Targeted animal models for preclinical assessment of cellular and gene therapies in pancreatic and liver diseases: regulatory and practical insights.

Cellular and gene therapy (CGT) products have emerged as a popular approach in regenerative medicine, showing promise in treating various pancreatic and liver diseases in numerous clinical trials. Before these therapies can be tested in human clinical trials, it is essential to evaluate their safety and efficacy in relevant animal models. Such preclinical testing is often required to obtain regulatory approval for investigational new drugs.

Immortalized Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Overexpressing Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Protect Acinar Cells from Apoptotic and Ferroptotic Cell Death.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammatory disorder that impairs endocrine and exocrine function. Our previous work suggests that mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and MSCs overexpressing alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT-MSCs) could be therapeutic tools for CP treatment in mouse models. However, primary MSCs have a predisposition to undergo senescence during culture expansion which limits their therapeutic applications.

Treatment of atherosclerosis through transplantation of endothelial progenitor cells overexpressing dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) in rabbits.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is a key event in the development of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in vascular repair. Decreased dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) activity is observed in several pathological conditions, and it is associated with an increased risk of vascular disease.

Comparative Analysis of the Rabbit Endothelial Progenitor Cells from Bone Marrow and Peripheral Blood Treated with Selenium Nanoparticles.

Background: Selenium Nanoparticles (Se-NPs) are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which are effective in preventing oxidative damage and improving physiological processes.

Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the effects of biosynthesized Se-NPs on bone marrow-derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells (bone marrow-derived EPCs) and blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (blood-derived EPCs) isolated from rabbits in vitro.

Methods: The cultured EPCs incubated with biosynthesized Se-NPs at the concentrations of 0.

Diagnostic and theranostic microRNAs in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small single strand and noncoding RNAs that regulate several physiological and molecular signalling pathways. Alterations of miRNA expression profiles may be involved with pathophysiological processes underlying the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, including changes in the functions of the endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells, such as cell proliferation, migration and inflammation, which are involved in angiogenesis, macrophage function and foam cell formation. Thus, miRNAs can be considered to have a crucial role in the progression, modulation and regulation of every stage of atherosclerosis.

Important signals regulating coronary artery angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis is a complex process of budding, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing microvessels, via migration, proliferation and survival. Vascular angiogenesis factors include different classes of molecules that have a fundamental role in blood vessel formation. Numerous inducers of angiogenesis, such as the members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), angiopoietin (Ang), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), have an important role in angiogenesis.

Biogenesis of Selenium Nanoparticles Using Green Chemistry.

Selenium binds some enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase, which may be activated in biological infections and oxidative stress. Chemical and physical methods for synthesizing nanoparticles, apart from being expensive, have their own particular risks. However, nanoparticle synthesis through green chemistry is a safe procedure that different biological sources such as bacteria, fungi, yeasts, algae and plants can be the catalyst bed for processing.

Determine exogenous human DDAH2 gene function in rabbit bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells in vitro.

The in vitro amplification of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is an important method because of its role in gene transferring and regenerative medicine. In this study, we isolated rabbit bone marrow-derived EPCs to further manipulation and overexpression of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) in EPCs. Isolated EPCs were cultured, expanded in endothelial basal medium.

Biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles using Enterococcus faecalis and evaluation of their antibacterial activities.

Microorganisms are capable of synthesizing metal nanoparticles, and specifically Enterococcus faecalis bacteria were tested for its ability to synthesize selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) from sodium selenite. The biosynthesized Se-NPs were spherical in shape with the size range of 29-195nm. Also, the TEM microscopy showed the accumulation of nano-structures as extracellular deposits.

Association of Serum hs-CRP Levels With the Presence of Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, and Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

Background: Diabetes mellitus remains one of the major health problems of the 21st century and is associated with comorbidities including obesity and metabolic abnormalities. The study was conducted to evaluate serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels, as a marker of inflammation, in a large sample of Iranian population without a history of cardiovascular or inflammatory disease and cancer, and to relate this to fasting blood glucose (FBG) and the presence of diabetes mellitus.

Methods: The study consisted of 7,762 subjects divided into four groups-nonobese/nondiabetic, obese/nondiabetic, nonobese/diabetic and obese/diabetic-based on the BMI classification and their FBG.

Cytokine profiles in overweight and obese subjects and normal weight individuals matched for age and gender.

Background Obesity is associated with a state of systemic inflammation, mediated by adipose tissue-derived cytokines that may also have metabolic effects, including an effect on insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to compare the serum profile of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in obese and non-obese subjects. Methods A total of 242 subjects who were either overweight or obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m) and non-obese subjects (body mass index <25 kg/m), were recruited in Mashhad in northeastern Iran.