Xizhe Chen

MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CHARACTERIZATION DURING CHONDROGENIC DIFFERENTIATION OF ADIPOSE-TISSUE DERIVED STROMAL CELLS IN VITRO AND CARTILAGE FORMATION IN VIVO

Human adipose tissue is a viable source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with wide differentiation potential for musculoskeletal tissue engineering research. The stem cell population, termed processed lipoaspirate (PLA) cells, can be isolated from human lipoaspirates and expanded in vitro easily. This study was to determine molecular and cellular characterization of PLA cells during chondrogenic differentiation in vitro and cartilage formation in vivo. When cultured in vitro with chondrogenic medium as monolayers in high density, they could be induced toward the chondrogenic lineages. To determine their ability of cartilage formation in vivo, the induced cells in alginate gel were implanted in nude mice subcutaneously for up to 20 weeks. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the induced cells and retrieved specimens from nude mice at various intervals showed obviously cartilaginous phenotype with positive staining of specific extracellular matrix (ECM). Correlatively, results of RT‐PCR and Western Blot confirmed the expression of characteristic molecules during chondrogenic differentiation namely collagen type II, SOX9, cartilage oligomeric protein (COMP) and the cartilage‐specific proteoglycan aggrecan. Meanwhile, there was low level synthesis of collagen type X and decreasing production of collagen type I during induction in vitro and formation of cartilaginous tissue in vivo. These cells induced to form engineered cartilage can maintain the stable phenotype and indicate no sign of hypertrophy in 20 weeks in vivo, however, when they cultured as monolayers, they showed prehypertrophic alteration in late stage about 10 weeks after induction. Therefore, it is suggested that human adipose tissue may represent a novel plentiful source of multipotential stem cells capable of undergoing chondrogenesis and forming engineered cartilage.

Multilineage differentiation of adipose-derived stromal cells from GFP transgenic mice

Functional engineering of musculoskeletal tissues generally involves rapid expansion of progenitor cells in vitro while retaining their potential for further differentiation and then induction in specific culture conditions. The autologous adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) are considered to contain pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells. Imaging with expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) facilitates the detailed research on ASCs physiological behavior during differentiation into a variety of cell lineages both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we aimed to confirm the trans-germ plasticity of homogeneously marked ASCs from GFP transgenic mice. Simultaneously, the term and intensity of GFP expression in ASCs were also focused on during variant inductions, when cells were incubated with multiple growth factors and adjuvant. ASCs were harvested from inguinal fat pads of transgenic nude mice, passaged 3 times in monolayer cultures, and then transferred to osteogenic, adipogenic, neurogenic, and myogenic medium. The morphological characterization of inductive cells was observed using phase-contrast microscopy and histological staining such as alizarin red for mineralization nodules and oil red O for lipid accumulation. The expression of marker genes or proteins was measured using RT-PCR and immunocytochemical analysis. Collagen type I, osteopontin (OPN), and osteocalcin (OCN) were positive in osteogenic lineages, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR)-γ2 and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were positive in adipogenic ones, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were positive in neurogenic ones, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was positive in myogenic ones. Moreover, the results of fluorescence microscopic imaging suggested that there was no significant decline of GFP expression during ASCs differentiation and the level of GFP maintained stable till differentiated ASCs showed apoptotic phenotype. So the endogenous GFP and multilineage potential of transgenic ASCs had no influences on each other. Since the population of GFP ASCs can be easily identified, it is proposed that they may be promising candidate seed cells for further studies on ASCs tissue engineering, especially the study on engineered tissues formed in vivo.

Pluripotency potential of human adipose-derived stem cells marked with exogenous green fluorescent protein

Musculoskeletal tissues regeneration requires rapid expansion of seeding cells both in vitro and in vivo while maintaining their multilineage differentiation ability. Human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are considered to contain multipotent mesenchymal stem cells. Monolayer cultures of human ASCs were isolated from human lipoaspirates and passaged 3 times and then infected with replication-incompetent adenoviral vectors carrying green fluorescent protein (Ad/GFP) genes. Then, Ad/GFP infected human ASCs were transferred to osteogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic, and myogenic medium. The morphological characterization of induced cells was observed using phase-contrast microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The expression of marker proteins or genes was measured by immunocytochemical and RT-PCR analysis. Osteopontin (OPN), and osteocalcin (OCN) were positive in osteogenic lineages, aggrecan and SOX9 were positive in chondrogenic ones, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-γ2) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were positive in adipogenic ones, and myogenin and myod1 was positive in myogenic ones. At the same time, the results of fluorescence microscopic imaging proved that the high level of GFP expression during ASCs differentiation maintained stable nearly 2 months. So the exogenous GFP and multilineage potential of human ASCs had no severe influences on each other. Since the human ASCs can be easily obtained and abundant, it is proposed that they may be promising candidate cells for further studies on tissue engineering. Imaging with expression of GFP facilitates the research on ASCs physiological behavior and application in tissue engineering during differentiation both in vitro and in vivo.

Recovery of cardiac function mediated by MSC and interleukin-10 plasmid functionalised scaffold

Stem cell transplantation has been suggested as a treatment for myocardial infarction, but clinical studies have yet to demonstrate conclusive, positive effects. This may be related to poor survival of the transplanted stem cells due to the inflammatory response following myocardial infarction. To address this, a scaffold-based stem cell delivery system was functionalised with anti-inflammatory plasmids (interleukin-10) to improve stem cell retention and recovery of cardiac function. Myocardial infarction was induced and these functionalised scaffolds were applied over the infarcted myocardium. Four weeks later, stem cell retention, cardiac function, remodelling and inflammation were quantified. Interleukin-10 gene transfer improved stem cell retention by more than five-fold and the hearts treated with scaffold, stem cells and interleukin-10 had significant functional recovery compared to the scaffold control (scaffold:xa0-10xa0±xa07%, scaffold, interleukin-10 and stem cells:xa0+7xa0±xa06%). This improved function was associated with increased infarcted wall thickness and increased ratios of collagen type III/type I, decreased cell death, and a change in macrophage markers from mainly cytotoxic in the scaffold group to mainly regulatory in scaffold, stem cells and interleukin-10 group. Thus, treatment of myocardial infarction with stem cells and interleukin-10 gene transfer significantly improved stem cell retention and ultimately improved overall cardiac function.

Chondrogenic Differentiation Increases Antidonor Immune Response to Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (allo-MSCs) have potent regenerative and immunosuppressive potential and are being investigated as a therapy for osteoarthritis; however, little is known about the immunological changes that occur in allo-MSCs after ex vivo induced or in vivo differentiation. Three-dimensional chondrogenic differentiation was induced in an alginate matrix, which served to immobilize and potentially protect MSCs at the site of implantation. We show that allogeneic differentiated MSCs lost the ability to inhibit T-cell proliferation in vitro, in association with reduced nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 secretion. Differentiation altered immunogenicity as evidenced by induced proliferation of allogeneic T cells and increased susceptibility to cytotoxic lysis by allo-specific T cells. Undifferentiated or differentiated allo-MSCs were implanted subcutaneously, with and without alginate encapsulation. Increased CD3(+) and CD68(+) infiltration was evident in differentiated and splenocyte encapsulated implants only. Without encapsulation, increased local memory T-cell responses were detectable in recipients of undifferentiated and differentiated MSCs; however, only differentiated MSCs induced systemic memory T-cell responses. In recipients of encapsulated allogeneic cells, only differentiated allo-MSCs induced memory T-cell responses locally and systemically. Systemic alloimmune responses to differentiated MSCs indicate immunogenicity regardless of alginate encapsulation and may require immunosuppressive therapy for therapeutic use.

A shape-controlled tuneable microgel platform to modulate angiogenic paracrine responses in stem cells.

Development of cell delivery platforms have been driven based on an empirical cytoprotective design. While cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions that influence biochemical effects beyond survival has been limited and overshadowed in an effort to incrementally improve biomimicking properties of the tissue-engineered constructs. Here we demonstrate fabrication of a shape controlled 3D type-I collagen-based microgel platform that can be tuned to modulate angiogenic paracrine- angiocrine responses of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Furthermore, these microgels were characterized as a 3D cell culture tool to assess optimal biological response as a function of cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. Finally, optimised hMSC embedded microgels were shown to induce vascular repair and functional improvement inxa0vivo in a mouse model of hind-limb ischemia. The approach described here in designing a tuneable cell delivery platform using naturally occurring extracellular matrix molecules highlights the need for highly customised matrices with an array of self-assembling proteins that dictate specific cell function resembling the native tissue of interest for repair.

Proliferation and pluripotency potential of ectomesenchymal cells derived from first branchial arch

Abstract.u2002 Cranial neural crest‐derived ectomesenchymal cells are multipotential progenitors that contribute to various tissue types during embryogenesis. Their potential to be expanded in culture as a monolayer and to be induced into different cell lineages in vitro has not been previously reported in detail. In this study, the ectomesenchymal cells in the first branchial arch were enzymatically isolated from the mandibular processes of BALB/c mice and were maintained in an intact state in a medium containing leukaemia inhibitory factor. Here, we first evaluated the proliferative activity of the cells after the third passage, using bromodeoxyuridine labelling and in situ hybridization of telomerase mRNA. Positive staining for expression of HNK‐1, S‐100 and vimentin confirmed that the population of stem cells originated from the ectomesenchyme, which did not express cytokeratin. Then we investigated the molecular and cellular characteristics of the ectomesenchymal cells during their differentiation towards neurogenic, endothelial, myogenic and odontogenic lineages. Expression of multiple lineage‐specific genes and proteins was detected by utilizing a range of molecular and biochemical approaches when the cells were transferred to inductive medium. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the induced cells at various intervals indicated obvious phenotypic alteration and presence of specific proteins for the differentiated lineages, for example nestin, factor VIII, α‐SMA and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), respectively. Correlatively, results of reverse transcription–PCR corroborated at mRNA level the expression of the characteristic molecules during differentiation. Therefore, it is suggested that the ectomesenchymal cells derived from the first branchial arch may represent a novel source of multipotential stem cells capable of undergoing expansion and variant differentiation in vitro.

Expression of exogenous or endogenous green fluorescent protein in adipose tissue-derived stromal cells during chondrogenic differentiation.

Pluripotent stem cells within the adipose stromal compartment, termed adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs), have the potential to differentiate into a variety of cell lineages both in vitro and in vivo. Imaging with expression of exogenous or endogenous green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporters facilitates the detailed research on ASCs’ physiological behavior during differentiation in vivo. This study was aimed to confirm whether ASCs expressing GFP still could be induced to chondrogenesis, and to compare the expression of exogenous or endogenous GFP in ASCs during chondrogenic differentiation. ASCs were harvested from inguinal fat pads of normal nude mice or GFP transgenic mice. Monolayer cultures of ASCs from normal mice were passaged three times and then infected with replication-incompetent adenoviral vectors carrying GFP genes. Allowed to recover for 5 days, Ad/GFP infected ASCs were transferred to chondrogenic medium as well as the ASCs from transgenic mice cultured in vitro over the same passages. The level of GFP in transgenic ASCs maintained stable till 3 months after chondrogenic induction. Whereas, high level of GFP expression in Ad/GFP infected ASCs could last for only 8 weeks and then declined stepwise. Important cartilaginous molecules such as SOX9, collagen type I, collagen type II, aggrecan, collagen type X were assessed using immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR, and Western Blot. The results indicated that no matter the GFP was exogenous or endogenous, it did not influence the chondrogenic potential of ASCs in comparison with the normal controls. Moreover, chondrogenic lineages from ASCs also underwent phenotypic modulation called dedifferentiation as a result of long-term culture in monolayers similar to normal chondrocytes.

An injectable elastin-based gene delivery platform for dose-dependent modulation of angiogenesis and inflammation for critical limb ischemia

Critical limb ischemia is a major clinical problem. Despite rigorous treatment regimes, there has been only modest success in reducing the rate of amputations in affected patients. Reduced level of blood flow and enhanced inflammation are the two major pathophysiological changes that occur in the ischemic tissue. The objective of this study was to develop a controlled dual gene delivery system capable of delivering therapeutic plasmid eNOS and IL-10 in a temporal manner. In order to deliver multiple therapeutic genes, an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) based injectable system was designed. The injectable system was comprised of hollow spheres and an in situ-forming gel scaffold of elastin-like polypeptide capable of carrying gene complexes, with an extended manner release profile. In addition, the ELP based injectable system was used to deliver human eNOS and IL-10 therapeutic genes inxa0vivo. A subcutaneous dose response study showed enhanced blood vessel density in the treatment groups of eNOS (20xa0μg) and IL-10 (10xa0μg)/eNOS (20xa0μg) and reduced inflammation with IL-10 (10xa0μg) alone. Next, we carried out a hind-limb ischemia model comparing the efficacy of the following interventions; Saline; IL-10, eNOS and IL-10/eNOS. The selected dose of eNOS, exhibited enhanced angiogenesis. IL-10 treatment groups showed reduction in the level of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that eNOS up-regulated major proangiogenic growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factors, platelet derived growth factor B, and fibroblast growth factor 1, which may explain the mechanism of this approach. These factors help in formation of a stable vascular network. Thus, ELP injectable system mediating non-viral delivery of human IL10-eNOS is a promising therapy towards treating limb ischemia.

A comparison of the efficacy of transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and unrestricted somatic stem cells on outcome after acute myocardial infarction

IntroductionA number of questions remain unanswered in the field of cell therapy for acute myocardial infarction, including what is the optimal cell type, and can therapeutic efficacy be enhanced by conditioning regimens. In this study, we sought to address these questions by directly comparing the effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and unrestricted somatic stem cells delivered 24 hours post-myocardial infarction and by determining if the therapeutic efficacy of unrestricted somatic stem cells could be enhanced by exposing the cells to guiding factors before cell transplantation.MethodsUnrestricted somatic stem cells were guided by exposure to 50 ng/mL basic fibroblast growth factor, 20 ng/mL hepatocyte growth factor and 20 ng/mL bone morphogenetic protein-2 for 24 hours. Using a Sprague-Dawley rat model of acute myocardial infarction, we transplanted cells by intramyocardial injection 24 hours post-myocardial infarction. Cardiac function was serially measured using echocardiography, and histological analyses of infarct morphology, angiogenesis and apoptosis were obtained. Transcriptomic and proteomic changes were assessed using microarray and real-time quantitative PCR.ResultsWhen assessed 28 days after the myocardial infarction, the delivery of mesenchymal stem cells 24 hours post-myocardial infarction did not improve ejection fraction (P = 0.19), and did not prevent the decline in ejection fraction observed in the absence of cell therapy (P = 0.17). The administration of unrestricted somatic stem cells also did not improve ejection fraction (P = 0.11), but did prevent a further decline in ejection fraction (P = 0.001). Delivery of guided unrestricted somatic stem cells significantly improved ejection fraction (P = 0.03). Guided unrestricted somatic stem cells restored function to a greater extent than mesenchymal stem cells (P = 0.03). The infarct area (P = 0.2), apoptosis (P = 0.07) and angiogenesis (P = 0.09) did not differ between groups. Microarray analysis revealed that, following pre-implantation guiding, the gene groupings of mitosis, signalling and angiogenesis were highly overrepresented, mediators of apoptosis were overrepresented, and cardiomyocyte-associated genes were not differentially expressed.ConclusionsThese results suggest that guided unrestricted somatic stem cells have a moderate capacity to repair cardiac damage and that they are more effective than mesenchymal stem cells in restoring cardiac function after a myocardial infarction. The mechanism of the benefit was not fully elucidated in this study, but these observations may be mediated by favorable dysregulation of angiogenic and apoptotic gene groupings.