Pretreatment with light-emitting diode therapy reduces ischemic brain injury in mice through endothelial nitric oxide synthase-dependent mechanisms.

Photostimulation with low-level light emitting diode therapy (LED-T) modulates neurological and psychological functions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of LED-T pretreatment on the mouse brain after ischemia/reperfusion and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Ischemia/reperfusion brain injury was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion. The mice received LED-T twice a day for 2 days prior to cerebral ischemia. After reperfusion, the LED-T group showed significantly smaller infarct and edema volumes, fewer behavioral deficits compared to injured mice that did not receive LED-T and significantly higher cerebral blood flow compared to the vehicle group. We observed lower levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation in the injured mouse brains, but significantly higher eNOS phosphorylation in LED-T-pretreated mice. The enhanced phospho-eNOS was inhibited by LY294002, indicating that the effects of LED-T on the ischemic brain could be attributed to the upregulation of eNOS phosphorylation through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. Moreover, no reductions in infarct or edema volume were observed in LED-T-pretreated eNOS-deficient (eNOS-/-) mice. Collectively, we found that pretreatment with LED-T reduced the amount of ischemia-induced brain damage. Importantly, we revealed that these effects were mediated by the stimulation of eNOS phosphorylation via the PI3K/Akt pathway.

MicroRNA-26a induced by hypoxia targets HDAC6 in myogenic differentiation of embryonic stem cells.

The importance of epigenetic regulation for maintenance of embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency or for initiation of differentiation is widely accepted. However, the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We recently reported that a hypoxic microenvironment induces ESC differentiation. In the present study, we found that hypoxia-responsive histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) performs an essential signaling function for myogenic differentiation of ESCs. HDAC6 was downregulated in hypoxic ESCs or during differentiation. A knock-down of HDAC6 in ESCs resulted in induction of myogenic markers, including Pax7. Suppression of HDAC6 increased acetylation of core histones H3 and H4, leading to enhanced binding of RNA polymerase II to the Pax7 promoter. Transplantation of HDAC6 knock-down cells facilitated muscle regeneration in vivo. Importantly, the downregulation of HDAC6 by hypoxia was not mediated by HIF1α or HIF2α, master transcription regulators under hypoxia, but by induction of microRNA-26a that directly targeted the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of HDAC6. A point mutation of the microRNA-26a-binding sequence in the HDAC6 3'-UTR diminished the luciferase reporter activity. Taken together, these results suggest that environmental cues of differentiation modulate the epigenetic machinery and guide stem cells to commit to a specific lineage.

Electroacupuncture preconditioning reduces ROS generation with NOX4 down-regulation and ameliorates blood-brain barrier disruption after ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture (EA) is a modern application based on combination of traditional manual acupuncture and electrotherapy that is frequently recommended as an adjuvant treatment for ischemic stroke. EA preconditioning can ameliorate blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction and brain edema in ischemia-reperfusion injury; however, its mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated the preventive effects of EA preconditioning, particularly on BBB injury, followed by a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in mice. RESULTS: Mice were treated with EA (20 min) at Baihui (GV20) and Dazhui (GV14) acupoints once a day for 3 days before ischemic injury. Infarct volume, neurological deficits, oxidative stress, Evans blue leakage and brain edema were evaluated at 24 h after ischemia-reperfusion injury. EA preconditioning significantly decreased infarct volume and improved neurological function even after ischemic injury. In addition, both Evans blue leakage and water content were significantly reduced in EA preconditioned mice. Whereas the expression of tight junction proteins, ZO-1 and claudin-5, were remarkably increased by EA preconditioning. Mice with EA preconditioning showed the reduction of astrocytic aquaporin 4, which is involved in BBB permeabilization. In addition, we found that EA preconditioning decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brain tissues after ischemic injury. The expression of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), not NOX2, was significantly suppressed in EA preconditioned mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that EA preconditioning improve neural function after ischemic injury through diminishing BBB disruption and brain edema. And, the reduction of ROS generation and NOX4 expression by EA preconditioning might be involved in BBB recovery. Therefore, EA may serve as a potential preventive strategy for patients at high risk of ischemic stroke.

Probucol inhibits LPS-induced microglia activation and ameliorates brain ischemic injury in normal and hyperlipidemic mice.

AIM: Increasing evidence suggests that probucol, a lipid-lowering agent with anti-oxidant activities, may be useful for the treatment of ischemic stroke with hyperlipidemia via reduction in cholesterol and neuroinflammation. In this study we examined whether probucol could protect against brain ischemic injury via anti-neuroinflammatory action in normal and hyperlipidemic mice. METHODS: Primary mouse microglia and murine BV2 microglia were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 3 h, and the release NO, PGE2, IL-1ß and IL-6, as well as the changes in NF-κB, MAPK and AP-1 signaling pathways were assessed. ApoE KO mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 0.004%, 0.02%, 0.1% (wt/wt) probucol for 10 weeks, whereas normal C57BL/6J mice received probucol (3, 10, 30 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1), po) for 4 d. Then all the mice were subjected to focal cerebral ischemia through middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The neurological deficits were scored 24 h after the surgery, and then brains were removed for measuring the cerebral infarct size and the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. RESULTS: In LPS-treated BV2 cells and primary microglial cells, pretreatment with probucol (1, 5, 10 µmol/L) dose-dependently inhibited the release of NO, PGE2, IL-1ß and IL-6, which occurred at the transcription levels. Furthermore, the inhibitory actions of probucol were associated with the downregulation of the NF-κB, MAPK and AP-1 signaling pathways. In the normal mice with MCAO, pre-administration of probucol dose-dependently decreased the infarct volume and improved neurological function. These effects were accompanied by the decreased production of pro-inflammatory mediators (iNOS, COX-2, IL-1, IL-6). In ApoE KO mice fed a high-fat diet, pre-administration of 0.1% probucol significantly reduced the infarct volume, improved the neurological deficits following MCAO, and decreased the total- and LDL-cholesterol levels. CONCLUSION: Probucol inhibits LPS-induced microglia activation and ameliorates cerebral ischemic injury in normal and hyperlipidemic mice via its anti-neuroinflammatory actions, suggesting that probucol has potential for the treatment of patients with or at risk for ischemic stroke and hyperlipidemia.

Snail as a potential target molecule in cardiac fibrosis: paracrine action of endothelial cells on fibroblasts through snail and CTGF axis.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury to myocardium induces death of cardiomyocytes and destroys the vasculature, leading to cardiac fibrosis that is mainly mediated by the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts and the collagen deposition. Snail involvement in fibrosis is well known; however, the contribution of Snail to cardiac fibrosis during I/R injury and its underlying mechanisms have not been defined. We showed that I/R injury to mouse hearts significantly increases the expression of Snail. An in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation (Hy/Reoxy) experiment showed that the cell source of Snail induction is endothelial cells rather than cardiac fibroblasts (cFibroblasts) or cardiomyoblasts. When Snail was overexpressed in endothelial cells, they underwent endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) but showed very poor capacity for collagen synthesis. Instead, reoxygenation- or Snail overexpression-mediated EndMT-like cells noticeably stimulated transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts via secretion of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). The injection of a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) agonist, a selective Snail inhibitor, remarkably suppressed collagen deposition and cardiac fibrosis in mouse I/R injury, and significantly improved cardiac function and reduced Snail and CTGF expression in vivo. Our findings suggested a new mechanism of cell-to-cell communication between EndMT-like cells and fibroblasts for fibrosis induction and implicated Snail as a potential target molecule in cardiac fibrosis after I/R injury.

Long-term effects of sildenafil in a rat model of chronic mitral regurgitation: benefits of ventricular remodeling and exercise capacity.

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that chronic treatment with sildenafil attenuates left ventricular (LV) remodeling and prevents exercise intolerance in chronic mitral regurgitation (MR). METHODS AND RESULTS: MR was created in Sprague-Dawley rats by making a hole on the mitral leaflet. Two weeks after MR creation, MR and LV dilatation were confirmed by echocardiography, and rats were randomly assigned to sildenafil treatment (MR+sildenafil group; 50 mg/kg PO twice a day; n=16) or normal saline only (MR group; n=16) and continued for 4 months. Sixteen sham rats were compared with MR rats. After 4 months, LV size was smaller in the MR+sildenafil compared with the MR group (LV end-systolic dimension, 4.7±0.3 for sham versus 5.9±0.3 for MR+sildenafil versus 7.4±0.5 mm for MR; P<0.05; LV end-diastolic dimension, 8.3±0.4 versus 10.5±0.2 versus 11.7±0.61 mm, respectively; P<0.05). LV ejection fraction was greater in the MR+sildenafil group than in the MR group (70.2±2.2 for sham versus 67.0±4.2 for MR+sildenafil versus 58.9±2.5 for MR; P=0.01). Serial treadmill test revealed that exercise capacity was reduced in the MR but not in the MR+sildenafil group. Transcriptional profiling of cardiac apical tissues revealed that gene sets related to inflammatory response, DNA damage response, cell cycle checkpoint, and cellular signaling pathways were significantly enriched by genes with reciprocal changes. Pathological analysis showed that perivascular fibrosis was more prominent in the MR than in the MR+sildenafil group and that the percentage of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cells was 2-fold greater in the MR compared with the MR+sildenafil group. CONCLUSIONS: Sildenafil significantly attenuates LV remodeling and prevents exercise intolerance in a rat model of chronic MR. This benefit may be associated with the antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory effects of sildenafil.

COMP-Ang1 stimulates HIF-1α-mediated SDF-1 overexpression and recovers ischemic injury through BM-derived progenitor cell recruitment.

Recruitment and adhesion of bone marrow (BM)-derived circulating progenitor cells to ischemic tissue are important for vasculogenesis and tissue repair. Recently, we found cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP)-Ang1 is a useful cell-priming agent to improve the therapeutic efficacy of progenitor cells. However, the effect and the underlying mechanisms of COMP-Ang1 on recruitment of BM-derived progenitor cells (BMPCs) to foci of vascular injury have not been well defined. Here, we found that COMP-Ang1 is a critical stimulator of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), the principal regulator of BM-cell trafficking. Furthermore, SDF-1 stimulation by COMP-Ang1 was blocked by small-interfering RNA (siRNA) against hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). COMP-Ang1 increased the synthesis of HIF-1α by activating mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in hypoxic endothelium. The intermediate mechanism transmitting the COMP-Ang1 signal to the downstream mTOR/HIF-1α/SDF-1 pathway was the enhanced binding of the Tie2 receptor with integrin-linked kinase (ILK), an upstream activator of mTOR. In the mouse ischemic model, local injection of COMP-Ang1 stimulated the incorporation of BMPCs into ischemic limb, thereby enhancing neovasculogenesis and limb salvage. Collectively, our findings identify the COMP-Ang1/HIF-1α/SDF-1 pathway as a novel inducer of BMPC recruitment and neovasculogenesis in ischemic disease.

Spherical bullet formation via E-cadherin promotes therapeutic potency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood for myocardial infarction.

The beneficial effects of stem cells in clinical applications to date have been modest, and studies have reported that poor engraftment might be an important reason. As a strategy to overcome such a hurdle, we developed the spheroid three dimensional (3D) bullet as a delivery method for human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) through the maintenance of cell-cell interactions without additional xenofactors, cytokines, or matrix. We made spheroid 3D-bullets from hUCB-MSCs at 24 hours' anchorage-deprived suspension culture. To investigate the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of 3D-bullets, we used rat myocardial infarction (MI) model. Transplantation of 3D-bullet was better than that of single cells from monolayer culture or from 3D-bullet in improving left ventricular (LV) contractility [LV ejection fraction (LVEF) or LV fractional shortening (LVFS)] and preventing pathologic LV dilatation [LV end-systolic diameter (LVESD) or LV end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD)] at 8 weeks. In the mechanism study of 3D-bullet formation, we found that calcium-dependent cell-cell interaction was essential and that E-cadherin is a key inducer mediating hUCB-MSC 3D-bullet formation among several calcium-dependent adhesion molecules which were nominated as candidates after cDNA array analysis. In more specific experiments with E-cadherin overexpression using adenoviral vector or with E-cadherin neutralization using blocking antibody, we found that E-cadherin regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion via extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog1 (AKT) pathways. During formation of spheroid 3D-bullets, activation of E-cadherin in association with cell-cell interaction turns on ERK/AKT signaling pathway that are essential to proliferative and paracrine activity of MSCs leading to the enhanced therapeutic efficacy.

Secondary sphere formation enhances the functionality of cardiac progenitor cells.

Loss of cardiomyocytes impairs cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI). Recent studies suggest that cardiac stem/progenitor cells could repair the damaged heart. However, cardiac progenitor cells are difficult to maintain in terms of purity and multipotency when propagated in two-dimensional culture systems. Here, we investigated a new strategy that enhances potency and enriches progenitor cells. We applied the repeated sphere formation strategy (cardiac explant → primary cardiosphere (CS) formation → sphere-derived cells (SDCs) in adherent culture condition → secondary CS formation by three-dimensional culture). Cells in secondary CS showed higher differentiation potentials than SDCs. When transplanted into the infarcted myocardium, secondary CSs engrafted robustly, improved left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and reduced infarct sizes more than SDCs did. In addition to the cardiovascular differentiation of transplanted secondary CSs, robust vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) synthesis and secretion enhanced neovascularization in the infarcted myocardium. Microarray pathway analysis and blocking experiments using E-selectin knock-out hearts, specific chemicals, and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for each pathway revealed that E-selectin was indispensable to sphere initiation and ERK/Sp1/VEGF autoparacrine loop was responsible for sphere maturation. These results provide a simple strategy for enhancing cellular potency for cardiac repair. Furthermore, this strategy may be implemented to other types of stem/progenitor cell-based therapy.

N-cadherin determines individual variations in the therapeutic efficacy of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

In this study, we established and characterized human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) from four different donors. However, the hUCB-MSCs showed remarkable variations in their therapeutic efficacy for repairing rat infarcted myocardium (including the process of angiogenesis) 8 weeks after transplantation. In addition, we observed that the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is correlated with the therapeutic efficacy of the four hUCB-MSCs. Next, to investigate the practical application of hUCB-MSCs, we searched for surface signature molecules that could serve as indicators of therapeutic efficacy. The gene for N-cadherin was the only cell surface gene that was highly expressed in the most effective hUCB-MSCs, both at the transcriptional and translational levels. We observed downregulation and upregulation of VEGF in response to N-cadherin blocking and N-cadherin overexpression, respectively. Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), but not protein kinase B, was increased when N-cadherin expression was increased, whereas disruption of N-cadherin-mediated cell-cell contact induced suppression of ERK activation and led to VEGF downregulation. Moreover, by investigating hUCB-MSCs overexpressing N-cadherin or N-cadherin knockdown hUCB-MSCs, we confirmed the in vivo function of N-cadherin. In addition, we observed that DiI-labeled hUCB-MSCs express N-cadherin in the peri-infarct area and interact with cardiomyocytes.

New culture system for human embryonic stem cells: autologous mesenchymal stem cell feeder without exogenous fibroblast growth factor 2.

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells have been successfully maintained using human-cell feeder systems or feeder-free systems. However, despite advances in culture techniques, hES cells require supplementation with fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), an exogenous stemness factor, which is needed to sustain the authentic undifferentiated status. We developed a new culture system for hES cells; this system does not require supplementation with FGF-2 to obtain hES cells that are suitable for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This culture system employed mesenchymal stem cells derived from hES cells (hESC-MSCs) as autologous human feeder cells in the absence of FGF-2. The hES cell line SNUhES3 cultured in this new autologous feeder culture system maintained the typical morphology of hES cells and expression of pluripotency-related proteins, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, OCT4, and alkaline phosphatase, without development of abnormal karyotypes after more than 30 passages. RNA expression of the pluripotency-related genes OCT4 and NANOG was similar to the expression in SNUhES3 cells maintained on xenofeeder STO cells. To identify the mechanism that enables the cells to be maintained without exogenous FGF-2, we checked the secretion of FGF-2 from the mitomycin-C treated autofeeder hESC-MSCs versus xenofeeder STO cells, and confirmed that hESC-MSCs secreted FGF-2 whereas STO cells did not. The level of FGF-2 in the media from the autofeeder system without exogenous FGF-2 was comparable to that from the xenofeeder system with addition of FGF-2. In conclusion, our new culture system for hES cells, which employs a feeder layer of autologous hESC-MSCs, supplies sufficient amounts of secreted FGF-2 to eliminate the requirement for exogenous FGF-2.

Angiopoietin-1 protects heart against ischemia/reperfusion injury through VE-cadherin dephosphorylation and myocardiac integrin-ß1/ERK/caspase-9 phosphorylation cascade.

Early reperfusion after myocardial ischemia that is essential for tissue salvage also causes myocardial and vascular injury. Cardioprotection during reperfusion therapy is an essential aspect of treating myocardial infarction. Angiopoietin-1 is an endothelial-specific angiogenic factor. The potential effects of angiopoietin-1 on cardiomyocytes and vascular cells undergoing reperfusion have not been investigated. We propose a protective mechanism whereby angiopoietin-1 increases the integrity of the endothelial lining and exerts a direct survival effect on cardiomyocytes under myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion. First, we found that angiopoietin-1 prevents vascular leakage through regulating vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin phosphorylation. The membrane expression of VE-cadherin was markedly decreased on hypoxia/reoxygenation but was restored by angiopoietin-1 treatment. Interestingly, these effects were mediated by the facilitated binding between SH2 domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase (SHP2) or receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase µ (PTPµ) and VE-cadherin, leading to dephosphorylation of VE-cadherin. siRNA against SHP2 or PTPµ abolished the effect of angiopoietin-1 on VE-cadherin dephosphorylation and thereby decreased levels of membrane-localized VE-cadherin. Second, we found that angiopoietin-1 prevented cardiomyocyte death, although cardiomyocytes lack the angiopoietin-1 receptor Tie2. Angiopoietin-1 increased cardiomyocyte survival through integrin-ß1-mediated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, which inhibited caspase-9 through phosphorylation at Thr¹²5 and subsequently reduced active caspase-3. Neutralizing antibody against integrin-ß1 blocked these protective effects. In a mouse myocardial ischemia/reperfusion model, angiopoietin-1 enhanced cardiac function and reduction in left ventricular-end systolic dimension (LV-ESD) and left ventricular-end diastolic dimension (LV-EDD) with an increase in ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS). Our findings suggest the novel cardioprotective mechanisms of angiopoietin-1 that are achieved by reducing both vascular leakage and cardiomyocyte death after ischemia/reperfusion injury.

SSeCKS regulates angiogenesis and tight junction formation in blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for maintaining brain homeostasis and low permeability. BBB maintenance is important in the central nervous system (CNS) because disruption of the BBB may contribute to many brain disorders, including Alzheimer disease and ischemic stroke. The molecular mechanisms of BBB development remain ill-defined, however. Here we report that src-suppressed C-kinase substrate (SSeCKS) decreases the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) through AP-1 reduction and stimulates expression of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), an antipermeability factor in astrocytes. Conditioned media from SSeCKS-overexpressing astrocytes (SSeCKS-CM) blocked angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, SSeCKS-CM increased tight junction proteins in endothelial cells, consequently decreasing [3H]sucrose permeability. Furthermore, immunoreactivity to SSeCKS gradually increased during the BBB maturation period, and SSeCKS-expressing astrocytes closely interacted with zonula occludens (ZO)-1-expressing blood vessels in vivo. Collectively, our results suggest that SSeCKS regulates BBB differentiation by modulating both brain angiogenesis and tight junction formation.

Theoretical Study of Triphenylphosphine Oxide Derivatives for Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence.

We designed novel thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials by combining the electron donor 10,10-diphenyl-5,10-dihydrodibenzo[b,e][1,4]azasiline (DDA) with the electron acceptor triphenylphosphine oxide (PO) unit (mDDA-PO and o-mDDA-PO) and compared their characteristics with those of a reference material using 1,3-Bis(N-carbazolyl)benzene (mCP) as an electron donor (mCP-PO) for blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations, we obtained the electron distributions of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) as well as the energies of the lowest singlet (S1) and lowest triplet (T1) excited states. The calculated energy difference (ΔEST) between the S1 and T1 states of mDDA-PO (0.16 eV) and o-mDDA-PO (0.07 eV) were smaller than that of mCP-PO (0.48 eV). The results showed that o-mDDA-PO is a suitable blue OLED emitter because it has sufficiently small ΔEST values, which is favorable in a reverse-intersystem process crossing from the T1 state to S1 states, as well as an emission wavelength of 446.7 nm.

Priming with angiopoietin-1 augments the vasculogenic potential of the peripheral blood stem cells mobilized with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor through a novel Tie2/Ets-1 pathway.

BACKGROUND: The low engraftment rate of stem/progenitor cells infused via the intracoronary route to the ischemic myocardium is one of the most important factors limiting the efficacy of cell therapy. We investigated the concept of priming peripheral blood stem cells enriched by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilization and apheresis ((mob)PBSCs) with angiopoietin-1 (Ang1), to enhance the engraftment into the ischemic tissue and neovasculogenic potential. METHODS AND RESULTS: The expression of Tie2, the Ang1 receptor, was significantly higher in (mob)PBSCs than naïve peripheral blood mononuclear cells (19.2+/-3.0% versus 1.2+/-0.8% versus 1.2+/-0.2%; P<0.001 for (mob)PBSCs from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor treatment for 3 days versus peripheral blood mononuclear cells from AMI patients versus peripheral blood mononuclear cells from stable angina patients). After 4 hours of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP)-Ang1 stimulation, (mob)PBSCs committed to the endothelial lineage with the induction of CD31 and VE-cadherin expression, mediated by Tie2/Ets-1 pathway. Priming of (mob)PBSCs with COMP-Ang1 induced the expression of alpha4beta1 and alpha5beta1 integrins, which are also Ets-1 downstream molecules, leading to enhanced adhesion to endothelial cells or fibronectin. In a rabbit ear ischemia/reperfusion model, priming of (mob)PBSCs with COMP-Ang1 improved first-pass engraftment to the distal vascular bed after intraarterial delivery. In a murine ischemic hind-limb model, intravascular delivery of primed (mob)PBSCs enhanced both engraftment and neovascularization. CONCLUSIONS: The short-term priming with COMP-Ang1 may be a feasible and promising option to activate (mob)PBSCs by enhancing differentiation and adhesiveness and to improve the efficacy of cell therapy for ischemic diseases.

Theoretical Study of Phenoxaphosphine-Based Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diode Exhibiting Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence.

We designed novel thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials by combining the electron donors spiro[acridine-9,9'-fluorene] (D1) and 9,9-diphenyl acridan (PAC) with the electron acceptor phenoxaphosphine (OPO) unit (2D1-OPO and 2PAC-OPO) and used those property to compare it with that of the reference material using dimethylacridan (Ac) as an electron donor (Ac-OPO) for blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). To calculate electron distribution of highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO), lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO), lowest singlet (S1) energy and lowest triplet (T1) excitation states, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculation have been used. The calculated energy difference (ΔEST) between the S1 and T1 states of 2D1-OPO (0.125 eV) and 2PAC-OPO (0.153 eV) were as small as that of Ac-OPO (0.127 eV). The results showed that 2D1-OPO is a good candidate for blue OLED emitter because it has an emission wavelength of 441.0 nm as well as a sufficiently small ΔEST value and large oscillator intensity value.

Noble Dibenzothiophene-Based Bipolar Hosts for Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Using Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence.

Novel thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) host materials for blue electrophosphores-cence were designed by combining the electron acceptor dibenzothiophene (DBT) unit and the electron donor acridine derivatives into a single molecular unit by density functional theory (DFT). Depending on the optimal charge transfer, DFT and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations for the ground state were performed to obtain the energy of the singlet (S1) and triplet (T1) excited states of the TADF material for Hartree-Fock percentage of TD-DFT. The sufficiently large separation between the HOMO and LUMO resulted in a small difference in energy (ΔEST) between the S1 and T1 states using DFT and TD-DFT calculations. The host molecules retained high triplet energy and showed great potential for use in blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). The results showed that these molecules are a good TADF host materials because they have a low barrier to hole and electron injection with a balanced charge transporting property for both holes and electrons, and a small ΔEST.

Designing Noble Benzimidazole-Based Bipolar Hosts for Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Using Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials.

We designed a novel thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) host molecules for blue elec-trophosphorescence by combining the electron acceptor benzimidazole (BI) unit and the electron donor acridine derivatives into a single molecular unit based on density functional theory (DFT). We obtained the energies of the first singlet (S1) and the first triplet (T1) excited states of the TADF materials by performing DFT and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations on the ground state using dependence on charge transfer amounts for the optimal Hartree-Fock percentage in the exchange-correlation of TD-DFT. The DFT and TD-DFT calculations showed that the large separation between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital caused a small difference in energy (ΔEST) between the S1 and T1 states. The host molecules retained a high triplet energy and demonstrated a great potential for use in blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. The results showed that these molecules are promising host materials for TADF OLEDs because they have a low barrier to hole and electron injection, a balanced charge transport for both holes and electrons, and a small ΔEST.

Highly Charge Transport Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Host Materials Based on Benzimidazole-Acridine Derivatives.

We designed novel thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) host molecules for blue electrophosphorescence by combining the electron acceptor benzimidazole (BI) unit and the electron donor acridine derivatives into a single molecular unit based on density functional theory (DFT). We obtained the energies of the first singlet (S1) and the first triplet (T1) excited states of the TADF materials by performing DFT and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations to the ground state using dependence on charge transfer amounts for the optimal Hartree-Fock percentage in the exchange-correlation of TD-DFT. Using DFT and TD-DFT calculations, the large separation between the HOMO and LUMO caused a small difference in energy (ΔEST) between the S1 and T1 states. The host molecules retained high triplet energy and showed great potential for use in blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. The results showed that these molecules are promising TADF host materials because they have a low barrier to hole and electron injection, balanced charge transport for both holes and electrons, and a small ΔEST.

Sonic hedgehog regulates ischemia/hypoxia-induced neural progenitor proliferation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sonic hedgehog (Shh) protein is required for the maintenance of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in the embryonic and adult hippocampus. Brain ischemia causes increased proliferation of hippocampal NPCs. We therefore examined whether Shh regulates the increase in proliferation of NPCs after ischemia/hypoxia. METHODS: Male SV129 mice were exposed to a 20-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion; hippocampi were then analyzed for Shh mRNA and protein expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblot, and immunohistochemistry. Primary cell cultures of neurons, astrocytes, and NPCs were exposed to 16 hours of hypoxia (1% O(2)) and analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot for Shh expression. Proliferation of NPCs, in vivo and in vitro, was measured by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. RESULTS: Among the cell types examined in vitro, only NPC and neurons increased Shh mRNA under hypoxic conditions. Furthermore, hypoxia increased proliferation of NPCs and this proliferation was enhanced by the addition of recombinant Shh or blocked by the pathway-specific inhibitor, cyclopamine. Middle cerebral artery occlusion was associated with a transient 2-fold increase in the mRNA encoding both Shh and its transcription factor, Gli1, 0.5 days after ischemia. Within the hippocampus, Shh protein was increased approximately 3-fold 3 and 7 days after ischemia and was observed predominantly within cells in the CA3 and hilar regions. Shh was expressed only in mature neurons. In vivo, cyclopamine suppressed ischemia-induced proliferation of subgranular NPCs. CONCLUSIONS: The Shh pathway plays a role in the proliferation of NPCs induced by ischemia/hypoxia and might participate in injury remodeling.