, and increased β₃ integrin phosphorylation and VEGF expression in MVECs. These responses were abrogated in the presence of β₃ and MAPK/ERK pathway inhibitors or on the control peptide without RAD motifs. Wide-spectrum integrin inhibitor echistatin completely abolished RAD16-II-mediated capillary morphogenesis in vitro and neovascularization and VEGF expression in the wound in vivo. The addition of the RGD motif to RAD16-II did not change nanofiber architecture or mechanical properties, but resulted in significant decrease in capillary morphogenesis. Overall, these results suggest that low-affinity non-specific interactions between cells and RAD motifs can trigger angiogenic responses via phosphorylation of β₃ integrin and MAPK/ERK pathway, indicating that low-affinity sequences can be used to functionalize biocompatible materials for the regulation of cell migration and angiogenesis, thus expanding the current pool of available motifs that can be used for such functionalization. Incorporation of RAD or similar motifs into protein engineered or hybrid peptide scaffolds may represent a novel strategy for vascular tissue engineering and will further enhance design opportunities for new scaffold materials.     

A fibrin patch-based enhanced delivery of human embryonic stem cell-derived vascular cell transplantation in a porcine model of postinfarction left ventricular remodeling

It is unknown how to use human embryonic stem cell (hESC) to effectively treat hearts with postinfarction left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Using a porcine model of postinfarction LV remodeling, this study examined the functional improvement of enhanced delivery of combined transplantation of hESC-derived endothelial cells (ECs) and hESC-derived smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with a fibrin three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffold biomatrix. To facilitate tracking the transplanted cells, the hESCs were genetically modified to stably express green fluorescent protein and luciferase (GFP/Luc). Myocardial infarction (MI) was created by ligating the first diagonal coronary artery for 60 minutes followed by reperfusion. Two million each of GFP/Luc hESC-derived ECs and SMCs were seeded in the 3D porous biomatrix patch and applied to the region of ischemia/reperfusion for cell group (MI+P+C, n = 6), whereas biomatrix without cell (MI+P, n = 5), or saline only (MI, n = 5) were applied to control group hearts with same coronary artery ligation. Functional outcome (1 and 4 weeks follow-up) of stem cell transplantation was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The transplantation of hESC-derived vascular cells resulted in significant LV functional improvement. Significant engraftment of hESC-derived cells was confirmed by both in vivo and ex vivo bioluminescent imaging. The mechanism underlying the functional beneficial effects of cardiac progenitor transplantation is attributed to the increased neovascularization. These findings demonstrate a promising therapeutic potential of using these hESC-derived vascular cell types and the mode of patch delivery.     

Cell-matrix biology in vascular tissue engineering

We are developing biocompatible small-calibre vascular substitutes based on polymeric scaffolds that incorporate cell-matrix signals to enhance vascular cell attachment and function. Our graft scaffold comprises an outer electrostatically spun porous polyurethane layer seeded with smooth muscle cells, and a luminal polycaprolactone layer for endothelial cell attachment. Vascular cell adhesion properties of three vascular elastic fibre molecules, tropoelastin, fibrillin-1 and fibulin-5, have been defined, and adhesion fragments optimized. These fragments are being used to coat the scaffolds to enhance luminal endothelial cell attachment, and to regulate smooth muscle cell attachment and function. Tropoelastin-based cell seeding materials are also being developed. In this way, vascular cell-matrix biology is enhancing graft design.     

Expression of thymosin beta10 and its role in non-small cell lung cancer

The exact role of thymosin beta10 in lung cancer progression remains unclear. We investigated by immunohistochemistry the expression of thymosin beta10 protein in tumors and tumor-adjacent tissues from 69 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The relationship of thymosin beta10 expression with vascular endothelial growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor-C, microvessel density, and lymphatic vessel density was determined; clinicopathologic factors and surgical treatment outcome were also studied. The results showed that thymosin beta10 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of lung cancer cells, and the overexpression of thymosin beta10 was correlated with advanced clinical stage (P = .026), distant metastases (P = .016), lymph node metastases (P = .007), poor degree of differentiation (P = .03), and poor postoperative survival (P = .004). Furthermore, thymosin beta10 overexpression was associated with vascular endothelial growth factor (P = .004), vascular endothelial growth factor-C (P = .017), microvessel density (P = .000), and lymphatic vessel density (P = .002). The lowest survival rate was observed in the patients with high thymosin beta10, positive vascular endothelial growth factor, and high microvessel density (P = .007) or in the patients with high thymosin beta10, positive vascular endothelial growth factor-C, and high lymphatic vessel density (P = .005). These results suggest that thymosin beta10 might induce microvascular and lymphatic vessel formation by up-regulating vascular endothelial growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor-C in lung cancer tissues, thus promoting the distant and lymph node metastases and being implicated in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer.     

Electrospun nanofibers of poly(ε-caprolactone)/depolymerized chitosan for respiratory tissue engineering applications

Synthetic grafts comprised of a porous scaffold in the size and shape of the natural tracheobronchial tree, and autologous stem cells have shown promise in the ability to restore the structure and function of a severely damaged airway system. For this specific application, the selected scaffold material should be biocompatible, elicit limited cytotoxicity, and exhibit sufficient mechanical properties. In this research, we developed composite nanofibers of polycaprolactone (PCL) and depolymerized chitosan using the electrospinning technique and assessed the properties of the fibers for its potential use as a scaffold for regenerating tracheal tissue. Water-soluble depolymerized chitosan solution was first prepared and mixed with polycaprolactone solution making it suitable for electrospinning. Morphology and chemical structure analysis were performed to confirm the structure and composition of the fibers. Mechanical testing of nanofibers demonstrated both elastic and ductile properties depending on the ratio of PCL to chitosan. To assess biological potential, porcine tracheobronchial epithelial (PTBE) cells were seeded on the nanofibers with composition ratios of PCL/chitosan: 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30. Transwell inserts were modified with the nanofiber membrane and cells were seeded according to air–liquid interface culture techniques that mimics the conditions found in the human airways. Lactase dehydrogenase assay was carried out at different time points to determine cytotoxicity levels within PTBE cell cultures on nanofibers. This study shows that PCL/chitosan nanofiber has sufficient structural integrity and serves as a potential candidate for tracheobronchial tissue engineering.     

Electrospun nanofiber fabrication as synthetic extracellular matrix and its potential for vascular tissue engineering

Substantial effort is being invested by the bioengineering community to develop biodegradable polymer scaffolds suitable for tissue-engineering applications. An ideal scaffold should mimic the structural and purposeful profile of materials found in the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture. To accomplish this goal, poly (L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) [P(LLA-CL)] (75:25) copolymer with a novel architecture produced by an electrospinning process has been developed for tissue-engineering applications. The diameter of this electrospun P(LLA-CL) fiber ranges from 400 to 800 nm, which mimicks the nanoscale dimension of native ECM. The mechanical properties of this structure are comparable to those of human coronary artery. To evaluate the feasibility of using this nanofibrous scaffold as a synthetic extracellular matrix for culturing human smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, these two types of cells were seeded on the scaffold for 7 days. The data from scanning electron microscopy, immunohistochemical examination, laser scanning confocal microscopy, and a cell proliferation assay suggested that this electrospun nanofibrous scaffold is capable of supporting cell attachment and proliferation. Smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells seeded on this scaffold tend to maintain their phenotypic shape. They were also found to integrate with the nanofibers to form a three-dimensional cellular network. These results indicate a favorable interaction between this synthetic nanofibrous scaffold with the two types of cells and suggest its potential application in tissue engineering a blood vessel substitute.     

纳米级多孔负载人骨形成蛋白2基因修饰支架对前成骨细胞株分化的影响

BACKGROUND: Bone tissue transplantation or osteogenic material filling is after used for bone defect repair. To remove autologous bone tissues can lead to additional damage and secondary deformity, therefore, it is extremely urgent to search for a new osteogenic material. OBJECTIVE: To construct the porous β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP)/collagen scaffold modified with human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (hBMP2) gene, and to observe its effects on differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cell lines. METHODS: The porous β-TCP/collagen scaffold modified with hBMP2 gene was prepared. Then in vitro culture system of MC3T3-E1 cell lines with composite scaffold was established. There were scaffold and plate groups, and each group was divided into two subgroups according to the different concentrations of plasmid. Samples were collected and observed morphologically by scanning electron microscope and light microscope after complex culture. After 1, 3, 7 and 14 days of induction, calcium nodules were observed through alizarin red staining, the cell cycle was detected by real-time PCR, and expressions of α I-chain collagen type I gene, Osterix and bone sialoprotein were observed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The number of cells adhered, differentated and distributed on the composite scaffold was significantly higher than that of the single scaffold (P < 0.05). Alizarin red staining and real-time PCR detection showed that the osteogenesis ability of MC3T3-E1 cell lines in the scaffold group was stronger than that in the plate group. To conclude, the porous β-TCP/collagen scaffold modified with hBMP2 gene is an appropriate candidate for bone defect repair.     

PCL-PU composite vascular scaffold production for vascular tissue engineering: attachment, proliferation and bioactivity of human vascular endothelial cells

A new compliant scaffold suitable for small-diameter vascular grafts has been developed that promotes strong attachment of endothelial cells. Composite scaffolds were produced by wet spinning polycaprolactone (PCL) fibres which form the luminal surface, then electrospinning porous polyurethane (PU) onto the back of the PCL fibres to form the vessel wall substitute. Human endothelial cells demonstrated strong attachment to the composite PCL-PU scaffold, and proliferated to form a monolayer with strong PECAM-1 expression and cobblestone morphology. Attached cells demonstrated abundant release of von Willebrand factor, nitric oxide and ICAM-1 under physiological stimuli, and exhibited an immune response to lipopolysaccharide. The composite scaffold may also deliver bioactive molecules. Active trypsin, used as a test molecule, had a defined 48 h pattern of release from luminal PCL fibres. These data confirm the potential of this novel composite scaffold in vascular tissue engineering.     

Electrospun P(LLA-CL) nanofiber: a biomimetic extracellular matrix for smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell proliferation

Poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) [P(LLA-CL)] with L-lactide to epsilon-caprolactone ratio of 75 to 25 has been electrospun into nanofibers. The relationship between electrospinning parameters and fiber diameter has been investigated. The fiber diameter decreased with decreasing polymer concentration and with increasing electrospinning voltage. The X-ray diffractometer and differential scanning colorimeter results suggested that the electrospun nanofibers developed highly oriented structure in CL-unit sequences during the electrospinning process. The biocompatibility of the nanofiber scaffold has been investigated by culturing cells on the nanofiber scaffold. Both smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell adhered and proliferated well on the P(LLA-CL) nanofiber scaffolds.     

罗格列酮对CD34修饰脱细胞血管支架体内生长的影响

背景：早期研制的脱细胞血管基质支架上预载CD34+抗体会促进其再内皮化,但同时会加重支架内血管内膜增生。国内外研究证实过氧化物酶增殖体受体γ激动剂罗格列酮在体外可抑制平滑肌细胞增生及迁移,可减少血管损伤处内膜增生。 目的：进一步验证过氧化物酶增殖体受体γ激动剂罗格列酮对CD34抗体修饰脱细胞血管支架体内移植后平滑肌细胞生长及内膜增生的影响。 方法：获取新鲜兔颈动脉,应用光化学偶联法将CD34抗体固定到去细胞光氧化的血管支架上,构建抗体修饰的组织工程血管。将制备的血管分别移植于实验兔的颈动脉上,其中对照组予以移植单纯光氧化处理的脱细胞血管,CD34组予以CD34抗体预载的血管,罗格列酮组移植CD34抗体预载的血管并予喂养罗格列酮。 结果与结论：移植后10 d：对照组移植血管内皮样细胞数量稀少,CD34组和罗格列酮组可见较多的内皮样细胞覆盖;CD34组血管内膜较罗格列酮组厚,α-SMA染色显示CD34组血管平滑肌细胞数量较后者为多,其差异有显著性意义。移植后30 d：CD34组和罗格列酮组血管内皮样细胞基本覆盖管腔全层,对照组内皮样细胞数量仍较少;另外,CD34组血管内膜及管壁中可见大量的平滑肌样细胞及细胞外基质沉积,而罗格列酮组血管结构中平滑肌样细胞数量相对较少,内膜增生亦较轻。提示CD34修饰脱细胞血管支架可促进其内皮细胞的增生,罗格列酮可抑制血管支架中平滑肌细胞的增殖,减少内膜增生。     

Biphasic calcium phosphate nanocomposite porous scaffolds for load-bearing bone tissue engineering

A novel biodegradable nanocomposite porous scaffold comprising a beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) matrix and hydroxyl apatite (HA) nanofibers was developed and studied for load-bearing bone tissue engineering. HA nanofibers were prepared with a biomimetic precipitation method. The composite scaffolds were fabricated by a method combining the gel casting and polymer sponge techniques. The role of HA nanofibers in enhancing the mechanical properties of the scaffold was investigated. Compression tests were performed to measure the compressive strength, modulus and toughness of the porous scaffolds. The identification and morphology of HA nanofibers were determined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the morphology of porous scaffolds and fracture surfaces to reveal the dominant toughening mechanisms. The results showed that the mechanical property of the scaffold was significantly enhanced by the inclusion of HA nanofibers. The porous composite scaffold attained a compressive strength of 9.8 +/- 0.3 MPa, comparable to the high-end value (2-10 MPa) of cancellous bone. The toughness of the scaffold increased from 1.00+/-0.04 to 1.72+/-0.02 kN/m, as the concentration of HA nanofibers increased from 0 to 5 wt %.