用放射性标记微小球方法测定肢体骨组织的血流

本文运用放射性标记微小球方法对成年狗肢体长骨组织进行骨血流的测定。实验结果表明:松质骨血流要比皮质骨血流高出近4倍。皮质骨又可分为内皮质骨和外皮质骨,两者的血流无显著性区别。本文还对微小球在骨组织标本中的数目与测定骨血流准确性之间的关系进行了研究。     

Controlled release of dexamethasone from PLGA microspheres embedded within polyacid-containing PVA hydrogels

The development of zero-order release systems capable of delivering drug(s) over extended periods of time is deemed necessary for a variety of biomedical applications. We hereby describe a simple, yet versatile, delivery platform based on physically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microgels (cross-linked via repetitive freeze/thaw cycling) containing entrapped dexamethasone-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres for controlled delivery over a 1-month period. The incorporation of polyacids, such as humic acids, Nafion, and poly(acrylic acid), was found to be crucial for attaining approximately zero-order release kinetics, releasing 60% to 75% of dexamethasone within 1 month. Microspheres alone entrapped in the PVA hydrogel resulted in negligible drug release during the 1-month period of investigation. On the basis of a comprehensive evaluation of the structure-property relationships of these hydrogel/microsphere composites, in conjunction with their in vitro release performance, it was concluded that these polyacids segregate on the PLGA microsphere surfaces and thereby result in localized acidity. These surface-associated polyacids appear to cause acid-assisted hydrolysis to occur from the surface inwards. Such systems show potential for a variety of localized controlled drug delivery applications such as coatings for implantable devices.     

The hypothalamic paraventricular and lateral parabrachial nuclei receive collaterals from raphe nucleus neurons: a combined double retrograde and immunocytochemical study.

Retrograde tracer injections of fluorescein- and rhodamine-labelled latex microspheres centered in the parvicellular zone of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and pontine lateral parabrachial nucleus revealed that 36% of the labelled neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus send collaterals to both structures. These cells were organized in a well-distinguishable cluster within the dorsal raphe nucleus. By combining retrograde tracing with immunocytochemistry, it was found that less than 8% of the double-labelled cells stained positively for serotonin. Of the remaining raphe nuclei that were examined, only the median raphe nucleus contributed a minor nonserotoninergic projection to the paraventricular or lateral parabrachial nuclei. Few of the retrogradely labelled cells in the median raphe nucleus contained both tracers. These results suggest that nonserotoninergic and serotoninergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus, via collateral branching, may simultaneously influence the activity of two central nervous system nuclei involved in autonomic control.     

骨髓基质细胞和壳聚糖/明胶共混材料生物相容性研究

目的:研究壳聚糖/明胶共混材料对离体培养的骨髓基质细胞粘附及增殖的影响,寻找骨髓基质细胞新的载体材料。方法:取2周龄幼兔的长骨采集骨髓,培养骨髓基质细胞,体外扩增1周后,种植于纯壳聚糖和壳聚糖/明胶共混材料的表面。在倒置光学显微镜、扫描电镜的辅助下,观察细胞的粘附和生长情况,种植7d后用透射电镜观察细胞功能状况,用MTT方法检测种植后2d、4d、6d、8d细胞的增殖情况。结果:壳聚糖/明胶共混材料和纯壳聚糖能促进骨髓基质细胞在材料表面粘附并保持其在机体内的形态。壳聚糖/明胶共混材料表面的骨髓基质细胞功能活跃。在材料表面和培养板表面培养的骨髓基质细胞均能持续增殖,而壳聚糖/明胶共混材料能显著促进骨髓基质细胞的增殖(P<0.01)。结论:壳聚糖/明胶共混材料保持了壳聚糖的某些生物活性,同时由于加入明胶,能促进骨髓基质细胞的增殖,可作为骨髓基质细胞的载体应用于组织工程。     

3D cell entrapment in crosslinked thiolated gelatin-poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate hydrogels

The combined use of natural ECM components and synthetic materials offers an attractive alternative to fabricate hydrogel-based tissue engineering scaffolds to study cell-matrix interactions in three-dimensions (3D). A facile method was developed to modify gelatin with cysteine via a bifunctional PEG linker, thus introducing free thiol groups to gelatin chains. A covalently crosslinked gelatin hydrogel was fabricated using thiolated gelatin and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGdA) via thiol-ene reaction. Unmodified gelatin was physically incorporated in a PEGdA-only matrix for comparison. We sought to understand the effect of crosslinking modality on hydrogel physicochemical properties and the impact on 3D cell entrapment. Compared to physically incorporated gelatin hydrogels, covalently crosslinked gelatin hydrogels displayed higher maximum weight swelling ratio (Qmax), higher water content, significantly lower cumulative gelatin dissolution up to 7 days, and lower gel stiffness. Furthermore, fibroblasts encapsulated within covalently crosslinked gelatin hydrogels showed extensive cytoplasmic spreading and the formation of cellular networks over 28 days. In contrast, fibroblasts encapsulated in the physically incorporated gelatin hydrogels remained spheroidal. Hence, crosslinking ECM protein with synthetic matrix creates a stable scaffold with tunable mechanical properties and with long-term cell anchorage points, thus supporting cell attachment and growth in the 3D environment.     

Quantification of myocardial blood flow and flow reserve in rats using arterial spin labeling MRI: comparison with a fluorescent microsphere technique

To quantify noninvasively myocardial blood flow (MBF) and MBF reserve in isoflurane‐anesthetized rats using the Look‐Locker flow‐alternating inversion recovery gradient‐echo arterial spin labeling technique (LLFAIRGE‐ASL), and to compare the results with the fluorescent microsphere (FM) technique. Male Wistar rats (weight = 200–240 g, n = 21) were anesthetized with 2.0% isoflurane. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded. In seven rats, MBF was assessed on a Bruker Biospec 4.7T MR system using an ECG‐ and respiration‐gated LLFAIRGE‐ASL (pixel size = 234 × 468µm², TE = 1.52ms) at rest and during adenosine infusion (140 µg/kg/min). A mixture of 200 000 FM was injected into a second group of rats at rest and during adenosine infusion (n = 7 each), under similar physiologic conditions. Hearts and skeletal muscle samples were processed for fluorescence spectroscopy. Two‐tailed unpaired, paired Student's t‐test and ANOVA were used to compare groups. MBF measured with LLFAIRGE‐ASL was 5.2 ± 1.0 mL/g/min at rest and 13.3 ± 3.0 mL/g/min during adenosine infusion. Results obtained with fluorescent microspheres yielded 5.9 ± 2.3 mL/g/min (nonsignificant vs. LLFAIRGE‐ASL, p = 0.9) at rest and 13.1 ± 2.1 mL/g/min (nonsignificant vs. LLFAIRGE‐ASL, p = 0.4) during adenosine infusion. Myocardial blood flow reserve measured using LLFAIRGE‐ASL and FM were not significantly different (2.5 ± 0.6 vs. 2.4 ± 0.9, respectively; p = 0.8). Hemodynamic parameters during the experiments were not different between the groups. The myocardial blood flow reserve determined under isoflurane anesthesia was 2.5 ± 0.6, which was not different from the value obtained with FM. LLFAIRGE‐ASL provided MBF maps with high spatial resolution in rats under isoflurane anesthesia. LLFAIRGE‐ASL is a noninvasive measure to assess myocardial blood flow reserve and provides an interesting tool for cardiovascular research. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporation of PLGA nanoparticles into porous chitosan-gelatin scaffolds: influence on the physical properties and cell behavior

Bone regeneration can be accelerated by localized delivery of appropriate growth factors/biomolecules. Localized delivery can be achieved by a 2-level system: (i) incorporation of biomolecules within biodegradable particulate carriers (nanoparticles), and (ii) inclusion of such particulate carriers (nanoparticles) into suitable porous scaffolds. In this study, freeze-dried porous chitosan–gelatin scaffolds (CH–G: 1:2 ratio by weight) were embedded with various amounts of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles, precisely 16.6%, 33.3% and 66.6% (respect to CH–G weight). Scaffolds loaded with PLGA nanoparticles were subjected to physico-mechanical and biological characterizations including morphological analysis, swelling and dissolution tests, mechanical compression tests and cell viability tests. Results showed that incorporation of PLGA nanoparticles into porous crosslinked CH–G scaffolds: (i) changed the micro-architecture of the scaffolds in terms of mean pore diameter and pore size distribution, (ii) reduced the dissolution degree of the scaffolds, and (iii) increased the compressive modulus. On the other hand, the water uptake behavior of CH–G scaffolds containing PLGA nanoparticles significantly decreased. The incorporation of PLGA nanoparticles did not affect the biocompatibility of CH–G scaffolds.     

组织工程材料捕获成体干细胞的影响因素研究

目的探索体内埋植组织工程材料方法获取成体干细胞的相关影响因素。方法BALB／c小鼠随机分为2组,分别埋植经环氧乙烷灭菌的明胶海绵与聚乳酸,在植入后第3、7、14天时分别取出材料,HE染色观察细胞捕获情况。将埋植相同质量明胶海绵的小鼠随机分为成骨蛋白-1（OP-1）组、粒细胞集落刺激因子（G-CSF）组和对照组,在植入后第3、6、9、12、15天时分别取出材料,称取质量并进行细胞计数,采用流式细胞术检测第12天时分离获得的各组细胞表面CD34和干细胞抗原-1（Sca-1）的阳性表达率。另取第12天时分离获得的对照组细胞,分为OP-1组、G—CSF组和空白对照组,采用噻唑蓝（MTT）法检测细胞增殖活性。结果HE染色显示,明胶海绵与聚乳酸捕获的细胞数量均随时间延长而增加。各组植入的明胶海绵质量均随时间延长而减少,而捕获细胞数量均随时间延长而增加,OP-1组第9、12、15天和G．CSF组第9天时捕获细胞数量分别与对照组相比均有统计学意义（均P〈0．05）：OP-1组细胞表面CD34、Sca-1单阳性表达率和双阳性表达率（分别为13．07％±0．19％、3．98％±0．15％、17．02％±0．12％）均明显高于对照组（分别为11．62％±0．44％、3．03％±0．11％、2．91％±0．14％,均P〈0．05）,G—CSF组细胞表面CD34、Sca-1单阳性表达率（分别为12．79％±0．39％、4．52％±0．35％）分别与对照组相比均无统计学意义,但双阳性表达率（10．21％±0．15％）与对照组相比有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。MTT检测结果显示,OP-1组和G-CSF组各时间点测定的吸光度值均高于空白对照组（均P〈0．05）。结论通过体内埋植复合OP-1明胶海绵的方法可增加干细胞的捕获数量,为建立一种简易提取自体干细胞的新方法奠定了基础。     

体外构建新型骨组织工程三维复合体

体外实现兔脂肪干细胞(rADSCs)、利福喷丁聚乳酸缓释微球及羟基磷灰石/β-磷酸三钙(HA/β-TCP)的三维复合,构建既能抗结核又能填补、促进骨缺损的新型骨组织工程复合体。以HA/β-TCP为支架材料,通过缓慢滴加细胞型方式,将复乳溶媒挥发法制备的利福喷丁聚乳和定性分化诱导的rADSCs(茜红染色表征)体外制得新型骨组织工程三维复合体,并对其进行显微结构及药物缓释表征。结果表明,载药利福喷丁聚乳酸缓释微球大部分分布在18~28 μm,载药利福喷丁聚乳酸缓释微球在一定浓度下不影响rADSCs的分化诱导,层状膜形分布的成骨诱导后rADSCs牢固包绕利福喷丁聚乳酸缓释微球,分布在HA/β-TCP上,载药支架材料有着良好的药物缓释,体外维持最低抑菌浓度长达46 d。新型骨组织工程的三维骨组织工程复合体具有缓慢、持续的释药特性,且具有具有成骨活性。     

The 3D printing of gelatin methacrylamide cell-laden tissue-engineered constructs with high cell viability

In the present study, we report on the combined efforts of material chemistry, engineering and biology as a systemic approach for the fabrication of high viability 3D printed macroporous gelatin methacrylamide constructs. First, we propose the use and optimization of VA-086 as a photo-initiator with enhanced biocompatibility compared to the conventional Irgacure 2959. Second, a parametric study on the printing of gelatins was performed in order to characterize and compare construct architectures. Hereby, the influence of the hydrogel building block concentration, the printing temperature, the printing pressure, the printing speed, and the cell density were analyzed in depth. As a result, scaffolds could be designed having a 100% interconnected pore network in the gelatin concentration range of 10–20 w/v%. In the last part, the fabrication of cell-laden scaffolds was studied, whereby the application for tissue engineering was tested by encapsulation of the hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2). Printing pressure and needle shape was revealed to impact the overall cell viability. Mechanically stable cell-laden gelatin methacrylamide scaffolds with high cell viability (>97%) could be printed.