Publications by authors named "Aline Betancourt"

Inflammatory bowel disease remains a difficult disease to effectively treat, especially fistulizing Crohn's disease. Perianal fistulas in the setting of Crohn's disease remain an area of unmet need with significant morbidity in this patient population. Up to one third of Crohn's patients will have perianal fistulizing disease and current medical and surgical interventions are of limited efficacy.

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We suggested previously that hippocampal slices were protected from hypoxic depolarization and swelling by preincubating them at room temperature (Kreisman et al., 2000). We postulated that hypothermic preconditioning induced tolerance in our slices, which protected against hypoxic depolarization and swelling.

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Therapies aimed at manipulating the microcirculation require the ability to control angiogenesis, defined as the sprouting of new capillaries from existing vessels. Blocking angiogenesis would be beneficial in many pathologies (e.g.

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Adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) have anti-inflammatory as well as immunosuppressive activities and are currently the focus of clinical trials for a number of inflammatory diseases. Acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammatory condition of the lung for which standard treatment is mainly supportive due to lack of effective therapies. Our recent studies have demonstrated the ability of both human ASCs (hASCs) and mouse ASCs (mASCs) to attenuate lung damage and inflammation in a rodent model of lipopolysaccharide-induced ALI, suggesting that ASCs may also be beneficial in treating ALI.

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There are an insufficient number of lungs available to meet current and future organ transplantation needs. Bioartificial tissue regeneration is an attractive alternative to classic organ transplantation. This technology utilizes an organ's natural biological extracellular matrix (ECM) as a scaffold onto which autologous or stem/progenitor cells may be seeded and cultured in such a way that facilitates regeneration of the original tissue.

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There are an insufficient number of donor organs available to meet the demand for lung transplantation. This issue could be addressed by regenerating functional tissue from diseased or damaged lungs that would otherwise be deemed unsuitable for transplant. Detergent-mediated whole-lung decellularization produces a three-dimensional natural scaffold that can be repopulated with various cell types.

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Introduction: Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have emerged as important regulators of inflammatory/immune responses in vitro and in vivo and represent attractive candidates for cell-based therapies for diseases that involve excessive inflammation. Acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammatory condition for which treatment is mainly supportive due to lack of effective therapies. In this study, the therapeutic effects of ASC-based therapy were assessed in vivo by comparison of the anti-inflammatory properties of both human and murine ASCs in a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI.

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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are very attractive candidates in cell-based strategies that target inflammatory diseases. Preclinical animal studies and many clinical trials have demonstrated that human MSCs can be safely administered and that they modify the inflammatory process in the targeted injured tissue. Our laboratory developed a novel method that optimizes the anti-inflammatory effects of MSCs.

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Background: Currently, there are many promising clinical trials using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in cell-based therapies of numerous diseases. Increasingly, however, there is a concern over the use of MSCs because they home to tumors and can support tumor growth and metastasis. For instance, we established that MSCs in the ovarian tumor microenvironment promoted tumor growth and favored angiogenesis.

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Cell-based therapies (CBTs) are quickly taking hold as a revolutionary new approach to treat many human diseases. Among the cells used in these treatments, multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells, also often and imprecisely termed mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), are widely used because they are considered clinically safe, unique in their immune-modulating capabilities, easily obtained from adult tissues, and quickly expanded as well as stored. However, despite these established advantages, there are limiting factors to employing MSCs in these therapeutic strategies.

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Currently, patients with end-stage lung disease are limited to lung transplantation as their only treatment option. Unfortunately, the lungs available for transplantation are few. Moreover, transplant recipients require life-long immune suppression to tolerate the transplanted lung.

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Background: The use of bone marrow-derived human multipotent stromal cells (hMSC) in cell-based therapies has dramatically increased in recent years, as researchers have exploited the ability of these cells to migrate to sites of tissue injury, inflammation, and tumors. Our group established that hMSC respond to "danger" signals--by-products of damaged, infected or inflamed tissues--via activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs). However, little is known regarding downstream signaling mediated by TLRs in hMSC.

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Microvacular network growth and remodeling are critical aspects of wound healing, inflammation, diabetic retinopathy, tumor growth and other disease conditions. Network growth is commonly attributed to angiogenesis, defined as the growth of new vessels from pre-existing vessels. The angiogenic process is also directly linked to arteriogenesis, defined as the capillary acquisition of a perivascular cell coating and vessel enlargement.

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The anesthesiologist's role often extends beyond the operating room and includes the realm of research. Recently, interest in investigating mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as therapy for myriad diseases has grown. MSCs are adult stem cells traditionally found in bone marrow that hone to damaged tissues and contribute to the tissues' repair by secreting chemokines, cytokines, and extracellular matrix proteins.

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Background: Increased susceptibility of older populations to secondary bacterial pneumonia-like infections following influenza infection has been well documented. Recent evidence in mouse models suggests that this increased risk from secondary bacterial infection occurs through a desensitization of the innate immune response. This recent finding, however, does not account for potential differences in immune responsiveness due to age.

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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the nonhematopoietic multipotent progenitor cells found in various adult tissues. They are characterized by their ease of isolation and their rapid growth in vitro while maintaining their differentiation potential, allowing for extensive expansion in culture that yields large quantities suitable for therapeutic use. This article reviews the immunomodulatory activities associated with MSCs.

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Human cathelicidin LL-37, a host defense peptide derived from leukocytes and epithelial cells, plays a crucial role in innate and adaptive immunity. Not only does LL-37 eliminate pathogenic microbes directly but also modulates host immune responses. Emerging evidence from tumor biology studies indicates that LL-37 plays a prominent and complex role in carcinogenesis.

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Background: Our laboratory and others reported that the stimulation of specific Toll-like receptors (TLRs) affects the immune modulating responses of human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs). Toll-like receptors recognize "danger" signals, and their activation leads to profound cellular and systemic responses that mobilize innate and adaptive host immune cells. The danger signals that trigger TLRs are released following most tissue pathologies.

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