StemBell therapy stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques after myocardial infarction

Background aims. After a myocardial infarction (MI) atherosclerosis is accelerated leading to destabilization of the atherosclerotic plaque. mesenchymal stromal cells are a promising therapeutic option for atherosclerosis. Previously, we demonstrated a novel stem cell delivery technique, with adipose stem cells coupled to microbubbles (i.e.,...

Vaginal Fibroblastic Cells from Women with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Produce Matrices with Increased Stiffness and Collagen Content

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is characterised by the weakening of the pelvic floor support tissues, and often by subsequent prolapse of the bladder outside the body, i.e. cystocele. The bladder is kept in place by the anterior vaginal wall which consists of a dense extracellular matrix rich in collagen content that is maintained and remodelled by...

Spinal fusion using adipose stem cells seeded on a radiolucent cage filler: A feasibility study of a single surgical procedure in goats

PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of a one-step surgical concept, employing adipose stem cells (ASCs) and a novel degradable radiolucent cage filler (poly-L-lactide-co-caprolactone; PLCL), within polyetheretherketone cages in a stand-alone caprine spinal fusion model. METHODS: A double-level fusion study was performed in 36 goats. Four cage...

Changes in tissue composition of the vaginal wall of premenopausal women with prolapse

Objective The objective of this study was to compare histological and biochemical features of the (normal) precervical anterior vaginal wall and the prolapsed anterior vaginal wall of women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP). These data were compared to tissue of the precervical anterior vaginal wall of age-matched controls without POP to identify...

Differential effects of bone morphogenetic protein-2 and transforming growth factor-β1 on gene expression of collagen-modifying enzymes in human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) in combination with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) or transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) are under evaluation for bone tissue engineering. Posttranslational modification of type I collagen is essential for functional bone tissue with adequate physical and mechanical properties. We...

β1 integrins regulate chondrogenesis and rock signaling in adipose stem cells

β1 integrins play a controversial role during chondrogenesis. Since the maturation of chondrocytes relies on a signaling switch from cell-cell to cell-matrix interactions, we hypothesized that β1 integrins play a different role at the earlier (mainly cell-cell interaction) from the later stage (mainly cell-matrix interaction) of chondrogenesis....

Beta1 integrins regulate chondrogenesis and rock signaling in adipose stem cells

Adjacent segment degeneration: Observations in a goat spinal fusion study

Reproducible long-term disc degeneration in a large animal model

STUDY DESIGN. Twelve goats were chemically degenerated and the development of the degenerative signs was followed for 26 weeks to evaluate the progression of the induced degeneration. The results were also compared with a previous study to determine the reproducibility. OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was determine whether this...

Molecular changes in the degenerated goat intervertebral disc

Study Design. Caprine lumbar intervertebral discs (IVD) were collected from previous studies and categorized as normal, mildly, or severely degenerated. The biochemical composition and the RNA profiles present in both the nucleus pulposus (NP) and the anulus fibrosus (AF) were analyzed. Objective. To determine the molecular changes occurring in...

Adipose stem cells for intervertebral disc regeneration: Current status and concepts for the future: Tissue Engineering Review Series

Introduction Degenerative disc disease and emerging biological treatment approaches Stem cell sources Integration of ASC-based regenerative medicine and surgery In vitro studies Animal models Cells in disc regeneration in vivo In vivo studies Perspective Conclusions Abstract New regenerative treatment strategies are being developed for...

Influence of collagen type II and nucleus pulposus cells on aggregation and differentiation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells

Tissue microenvironment plays a critical role in guiding local stem cell differentiation. Within the intervertebral disc, collagen type II and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells are two major components. This study aimed to investigate how collagen type II and NP cells affect adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) in a 3D environment. ASCs were...

Differentiation of adipose stem cells by nucleus pulposus cells: Configuration effect

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a major cause of chronic low back pain. For mild/intermediate DDD, regeneration by injecting adipose stem cells (ASCs) into the nucleus pulposus (NP) may be considered. The goal of this study is to investigate whether NP cells can direct ASCs towards the NP phenotype. Interactions between NP cells and ASCs were...