间充质干细胞定向心肌细胞分化的研究进展

心肌梗死是由心脏缺血引发心肌细胞不可逆的坏死造成的疾病。目前,用干细胞来治疗心肌梗死越来越具有吸引力。间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs)是一种多能干细胞,普遍存在于动物体的一些间质组织(如骨髓、脂肪)中。由于其良好的体外扩增能力、多向分化的潜能且不受伦理学制约等优点,学者们对如何让MSCs高效、定向地分化为心肌细胞,从而补充心脏病人缺血心肌的坏死细胞做了大量的研究。目前已经发现,使MSCs向心肌方向分化的体外诱导方法主要包括化学药物诱导、生物因子诱导、物理诱导、共培养诱导以及分子改造诱导(转移miRNA和转录因子)。该文旨在通过对以上五类方法进行综述,以此了解体外诱导MSCs心肌向分化的研究现状。     

骨髓基质干细胞向心肌细胞诱导分化的实验研究

目的探讨大鼠骨髓基质干细胞在体外和体内向心肌细胞诱导分化的能力,为下一步的细胞移植治疗心肌梗死提供实验基础.方法体外诱导实验中,将不同浓度的5-氮胞苷作用于不同培养时间的骨髓基质干细胞,摸索5-氮胞苷的最佳诱导时机和浓度,观察诱导后细胞形态变化,并用免疫细胞化学染色检测心肌特异性肌钙蛋白T的表达;在体内实验中,培养扩增的骨髓基质干细胞经BrdU标记后,自体移植于正常心肌内,分别通过BrdU和心肌特异性肌钙蛋白T免疫组织化学染色检测移植细胞的存活和分化情况.结果体外诱导实验中,5-氮胞苷的诱导作用以10μmol/L的浓度对传代细胞进行两次诱导,效果最好,不仅能诱导出表达心肌特异蛋白的心肌样细胞,而且这些细胞在体外能够自发搏动.体内诱导实验中,移植的细胞在正常心肌微环境中能够存活并分化为心肌细胞.结论骨髓基质干细胞在体外化学诱导和体内心肌微环境诱导时均能分化为心肌细胞,可用于细胞移植治疗心肌梗死的实验.     

微环境调控间充质干细胞复制性衰老的研究进展

间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs)是一类能自我更新和分化的多能细胞。越来越多的证据表明,MSCs在再生医学和组织工程等领域具有重要的作用。但是值得注意的是,与很多细胞一样,MSCs在长期体外扩增过程中会逐渐衰老,出现迁徙能力减弱、增殖速度减慢和分化潜能下降等干性减退的现象,这极大地阻碍了MSCs的应用。目前公认的引起MSCs复制性衰老的因素之一就是细胞生长的微环境。新近研究显示,外源性给药、氧浓度调节、细胞外基质(extracellular matrix, ECM)构建等最新技术都可以通过模拟或者调控微环境来改善干细胞的行为,延缓干细胞复制性衰老。本文首先综述了近年来关于MSCs复制性衰老特征和分子机制方面的研究进展,然后总结了通过改变微环境来保持MSCs干性的技术和方法,旨在为未来MSCs制剂大规模应用于组织工程和临床研究提供参考。     

脂肪干细胞与间充质干细胞体外诱导分化为心肌细胞的差别

本文旨在探讨脂肪干细胞(adipose-derived stem cells, ASCs)和骨髓间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs)在组织含量、体外培养和诱导分化为心肌细胞方面的差别.ASCs从新西兰白兔皮下脂肪组织提取,MSCs从大鼠四肢长骨骨髓提取,体外培养扩增,免疫细胞学方法鉴定.采用细胞集落形成法检测组织中干细胞的含量.将不同代的干细胞用不同浓度的5-氮胞苷诱导,观察其形态变化,免疫细胞化学方法检测诱导后细胞是否转化为心肌细胞.结果显示,体外培养的ASCs呈短梭形,分布均匀,生长迅速,细胞形态单一、稳定.MSCs原代生长非常缓慢,呈簇生长,细胞纯度偏低,容易混杂其它细胞类型,传代细胞容易分化和老化.脂肪组织中ASCs含量显著高于骨髓中MSCs含量,且前者含量受年龄影响小.5-氮胞苷诱导ASCs分化为心肌细胞的有效浓度为6～9μmol/L,而MSCs在3～15μmol/L 5-氮胞苷诱导下可见心肌细胞形成.ASCs诱导分化的心肌细胞呈球形细胞团,MSCs分化的心肌细胞呈条形或棒状,其心肌细胞分化率低于ASCs.幼年动物MSCs的组织含量和心肌细胞分化率均高于老年动物,而ASCs受动物年龄影响较小.结果表明,ASCs在组织含量、细胞纯度、生长速度和心肌细胞分化率等方面均明显优于骨髓MSCs,在心肌细胞再生方面较MSCs具有更大的优势.     

间充质干细胞的免疫调节能力——临床治疗的希望

在近几年中,间充质干细胞（mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs）逐渐因其所具备的免疫调节特性而得到科研领域的高度重视.由于MSCs可以在体外迅速扩增至临床治疗所需要的细胞数量,为器官移植和自身免疫性疾病等临床治疗提供了新的手段.但MSCs发挥免疫调节作用的机制依然未被研究清楚,从而阻碍了其在临床上的应用.本文对间充质干细胞的非特异性免疫调节能力、可能机制的研究进展及其在疾病动物模型实验和临床研究应用方面进行综述,并分析探讨未来研究发展的方向,为将来的临床应用提出可行性建议.     

干细胞3D支架的研究进展

干细胞是一类具有无限增殖潜能,可自我更新的细胞,不同的培养或诱导条件下能够分化成为不同的细胞类型。目前,随着医学治疗手段及干细胞研究的不断发展,发现干细胞可应用于很多疾病的治疗,干细胞临床应用日益广泛,逐渐成为科研工作者研究的热点。然而干细胞移植进入生物体后繁殖效率很低,无法达到需求的量,因此如何对干细胞在生物体外进行大量培养扩增、在生物体内如何更稳定地增殖分化成为迫切需要解决的难题。当前干细胞最主要的培养方法仍是2D培养,2D培养无法模拟体内的3D微环境,繁殖效率较低,正是由于2D培养局限性太多,促使国内外学者对3D培养技术和3D支架材料进行深入探索,并取得了大量成果。对3D培养技术在干细胞中的发展与应用进行概述和展望。     

间充质干细胞体外分化为多巴胺能神经元的研究进展

骨髓间充质干细胞（MSCs）有来源广泛、易于分离培养、不易引起免疫排斥等特点,使其成为细胞治疗和基因治疗的种子细胞,具有广泛的科研和临床应用价值。骨髓MSCs具有多向分化潜能,在特定条件下能诱导分化成神经元甚至是更为特异的多巴胺能神经元,为帕金森病进行细胞移植疗法提供了理想的细胞来源。本文就近年来体外诱导MSCs向多巴胺能神经元定向分化所涉及到的常用诱导因素和诱导方法及途径予以综述。     

体外扩增间充质干细胞功能有效性与移植安全性评价研究进展

间充质干细胞(Mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs)具有多向分化潜能、免疫抑制能力、来源充足、可避免伦理学争议等优点,使其有望成为种子细胞,应用于临床干细胞移植治疗多种难治性疾病。目前通过生物反应器等方法已能实现MSCs的大规模体外扩增,使体外获取足量移植用MSCs成为可能,但扩增MSCs应用于临床移植前还存在着一个急需解决的问题,即MSCs扩增后的安全性和移植有效性评价,目前国内外对这方面研究尚不系统,未建立起有效评价体系,经检索还未发现有就扩增MSCs有效性和安全性的总结性资料。在全面检索相关文献基础上,就MSCs扩增后临床应用有效性、移植安全性两大方面的研究进展作一综述,希望对今后扩增MSCs临床移植提供参考。     

胚胎期造血干细胞发育的分子调控

造血干细胞是生物体所有血细胞的原始祖细胞,在维持血液系统长期稳定的同时,也是骨髓移植治疗恶性血液疾病的核心所在。因此,造血干细胞的体内发育和体外诱导扩增一直是倍受科学界关注的热点课题。该研究组以小鼠和斑马鱼为模型,从遗传调控和表观遗传修饰等角度阐释造血干细胞产生、维持和定向分化的分子调控机制;同时,揭示微环境在血液发生不同阶段的特异性调控作用。     

胰高血糖素样肽1与干细胞定向分化

糖尿病已经成为21世纪严重威胁人类健康的疾病之一。胰岛移植被认为是治疗Ⅰ型和部分Ⅱ型糖尿病的最有效方法。然而,供体组织来源的匮乏限制了其应用。随着细胞移植和组织工程的日益发展,干细胞研究为新型胰岛的来源开辟了新的途径。干细胞定向诱导分化的关键是筛选合适的诱导剂以及优化诱导微环境,使干细胞培养微环境尽可能接近体内正常细胞发育分化的微环境,从而有利于干细胞适宜生长及定向分化。最近研究证实,胰高血糖素样肽1（Glucagon- Like PeptideⅠ,GLP-1）在干细胞向胰岛样细胞诱导分化中具有显著作用。因此,为了更好地应用GLP-1在干细胞定向分化中的潜能、促进应用干细胞治疗糖尿病新疗法研究的进程及干细胞定向分化技术逐渐成熟,本文就胰高血糖素样肽-1及它诱导干细胞定向分化胰岛样细胞的研究进展作一阐述。     

骨髓间充质干细胞在组织损伤局部微环境中的调节作用

骨髓间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs)是一种具有自我增殖和多向分化潜能的细胞,植入体内后对损伤组织具有一定的修复作用,研究发现MSCs在体内的分化效率极低(不足10%),故仅用其分化能力不能完全解释它良好的修复效能。新近研究表明,MSCs可通过旁分泌途径调节损伤局部的微环境,从而促进受损组织的修复,提示这种微环境的调节较其自身分化更具有临床意义。该文对MSCs在组织损伤局部微环境中的调节作用做一简要概述,为MSCs更广阔地应用于医学领域提供理论基础。     

Comparative characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from different age groups of cynomolgus monkeys

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BM-MSCs) are a potential tool for cell therapy and tissue engineering.In this study,we carried on a comparative study of the characteristics of MSCs from different age cynomolgus monkeys.A variety of factors,including donor age,must be considered before further applications,and various tests should be used to properly assess MSCs before the clinical application,especially when a prolonged culture and ex vivo expansion is necessary.     

β2-Microglobulin as a potential factor for the expansion of mesenchymal stem cells

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great promise in regenerative medicine, but one of the biggest challenges facing for their application is the ex vivo expansion to obtain enough undifferentiated cells. Fetal bovine serum (FBS), which can elicit possible contaminations of prion, virus, zoonosis or immunological reaction against xenogenic serum antigens, still remains essential to the culture formulations. There is an urgent need to identify potential factors for the undifferentiated expansion of MSCs to reduce the use of FBS or eventually replace it. A previously recognized housekeeping gene, β2-microglobulin (β2M), is demonstrated to act as a novel growth factor to stimulate the undifferentiated ex vivo expansion and preserve the pluripotency of adult MSCs from various sources. The use of β2M might have promising implications for future clinical application of MSCs.     

Optimization and scale-up of Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells for clinical applications

MSCs are promising candidates for stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Umbilical cord is the easiest obtainable biological source of MSCs and the Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord is a rich source of fetus-derived stem cells. However, the use of MSCs for therapeutic application is based on their subsequent large-scale in vitro expansion. A fast and efficient protocol for generation of large quantities of MSCs is required to meet the clinical demand and biomedical research needs. Here we have optimized conditions for scaling up of WJ-MSCs. Low seeding density along with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) supplementation in the growth medium, which is DMEM-KO, resulted in propagation of more than 1 x 10(8) cells within a time period of 15 days from a single umbilical cord. The upscaled WJ-MSCs retained their differentiation potential and immunosuppressive capacity. They expressed the typical hMSC surface antigens and the addition of bFGF in the culture medium did not affect the expression levels of HLA-DR and CD 44. A normal karyotype was confirmed in the large-scale expanded WJ-MSCs. Hence, in this study we attempted rapid clinical-scale expansion of WJ-MSCs which would allow these fetus-derived stem cells to be used for various allogeneic cell-based transplantations and tissue engineering.     

Melatonin preconditioning is an effective strategy for mesenchymal stem cell‐based therapy for kidney disease

Based on multiple studies in animal models, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‐based therapy appears to be an innovative intervention approach with tremendous potential for the management of kidney disease. However, the clinical therapeutic effects of MSCs in either acute kidney injury (AKI) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) are still under debate. Hurdles originate from the harsh microenvironment in vivo that decreases the cell survival rate, paracrine activity and migratory capacity of MSCs after transplantation, which are believed to be the main reasons for their limited effects in clinical applications. Melatonin is traditionally regarded as a circadian rhythm‐regulated neurohormone but in recent years has been found to exhibit antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. Because inflammation, oxidative stress, thermal injury, and hypoxia are abnormally activated in kidney disease, application of melatonin preconditioning to optimize the MSC response to the hostile in vivo microenvironment before transplantation is of great importance. In this review, we discuss current knowledge concerning the beneficial effects of melatonin preconditioning in MSC‐based therapy for kidney disease. By summarizing the available information and discussing the underlying mechanisms, we aim to improve the therapeutic effects of MSC‐based therapy for kidney disease and accelerate translation to clinical application.     

Dental mesenchymal stromal/stem cells in different microenvironments— implications in regenerative therapy

Current research data reveal microenvironment as a significant modifier of physical functions, pathologic changes, as well as the therapeutic effects of stem cells. When comparing regeneration potential of various stem cell types used for cytotherapy and tissue engineering, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently the most attractive cell source for bone and tooth regeneration due to their differentiation and immunomodulatory potential and lack of ethical issues associated with their use. The microenvironment of donors and recipients selected in cytotherapy plays a crucial role in regenerative potential of transplanted MSCs, indicating interactions of cells with their microenvironment indispensable in MSC-mediated bone and dental regeneration. Since a variety of MSC populations have been procured from different parts of the tooth and tooth-supporting tissues, MSCs of dental origin and their achievements in capacity to reconstitute various dental tissues have gained attention of many research groups over the years. This review discusses recent advances in comparative analyses of dental MSC regeneration potential with regards to their tissue origin and specific microenvironmental conditions, giving additional insight into the current clinical application of these cells.     

Mesenchymal stem cell: Basic research and potential applications in cattle and buffalo

Characteristic features like self-renewal, multilineage differentiation potential, and immune-modulatory/anti-inflammatory properties, besides the ability to mobilize and home distant tissues make stem cells (SCs) a lifeline for an individual. Stem cells (SCs) if could be harvested and expanded without any abnormal change may be utilized as an all-in-one solution to numerous clinical ailments. However, slender understanding of their basic physiological properties, including expression potential, behavioral alternations during culture, and the effect of niche/microenvironment has currently restricted the clinical application of SCs. Among various types of SCs, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are extensively studied due to their easy availability, straightforward harvesting, and culturing procedures, besides, their less likelihood to produce teratogens. Large ruminant MSCs have been harvested from various adult tissues and fetal membranes and are well characterized under in vitro conditions but unlike human or other domestic animals in vivo studies on cattle/buffalo MSCs have mostly been aimed at improving the animals’ production potential. In this document, we focused on the status and potential application of MSCs in cattle and buffalo.     

Migration, fate and in vivo imaging of adult stem cells in the CNS

Adult stem cells have been intensively studied for their potential use in cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, ischemia and traumatic injuries. One of the most promising cell sources for autologous cell transplantation is bone marrow, containing a heterogenous cell population that can be roughly divided into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are multipotent progenitor cells that, in the case of severe tissue ischemia or damage, can be attracted to the lesion site, where they can secrete bioactive molecules, either naturally or through genetic engineering. They can also serve as vehicles for delivering therapeutic agents. Mobilized from the marrow, sorted or expanded in culture, MSCs can be delivered to the damaged site by direct or systemic application. In addition, MSCs can be labeled with superparamagnetic nanoparticles that allow in vivo cell imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is thus a suitable method for in vivo cell tracking of transplanted cells in the host organism. This review will focus on cell labeling for MRI and the use of MSCs in experimental and clinical studies for the treatment of brain and spinal cord injuries.     

From tendon to nerve: an MSC for all seasons

The potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to regenerate damaged tissue is well documented, as this specialized progenitor cell type exhibits superior cellular properties, and would allow medical as well as ethical limitations to be overcome. By now, MSCs have been successfully introduced in manifold experimental approaches within the newly defined realm of Regenerative Medicine. Advanced methods for in vitro cell expansion, defined induction of distinct differentiation processes, 3-dimensional culture on specific scaffold material, and tissue engineering approaches have been designed, and many clinical trials not only have been launched, but recently could be completed. To date, most of the MSC-based therapeutic approaches have been executed to address bone, cartilage, or heart regeneration; further, prominent studies have shown the efficacy of ex vivo expanded and infused MSCs to countervail graft-versus-host disease. Yet more fields of application emerge in which MSCs unfold beneficial effects, and presently, therapies that effectively ameliorate nonhealing conditions after tendon or spinal cord injury are, courtesy of scientific research, forging ahead to the clinical trial stage.