Joanna Olkowska

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells as a Tool in Cell-Based Therapies

Recent development in stem cell isolation methods and expansion under laboratory conditions create an opportunity to use those aforementioned cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Particular attention is drawn towards mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) being multipotent progenitors exhibiting several unique characteristics, including high proliferation potential, self-renewal abilities and multilineage differentiation into cells of mesodermal and non-mesodermal origin. High abundance of MSCs found in adipose tissue makes it a very attractive source of adult stem cells for further use in regenerative medicine applications. Despite immunomodulating properties of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and a secretion of a wide variety of paracrine factors that facilitate tissue regeneration, effectiveness of stem cell therapy was not supported by the results of clinical trials. Lack of a single, universal stem cell marker, patient-to-patient variability, heterogeneity of ASC population combined with multiple widely different protocols of cell isolation and expansion hinder the ability to precisely identify and analyze biological properties of stem cells. The above issues contribute to conflicting data reported in literature. We will review the comprehensive information concerning characteristic features of ASCs. We will also review the regenerative potential and clinical application based on various clinical trials.

Does aging of mesenchymal stem cells limit their potential application in clinical practice

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are in the center of attention of many investigators due to easy isolation from many tissues. MSC capability to differentiate into many cell types makes them a starting point of many new therapies, especially in tissue engineering. However, understanding the process of MSC aging is crucial for selecting donors for cellular therapies, which is necessary for successful treatment. Cell changes can be divided into three major groups. Changes which affect their proliferate rate, differentiation capability and genome stability lead to decrease of their usefulness in new therapies. There are many tools that can be used to describe and measure some features of aging in MSCs but the essence of this process is still unclear. The aim of this review is to take a deep look into the influence of donor age and in vitro aging on MSC properties.

Ciprofloxacin is a potential topoisomerase II inhibitor for the treatment of NSCLC.

Lung cancer is one of the most common tumors and its treatment is still inefficient. In our previous work we proved that ciprofloxacin has a different influence on five cancer cell lines. Here, we aimed to compare the biological effect of ciprofloxacin on cell lines representing different responses after treatment, thus A549 was chosen as a sensitive model, C6 and B16 as highly resistant. Three different cell lines were analyzed (A549, B16 and C6). The characterization of continuous cell growth was analyzed with the Real-Time Cell Analyzer (RTCA)-DP system. Cytoskeletal changes were demonstrated using immunofluorescence. The cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry. Ciprofloxacin was cytostatic only against the A549 cell line. In the case of other tested cell lines a cytostatic effect was not observed. Cytoskeletal analysis confirms the results obtained with RTCA-DP. A549 cells were inhibited in the G2/M phase suggesting a mechanism related to topoisomerase II inhibition. The biological effects of ciprofloxacin support the hypothesis that this drug can serve as an adjuvant treatment for lung cancer, due to its properties enabling topoisomerase II inhibition.

Mesenchymal stem cells as a therapeutic tool in tissue and organ regeneration

Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field that offers new opportunities for regeneration of diseased and damaged tissue with the use of many different cell types,including adult stem cells. In tissue engineering and regenerative medicine the most popular are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from bone marrow. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are a potential source of progenitor cells for osteoblasts, chondroblasts, adipocytes, skeletal muscles and cardiomyocytes. It has also been shown that these cells can differentiate into ecto- and endodermal cells, e.g. neuronal cells, glial cells, keratinocytes and hepatocytes. The availability of autologous MSCs, their proliferative potential and multilineage differentiation capacity make them an excellent tool for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The aim of this publication is to present characteristic and biological properties of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow.

How to isolate urothelial cells? Comparison of four different methods and literature review

The aim of this study is to present the comparison of four different methods for urothelial cell isolation and culture and compare them to methods cited in the literature. Four different techniques were examined for urothelium isolation from rat bladders. Isolation effectiveness was calculated using trypan blue assay. Confirmation of isolated cell phenotype and comparison with native bladder tissue was confirmed using immunohistochemical (IHC), immunocytochemical (ICC) and immunofluorescence (IF) analysis. The method with bladder inversion and collagenase P digestion resulted in the highest number of isolated cells. These cells showed positive expression of cytokeratin 7, 8, 18, α6-integrin and p63. Our results and the literature review showed that the best method for urothelium bladder isolation is dissection of the epithelium layer from other bladder parts and digestion of mechanically prepared tissue in a collagenase solution.

Does the Harvesting Technique Affect the Properties of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells? - The Comparative Biological Characterization.

The objective of this study was to evaluate complex biological properties of human stem cells isolated from adipose tissue (ASCs) harvested utilizing different methods: surgical resection (R), power‐assisted liposuction (PAL), and laser‐assisted liposuction (LAL). ASCs were isolated from healthy donors, due to surgical resection, power‐, and laser‐assisted liposuction. Isolated cells were characterized by their clonogenicity, proliferation rate, doubling time, multilineage differentiation, and senescence potential. The average number of ASCs from 1g/1 ml of solid adipose tissue/lipoaspirate was 2.9 × 105 ± 2.4 × 105, 1.1 × 105 ± 0.8 × 105, and 1.2 × 105 ± 0.7 × 105, respectively, for ASCsR, ASCsPAL, and ASCsLAL. However, number of colonies formed by ASCsR and ASCsPAL was significantly higher compared to the average number of colonies formed by ASCsLAL. Also, in comparison to other analyzed cell groups, ASCsPAL obtained the highest proliferative activity. All analyzed cells were characterized by stable expression of CD90 and CD44 markers during prolonged culture. Expression of CD34 and CD45 markers was decreasing in subsequent passages. Presented study shows that different ASCs collection method affects some basic characteristics of these cells, such as number of isolated cells, clonogeneity, or doubling time. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1097–1107, 2017.

High Quality Independent From a Donor: Human Amniotic Fluid Derived Stem Cells—A Practical Analysis Based on 165 Clinical Cases

The aim of the study was to extend the potential use of human stem cells isolated from amniotic fluid in medical applications by confirming their high homogeneity and quality. Amniotic fluid samples were collected during amniocentesis from 165 women during pregnancy. The proliferation rate, clonogenicity, karyotype, aging process, pluripotent cell markers, expression of surface markers, and the potential to differentiate into adipose, bone and cartilage cells of hAFSCs were analyzed. Obtained results revealed that mesenchymal stem cells could be derived successfully from amniotic fluid, which exhibit properties comparable with MSCs of other origins. It is the first study, in which such a large group of patients was involved. Comprehensive statistical and biological analysis were conducted some of which clearly being innovative in relation to human amniotic fluid‐derived stem cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 116–126, 2017.