Effects of three products from Antarctic krill on the nitrogen balance, growth, and antioxidation status of rats.

A few studies conducted over the past few decades have demonstrated the health benefits of a diet rich in marine products, but limited studies have investigated the effects of different krill products on the nitrogen balance and their potential health benefits. In our study, after a 14-day acclimation period, 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups, each of which was fed a different diet, for 28 days. We then evaluated the effect of krill protein complex (KPC), krill powder, and defatted krill powder on the nitrogen balance, growth, and antioxidant activity through analyses of MDA, CAT, GSH-Px, and T-SOD.

Evaluating the efficacy of a ferrous-ion-chelating peptide from Alaska pollock frame for the improvement of iron nutritional status in rats.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ferrous-ion-chelating peptides from Alaska pollock frames (APFP-Fe) on iron deficiency in anaemic rats. We hydrolysed the Alaska pollock frames to obtain a peptide with an average molecular weight of 822 Da. The bioavailability of APFP-Fe was tested using animal experiments.

Regeneration of different types of tissues depends on the interplay of stem cells-laden constructs and microenvironments in vivo.

The ability of repair and regeneration of tissues or organs has been significantly improved by using biomaterials-based constructs. Our previous studies found the regeneration of both articular cartilage and subchondral bone by implantation of a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)/fibrin gel/bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs)/(lipofectamine/pDNA-transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1) construct in vivo, without the step of pre-induced differentiation of the laden stem cells in vitro. To substantiate the ability to regenerate multi-types of tissues by the same constructs, in this study the constructs were implanted into three types of tissues or tissue defects in vivo, including subcutaneous fascia layer, and ear cartilage and eyelid tarsal plate defects.

Regeneration of the Osteochondral Defect by a Wollastonite and Macroporous Fibrin Biphasic Scaffold.

Osteochondral defect refers to the damage of cartilage as well as subchondral bone. Cartilage tissue engineering focusing on the regeneration of cartilage and disregarding the subchondral bone always leads to partial regeneration of the damage, resulting in poor mechanical and physiological properties. A scaffold suitable for in situ inductive regeneration of both types of tissues is urgently needed.

Regeneration of osteochondral defects in vivo by a cell-free cylindrical poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffold with a radially oriented microstructure.

A scaffold with an oriented porous architecture to facilitate cell infiltration and bioactive interflow between neo-host tissues is of great importance for in situ inductive osteochondral regeneration. In this study, a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffold with oriented pores in its radial direction was fabricated via unidirectional cooling of the PLGA solution in the radial direction, following with lyophilization. Micro-computed tomography evaluation and scanning electron microscopy observation confirmed the radially oriented microtubular pores in the scaffold.

Macrophages of Different Phenotypes Influence the Migration of BMSCs in PLGA Scaffolds with Different Pore Size.

Immune modulation of the scaffolds not only reduces the host immunological rejection response, but also improves the regenerative cell migration into the scaffolds. Herein a convenient immune modulation of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffold is applied with macrophages of different phenotypes to evaluate its influence on the migration behavior of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). With pro-inflammatory macrophages (M1) pre-loading, BMSCs migrate significantly faster into the PLGA scaffold, compared with those in the control scaffold or pre-seeded with inactivated macrophages (M0).

Induced migration of endothelial cells into 3D scaffolds by chemoattractants secreted by pro-inflammatory macrophages .

Cell migration in scaffolds plays a crucial role in tissue regeneration, which can better mimic cell behaviors . In this study, a novel model has been proposed on controlling 3D cell migration in porous collagen-chitosan scaffolds with various pore structures under the stimulation of inflammatory cells to mimic the angiogenesis process. Endothelial cells (ECs) cultured atop the scaffolds in the Transwell molds which were placed into a well of a 24-well culture plate were promoted to migrate into the scaffolds by chemoattractants such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) secreted by the pro-inflammatory macrophages incubated in the well culture plate.

Cell-Free HA-MA/PLGA Scaffolds with Radially Oriented Pores for In Situ Inductive Regeneration of Full Thickness Cartilage Defects.

A bioactive scaffold with desired microstructure is of great importance to induce infiltration of somatic and stem cells, and thereby to achieve the in situ inductive tissue regeneration. In this study, a scaffold with oriented pores in the radial direction is prepared by using methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HA-MA) via controlled directional cooling of a HA-MA solution, and followed with photo-crosslinking to stabilize the structure. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) is further infiltrated to enhance the mechanical strength, resulting in a compressive modulus of 120 kPa.

Cell-free macro-porous fibrin scaffolds for in situ inductive regeneration of full-thickness cartilage defects.

Macro-porous fibrin scaffolds with regular and adjustable inter-connective pores were fabricated through a porogen-leaching method for the in situ inductive regeneration of full-thickness cartilage defects in vivo. In vitro tests proved the survival and proliferation of BMSCs in the scaffolds. In vivo repair experiment was conducted by implantation of the cell-free macro-porous fibrin scaffolds into full-thickness cartilage defects (4 mm in diameter and 4 mm in depth with bone marrow blood effusion) of New Zealand white rabbits for 6 and 12 w.