Selection of internalizing RNA aptamers into human breast cancer cells derived from primary sites.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Although chemotherapy is still broadly used in its treatment, adverse effects remain a challenge. In this scenario, aptamers emerge as a promising alternative for theranostic applications.

Targeting ABCA12-controlled ceramide homeostasis inhibits breast cancer stem cell function and chemoresistance.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive tumor growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance. While emerging evidence suggests that CSCs have a unique dependency on lipid metabolism, the functions and regulation of distinct lipid species in CSCs remain poorly understood. Here, we developed a stem cell factor SOX9-based reporter for isolating CSCs in primary tumors and metastases of spontaneous mammary tumor models.

Development of a membrane and a bilayer of chitosan, gelatin, and polyhydroxybutyrate to be used as wound dressing for the regeneration of rat excisional wounds.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body that acts as a protective barrier from the outside environment. Certain dermatological pathologies or significant skin lesions can result in serious complications. Several studies have focused on the development of tissue-engineered skin substitutes.

Roles of mesenchymal stromal cells in the head and neck cancer microenvironment.

Head and neck cancer (HNC), a common malignancy worldwide, is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common HNC type, followed by salivary gland carcinomas, head and neck sarcomas, and lymphomas. The microenvironment of HNCs comprises various cells that regulate tumor development.

The basis of nuclear phospholipase C in cell proliferation.

Ca is a highly versatile intracellular signal that regulates many biological processes such as cell death and proliferation. Broad Ca-signaling machinery is used to assemble signaling systems with a precise spatial and temporal resolution to achieve this versatility. Ca-signaling components can be organized in different regions of the cell and local increases in Ca within the nucleus can regulate different cellular functions from the increases in cytosolic Ca.

Adipose-derived stem/stromal cell secretome modulates breast cancer cell proliferation and differentiation state towards aggressiveness.

It is becoming increasingly evident that mesenchymal stem/stromal cells are recruited by cancer cells from nearby endogenous host stroma and promote events such as tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis, as well as mediate therapeutic resistance. Consequently, understanding the regulatory mechanisms of ASCs that influence the tumor microenvironment may provide an avenue for further treatment. To understand the role of the ASC secretome in breast cancer cell proliferation, death, and phenotype alteration, adipose-derived stem cell-conditioned medium (mASC) was used to cultivate MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells.

Selection of DNA Aptamers for Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Fibroblasts.

In recent years, stem cell therapy has shown promise in regenerative medicine. The lack of standardized protocols for cell isolation and differentiation generates conflicting results in this field. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue (ASC) and fibroblasts (FIB) share very similar cell membrane markers.

Neuroprotective Effect of siRNA Entrapped in Hyaluronic Acid-Coated Lipoplexes by Intravitreal Administration.

Since the possibility of silencing specific genes linked to retinal degeneration has become a reality with the use of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), this technology has been widely studied to promote the treatment of several ocular diseases. Despite recent advances, the clinical success of gene silencing in the retina is significantly reduced by inherent anatomical and physiological ocular barriers, and new strategies are required to achieve intraocular therapeutic effectiveness. In this study, we developed lipoplexes, prepared with sodium alginate as an adjuvant and strategically coated with hyaluronic acid (HA-LIP), and investigated the potential neuroprotective effect of these systems in a retinal light damage model.

Human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells are distinct from dermal fibroblasts as evaluated by biological characterization and RNA sequencing.

Human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASC) have immunomodulatory properties and the potential to differentiate into several cell lines, important for application in regenerative medicine. However, the contamination with dermal fibroblasts (FIB) can impair the beneficial effects of ASC in cell therapy. It is then essential to develop new strategies that contribute to the distinction between these two cell types.

Cobalt-containing bioactive glass mimics vascular endothelial growth factor A and hypoxia inducible factor 1 function.

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have shown great potential for tissue regeneration and their composition flexibility allows the incorporation of different ions with physiological activities and therapeutic properties in the glass network. Among the many ions that could be incorporated, cobalt (Co) is a significant one, as it mimics hypoxia, triggering the formation of new blood vessels by the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), due to the stabilizing effect on the hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF1A), an activator of angiogenesis-related genes, and is therefore of great interest for tissue engineering applications. However, despite its promising properties, the effects of glasses incorporated with Co on angiogenesis, through human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) studies, need to be further investigated.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) triggers nuclear calcium signaling through the intranuclear phospholipase Cδ-4 (PLCδ4).

Calcium (Ca) signaling within the cell nucleus regulates specific cellular events such as gene transcription and cell proliferation. Nuclear and cytosolic Ca levels can be independently regulated, and nuclear translocation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) is one way to locally activate signaling cascades within the nucleus. Nuclear RTKs, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), are important for processes such as transcriptional regulation, DNA-damage repair, and cancer therapy resistance.

Folate-coated, long-circulating and pH-sensitive liposomes enhance doxorubicin antitumor effect in a breast cancer animal model.

Long circulating pH-sensitive liposomes have been shown to effectively deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to tumors and reduce its toxic effects. Folic acid receptors are upregulated in a wide variety of solid, epithelial tumors, including breast cancer. In order to improve liposomal endocytosis and antitumor activity, folic acid has been added to nanoparticles surfaces to exploit overexpression of folate receptors in tumor cells.

Protection of normal cells from irradiation bystander effects by silica-flufenamic acid nanoparticles.

The development of a myriad of nanoparticles types has opened new possibilities for the diagnostics and treatment of many diseases, especially for cancer. However, most of the researches done so far do not focus on the protection of normal cells surrounding a tumor from irradiation bystander effects that might lead to cancer recurrence. Gap-junctions are known to be involved in this process, which leads to genomic instability of neighboring normal cells, and flufenamic acid (FFA) is included in a new group of gap-junction blockers recently discovered.

Phospholipase C delta 4 (PLCδ4) is a nuclear protein involved in cell proliferation and senescence in mesenchymal stromal stem cells.

Ca is an important second messenger, and it is involved in many cellular processes such as cell death and proliferation. The rise in intracellular Ca levels can be due to the generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP), which is a product of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP) hydrolysis by phospholipases C (PLCs), that leads to Ca release from endoplasmic reticulum by InsP receptors (InsPR). Ca signaling patterns can vary in different regions of the cell and increases in nuclear Ca levels have specific biological effects that differ from those of Ca increase in the cytoplasm.

Extracellular Vesicles from Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Accelerate Migration and Activate AKT Pathway in Human Keratinocytes and Fibroblasts Independently of miR-205 Activity.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are promising tools in cell therapy. They secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) that carry different classes of molecules that can promote skin repair, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Skin wound healing is a complex process that requires the activity of several signaling pathways and cell types, including keratinocytes and fibroblasts.

Translocation of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) to the nucleus has distinct kinetics between adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and a mesenchymal cancer cell lineage.

Nuclear Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) has been associated with worse prognosis and treatment resistance for several cancer types. After Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) binding, the ligand-receptor complex can translocate to the nucleus where it functions in oncological processes. By three-dimensional quantification analysis of super-resolution microscopy images, we verified the translocation kinetics of fluorescent conjugated EGF to the nucleus in two mesenchymal cell types: human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hASC) and SK-HEP-1 tumor cells.