Tissue Extract from Brittle Star Undergoing Arm Regeneration Promotes Wound Healing in Rat.

This study set out to evaluate the wound healing properties of brittle star extracts in vitro and in vivo. Due to the great arm regeneration potential of the brittle star, Ophiocoma cynthiae, the present study aimed to evaluate the wound healing effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of brittle star undergoing arm regeneration in wound healing models. The brittle star samples were collected from Nayband Bay, Bushehr, Iran. After wound induction in the arm of brittle stars, hydroalcoholic extracts relating to different times of arm regeneration were prepared. The GC-MS analysis, in vitro MTT cell viability and cell migration, Western blot, and computational analysis tests were performed. Based on the in vitro findings, two BSEs were chosen for in vivo testing. Macroscopic, histopathological and biochemical evaluations were performed after treatments. The results showed positive proliferative effects of BSEs. Specifically, forty-two compounds were detected in all groups of BSEs using GC-MS analysis, and their biological activities were assessed. The MTT assay showed that the 14 d BSE had a higher proliferative effect on HFF cells than 7 d BSE. The cell migration assay showed that the wound area in 7 d and 14 d BSEs was significantly lower than in the control group. Western blot analysis demonstrated an increase in the expression of proliferation-related proteins. Upon the computational analysis, a strong affinity of some compounds with proteins was observed. The in vivo analysis showed that the evaluation of wound changes and the percentage of wound healing in cell migration assay in the 7 d BSE group was better than in the other groups. Histopathological scores of the 7 d BSE and 14 d BSE groups were significantly higher than in the other groups. In conclusion, the hydroalcoholic extract of O. cynthiae undergoing arm regeneration after 7 and 14 days promoted the wound healing process in the cell and rat skin wound healing model due to their proliferative and migratory biological activity.

Comparing the healing properties of intra-articular injection of human dental pulp stem cells and cell-free-secretome on induced knee osteoarthritis in male rats.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common and painful joint disease with multifactorial causes. Stem cells, due to their high ability to reproduce and differentiate, have created a new horizon in tissue engineering of cartilage and bone. Secretions are one of the new therapies that can be used with stem cells or separately. This study aimed to compare the healing effects of human dental pulp stem cells, cell-free secretome, and human dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells with secretome in the induced OA in male rats. METHODS: Dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and prepared from human dental pulp. The collagenase type II was injected into the knee of twenty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats, and after 10 weeks, OA was confirmed. Rats were divided into five groups (n = 5): 1) Human dental pulp stem cells plus secretome (HDP+Sec); 2) Human dental pulp stem cells (HDP); 3) Secretome (Sec); 4) Hyalgan as the positive control (Hya); 5) No treatment as the negative control (Ctrl). After 12 weeks since OA was confirmed, the healing process was examined by histopathology and radiology evaluations. RESULTS: Histopathological evaluations, radiological assessments, and matrix indexes in three treatment groups significantly improved compared to the Ctrl and Hya groups. Surface in HDP+Sec was significantly better than the Ctrl group. In radiological evaluations, a significant decrease in OA was observed in the three treatment groups in comparison with the Ctrl groups. There was no significant difference between the treatment groups in any radiological and histopathological evaluations. HDP + Sec group slightly records better results compared to Sec or HDP treatment groups. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that human dental pulp stem cells and their secretome promote cartilage regeneration due to their cell protective potential as well as matrix degeneration reduction capacity.

Wound healing effect of Carum carvi L. on the incised skin wound in male rats: Histopathology, total protein and biomechanical evaluations.

BACKGROUND: The skin has several functions, one of the most important of which is to protect the internal organs from external damage and the entry of germs. Since skin and wound healing is one of the mostly concerned issues worldwide, the development of wound healing remedies is one of the main fields in modern medical research. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of Cumin carvi L. seed as one of the traditional medicinal plants used for wound healing through an in vivo model. METHODS: Wide circular skin wounds (2 × 2 cm) were created on the dorsal area of 50 Sprague-Dawley male rats ​​following ethical principles. The animals were divided into five groups including no treatment, base gel, tetracycline treatment, 10% v/v hydroalcoholic extract of Cumin carvi L. seed treatment and 20% v/v hydroalcoholic extract of Cumin carvi L. seed treatment group. Treatment was performed within 20 days. On days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10, photographs were taken, and the percentage of wound healing was calculated. Also, on the 10th day, the skin area was sampled for histopathology and on the 20th day, the skin was sampled for biomechanical and total protein assessments. RESULTS: The results of wound healing percentage showed that from day 3 onwards, there was a significant improvement between the group treated with 20% v/v hydroalcoholic extract of Cumin carvi L. and the negative control and basal gel groups (p < 0.05). According to histopathological and total protein content evaluations, the amount of collagen production and inflammation score in the Cumin carvi-treated groups confirmed the healing process compared to other groups. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this project, 20% v/v ethanolic extract of Cumin carvi L. has potential therapeutic effects in the treatment of skin wounds. Wounds are one of the health concerns, and the economic burden of wound care and healing has continued to increase over the past years.  The healing effects of C. carvi. ethanolic extract on the wound were investigated. The histopathological and macroscopical evaluations, as well as total protein content, were measured to investigate its wound healing properties.

Pathophysiologic Mechanisms of Insulin Secretion and Signaling-Related Genes in Etiology of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy in women. PCOS is characterized by anovulation, hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries, insulin resistance, and obesity. Despite the finding that the genetic origin of PCOS is well demonstrated in previous twin and familial clustering studies, genes and factors that can exactly explain the PCOS pathophysiology are not known. Objective(s). In this review, we attempted to identify genes related to secretion and signaling of insulin aspects of PCOS and their physiological functions in order to explain the pathways that are regulated by these genes which can be a prominent function in PCOS predisposition. Materials and Methods. For this purpose, published articles and reviews dealing with genetic evaluation of PCOS in women from peer-reviewed journals in PubMed and Google Scholar databases were included in this review. Results. The genomic investigations in women of different populations identified many candidate genes and loci that are associated with PCOS. The most important of them are INSR, IRS1-2, MTNR1A, MTNR1B, THADA, PPAR-γ2, ADIPOQ, and CAPN10. These are mainly associated with metabolic aspects of PCOS. Conclusions. In this review, we proposed that each of these genes may interrupt specific physiological pathways by affecting them and contribute to PCOS initiation. It is clear that the role of genes involved in insulin secretion and signaling is more critical than other pathways.

Three-Dimensional Imaging in Stem Cell-Based Researches.

Stem cells have an important role in regenerative therapies, developmental biology studies and drug screening. Basic and translational research in stem cell technology needs more detailed imaging techniques. The possibility of cell-based therapeutic strategies has been validated in the stem cell field over recent years, a more detailed characterization of the properties of stem cells is needed for connectomics of large assemblies and structural analyses of these cells. The aim of stem cell imaging is the characterization of differentiation state, cellular function, purity and cell location. Recent progress in stem cell imaging field has included ultrasound-based technique to study living stem cells and florescence microscopy-based technique to investigate stem cell three-dimensional (3D) structures. Here, we summarized the fundamental characteristics of stem cells via 3D imaging methods and also discussed the emerging literatures on 3D imaging in stem cell research and the applications of both classical 2D imaging techniques and 3D methods on stem cells biology.