Quantitatively measuring the cytotoxicity of viscous hydrogels with direct cell sampling in a micro scale format "MicroDrop" and its comparison to CCK8.

Tissue engineering holds promise for developing therapeutic applications using viscous materials e.g. hydrogels.

Sleeping Beauty transposon system for GDNF overexpression of entrapped stem cells in fibrin hydrogel in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

There is currently no causal treatment available for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the use of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to provide regenerative effects for neurons is promising. Such approaches require translational delivery systems that are functional in diseased tissue.

Transposon-mediated glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor overexpression in human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: A potential approach for neuroregenerative medicine?

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has neuroprotective effects and may be a promising candidate for regenerative strategies focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. As GDNF cannot cross the blood-brain barrier to potentially regenerate damaged brain areas, continuous in situ delivery with host cells is desired. Here, a non-viral Sleeping Beauty transposon was used to achieve continuous in vitro overexpression of GDNF in immune-privileged human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (GDNF-tASCs).

MIF does only marginally enhance the pro-regenerative capacities of DFO in a mouse-osteotomy-model of compromised bone healing conditions.

The initial phase of fracture healing is crucial for the success of bone regeneration and is characterized by an inflammatory milieu and low oxygen tension (hypoxia). Negative interference with or prolongation of this fine-tuned initiation phase will ultimately lead to a delayed or incomplete healing such as non-unions which then requires an effective and gentle therapeutic intervention. Common reasons include a dysregulated immune response, immunosuppression or a failure in cellular adaptation to the inflammatory hypoxic milieu of the fracture gap and a reduction in vascularizing capacity by environmental noxious agents (e.

A Novel Method Facilitating the Simple and Low-Cost Preparation of Human Osteochondral Slice Explants for Large-Scale Native Tissue Analysis.

For in vitro modeling of human joints, osteochondral explants represent an acceptable compromise between conventional cell culture and animal models. However, the scarcity of native human joint tissue poses a challenge for experiments requiring high numbers of samples and makes the method rather unsuitable for toxicity analyses and dosing studies. To scale their application, we developed a novel method that allows the preparation of up to 100 explant cultures from a single human sample with a simple setup.

Dietary-challenged mice with Alzheimer-like pathology show increased energy expenditure and reduced adipocyte hypertrophy and steatosis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is frequently accompanied by progressing weight loss, correlating with mortality. Counter-intuitively, weight loss in old age might predict AD onset but obesity in midlife increases AD risk. Furthermore, AD is associated with diabetes-like alterations in glucose metabolism.

Chia seeds as a potential cognitive booster in the APP23 Alzheimer's disease model.

Glucose hypometabolism potentially contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and might even represent an underlying mechanism. Here, we investigate the relationship of diet-induced metabolic stress and AD as well as the therapeutic potential of chia seeds as a modulator of glucose metabolism in the APP23 mouse model. 4-6 (pre-plaque stage, PRE) and 28-32 (advanced-plaque stage, ADV) weeks old APP23 and wild type mice received pretreatment for 12 weeks with either sucrose-rich (SRD) or control diet, followed by 8 weeks of chia seed supplementation.

CCL25-Supplemented Hyaluronic Acid Attenuates Cartilage Degeneration in a Guinea Pig Model of Knee Osteoarthritis.

There is evidence that the application of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) counteracts osteoarthritis (OA) progression. However, the prospect of extracting and expanding these cells might be limited. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hyaluronic acid (HA) supplemented with MSC-recruiting chemokine C-C motif ligand 25 (CCL25) can influence the natural course of spontaneous OA in the guinea pig.

Hyaluronic Acid Influence on Normal and Osteoarthritic Tissue-Engineered Cartilage.

The aim of this study is to identify gene expression profiles associated with hyaluronic acid (HA) treatment of normal and osteoarthritis (OA)-like tissue-engineered cartilage. 3D cartilage micromasses were treated with tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (OA-inducer) and/or HA for 7 days. Viability was examined by PI/FDA staining.

Biomimetic sulfated polyethylene glycol hydrogel inhibits proteoglycan loss and tumor necrosis factor-α-induced expression pattern in an osteoarthritis in vitro model.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of an anti-inflammatory polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel for osteoarthritis (OA) management in an OA in vitro model. Freshly isolated porcine chondrocytes were maintained in high-density cultures to form cartilage-like three-dimensional micromasses. Recombinant porcine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was used to induce OA-like changes.

Injectable hydrogels for treatment of osteoarthritis - A rheological study.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disabling condition especially in the elderly population. The current therapeutic approaches do not halt the OA progression or reverse joint damage. In order to overcome the problem of rapid clearance of hyaluronic acid (HA), a standard viscosupplement for OA, we investigated the rheological properties of a relatively non-degradable dendritic polyglycerol sulfate (dPGS) hydrogel to determine a suitable concentration for intra articular injections that mimics HA in terms of its viscoelastic and mechanical properties.