Advantages and limitations of 3D organoids and ex vivo tumor tissue culture in personalized medicine for prostate cancer.

Background: Current in vitro model systems do not fully reflect the bio-logical and clinical diversity of prostate cancer (PCa). Organoids are 3D in vitro cell cultures that may better recapitulate disease heterogeneity and retain parental tumor characteristics. Short-term ex vivo culture of PCa tissues may also facilitate drug testing in personalized medicine.

Skp2 and Slug Are Coexpressed in Aggressive Prostate Cancer and Inhibited by Neddylation Blockade.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in Western countries, and there is still an urgent need for a better understanding of PCa progression to inspire new treatment strategies. Skp2 is a substrate-recruiting component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, whose activity is regulated through neddylation. Slug is a transcriptional repressor involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, which may contribute to therapy resistance.

Slug-expressing mouse prostate epithelial cells have increased stem cell potential.

Deciphering the properties of adult stem cells is crucial for understanding of their role in healthy tissue and in cancer progression as well. Both stem cells and cancer stem cells have shown association with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in various tissue types. Aiming to investigate the epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypic traits in adult mouse prostate, we sorted subpopulations of basal prostate stem cells (mPSCs) and assessed the expression levels of EMT regulators and markers with custom-designed gene expression array.

Platelet lysate as a serum replacement for skin cell culture on biomimetic PCL nanofibers.

Platelets are a popular source of native growth factors for tissue engineering applications. The aim of the study was to verify the use of platelet lysate as a fetal bovine serum (FBS) replacement for skin cell culture. The cytokine content of the platelet lysate was characterized using the Bio-Plex system.

Platelet-functionalized three-dimensional poly-ε-caprolactone fibrous scaffold prepared using centrifugal spinning for delivery of growth factors.

Bone and cartilage are tissues of a three-dimensional (3D) nature. Therefore, scaffolds for their regeneration should support cell infiltration and growth in all 3 dimensions. To fulfill such a requirement, the materials should possess large, open pores.

Needleless coaxial electrospinning: A novel approach to mass production of coaxial nanofibers.

Herein, we describe a simple spinneret setup for needleless coaxial electrospinning that exceeds the limited production capacity of current approaches. The proposed weir spinneret enables coaxial electrospinning from free liquid surface. This approach leads to the formation of coaxial nanofibers with higher and uniform shell/core ratio, which results in the possibility of better tuning of the degradation rate.

DNA damage signalling barrier, oxidative stress and treatment-relevant DNA repair factor alterations during progression of human prostate cancer.

The DNA damage checkpoints provide an anti-cancer barrier in diverse tumour types, however this concept has remained unexplored in prostate cancer (CaP). Furthermore, targeting DNA repair defects by PARP1 inhibitors (PARPi) as a cancer treatment strategy is emerging yet requires suitable predictive biomarkers. To address these issues, we performed immunohistochemical analysis of multiple markers of DNA damage signalling, oxidative stress, DNA repair and cell cycle control pathways during progression of human prostate disease from benign hyperplasia, through intraepithelial neoplasia to CaP, complemented by genetic analyses of TMPRSS2-ERG rearrangement and NQO1, an anti-oxidant factor and p53 protector.

Abdominal closure reinforcement by using polypropylene mesh functionalized with poly-ε-caprolactone nanofibers and growth factors for prevention of incisional hernia formation.

Incisional hernia affects up to 20% of patients after abdominal surgery. Unlike other types of hernia, its prognosis is poor, and patients suffer from recurrence within 10 years of the operation. Currently used hernia-repair meshes do not guarantee success, but only extend the recurrence-free period by about 5 years.

Collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffold enriched with polycaprolactone nanofibers, thrombocyte-rich solution and mesenchymal stem cells promotes regeneration in large bone defect in vivo.

A three-dimensional scaffold of type I collagen and hydroxyapatite enriched with polycaprolactone nanofibers (Coll/HA/PCL), autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in osteogenic media, and thrombocyte-rich solution (TRS) was an optimal implant for bone regeneration in vivo in white rabbits. Nanofibers optimized the viscoelastic properties of the Coll/HA scaffold for bone regeneration. MSCs and TRS in the composite scaffold improved bone regeneration.

A cell-free nanofiber composite scaffold regenerated osteochondral defects in miniature pigs.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a cell-free hyaluronate/type I collagen/fibrin composite scaffold containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers enriched with liposomes, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and insulin on the regeneration of osteochondral defects. A novel drug delivery system was developed on the basis of the intake effect of liposomes encapsulated in PVA nanofibers. Time-controlled release of insulin and bFGF improved MSC viability in vitro.

Time-regulated drug delivery system based on coaxially incorporated platelet α-granules for biomedical use.

Aim: Platelet derivatives serve as an efficient source of natural growth factors. In the current study, α-granules were incorporated into coaxial nanofibers.

Materials & Methods: A nanofiber scaffold containing α-granules was prepared by coaxial electrospinning.

Cryogenic grinding of electrospun poly-ε-caprolactone mesh submerged in liquid media.

In this paper, the treatment of poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nano/micro-mesh system by cryogenic grinding and subsequent characterization of obtained product is described. The PCL nano/micro-mesh layer submerged in appropriate liquid was cryogenically ground and obtained particles were characterized employing mainly laser diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the ground sample, different types of particles (fibrous particles, fibrous fragments, agglomerates with and without an internal fibrous structure, lamellae and nanoparticles) were identified, described and quantified.

Core/shell nanofibers with embedded liposomes as a drug delivery system.

The broader application of liposomes in regenerative medicine is hampered by their short half-life and inefficient retention at the site of application. These disadvantages could be significantly reduced by their combination with nanofibers. We produced 2 different nanofiber-liposome systems in the present study, that is, liposomes blended within nanofibers and core/shell nanofibers with embedded liposomes.

A simple drug anchoring microfiber scaffold for chondrocyte seeding and proliferation.

The structural properties of microfiber meshes made from poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) were found to significantly depend on the chemical composition and subsequent cross-linking and nebulization processes. PHEMA microfibres showed promise as scaffolds for chondrocyte seeding and proliferation. Moreover, the peak liposome adhesion to PHEMA microfiber scaffolds observed in our study resulted in the development of a simple drug anchoring system.

Immobilization of thrombocytes on PCL nanofibres enhances chondrocyte proliferation in vitro.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop functionalized nanofibres as a simple delivery system for growth factors (GFs) and make nanofibre cell-seeded scaffold implants a one-step intervention.

Materials And Methods: We have functionalized polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibres with thrombocytes adherent on them. Immobilized, these thrombocytes attached to nanofibre scaffolds were used as a nanoscale delivery system for native (autologous) proliferation and differentiation factors, in vitro.