Cell Therapy of Vascular and Neuropathic Complications of Diabetes: Can We Avoid Limb Amputation?

Globally, a leg is amputated approximately every 30 seconds, with an estimated 85 percent of these amputations being attributed to complications arising from diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), as stated by the American Diabetes Association. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a risk factor resulting in DFU and can, either independently or in conjunction with diabetes, lead to recurring, slow-healing ulcers and amputations. According to guidelines amputation is the recommended treatment for patients with no-option critical ischemia of the limb (CTLI). In this article we propose cell therapy as an alternative strategy for those patients. We also suggest the optimal time-frame for an effective therapy, such as implanting autologous mononuclear cells (MNCs), autologous and allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) as these treatments induce neuropathy relief, regeneration of the blood vessels and tissues, with accelerated ulcer healing, with no serious side effects, proving that advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMPs) application is safe and effective and, hence, can significantly prevent limb amputation.

Occurrence of excited state charge separation in a N-doped graphene-perylenediimide hybrid formed via 'click' chemistry.

Hetero-atom doped graphene is a two-dimensional material with a band gap, needed to build optoelectronic devices. However, research progress in this area has been sluggish due to synthetic challenges to build energy harvesting materials, especially donor-acceptor type hybrids. In the present study, using click chemistry, we have successfully synthesized a donor-acceptor hybrid comprised of N-doped graphene and perylenediimide (PDI), a well-known electron-accepting photosensitizer. The TGA and XPS results revealed the attachment of the PDI moiety in the hybrid. Ground and excited state interactions were monitored by a variety of spectral and electrochemical techniques. Finally, the ability of the present donor-acceptor hybrid to undergo photoinduced charge separation from singlet excited PDI was systematically probed using femtosecond transient spectral techniques. Evidence of charge separation was possible to achieve from comparison of transient and spectroelectrochemical results. These results suggest the potential use of covalently functionalized, substitutional N-doped graphene as a functional material for building optoelectronic devices.