How does the supernatant of Lactobacillus acidophilus affect the proliferation and differentiation activities of rat bone marrow-derived stromal cells?

Low proliferation rate and unwanted differentiation of bone marrow-derived stromal cells (rBMSCs) during the frequent passages have limited the use of such cells in clinical cell therapy. Recently, the researchers have focused on the effects of the components produced by some bacteria on proliferation of the stem cells. In this study, we discussed the possible effects of the Lactobacillus acidophilus supernatant on proliferation and differentiation of the rBMSCs. For this aim, the cells were isolated from rat bone marrow, characterized by culturing on tissue specific differentiation media and stained. The cells (passage two) were treated with different concentrations of the L. acidophilus supernatant (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.9, 3, 9 and 30 &mgr;l/ml) for 14 days. The proliferation and differentiation capacity of the cells were then determined by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT assay) and tissue specific staining. The results showed a positive effect of the supernatant on the cell proliferation in 3 and 9 &mgr;l/ml concentrations, while did not affect the differentiation capacity of the rBMSCs. The current study strongly suggests the L. acidophilus supernatant as an alternative material that could be added to the media with aim of improvement in the proliferation rate of the rBMSCs without affecting their differentiation capacity.

The correlation between Toxoplasma gondii infection and prenatal depression in pregnant women.

Previous studies have demonstrated that latent toxoplasmosis is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. We evaluated the correlation between Toxoplasma gondii infection and prenatal depression. In this case-control study, we enrolled 116 depressed pregnant women and 244 healthy controls. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to evaluate the depression symptom severity in study participants. All participants were screened for the anti-Toxoplasma IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seroprevalence of T. gondii did not significantly differ between the depressed pregnant women and healthy controls (OR = 1.4; 95 % CI = 0.9-2.19; P = 0.142). T. gondii IgG titer was significantly higher in depressed women (18.6 ± 10.9 IUs) than those in the control group (13.6 ± 8.1 IUs) (z = -5.36, P < 0.001). The T. gondii-positive depressed women showed a positive correlation of T. gondii IgG titer with the EPDS scores (r = 0.52; P < 0.01). The mean EPDS score was also significantly higher in the T. gondii-positive depressed women (20.7 ± 2.7) compared with the controls (18.36 ± 2.7) (P < 0.001). The results obtained from the current study revealed that T. gondii infection might affect susceptibility to depression and severity of depressive symptoms in pregnant women, particularly in those patients who have high antibody titers. Further study is required to fully elucidate the characteristics and mechanisms of this association.

Decellularized human amniotic membrane: how viable is it as a delivery system for human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells?

OBJECTIVES: Human amniotic membrane (HAM) has been widely used in soft tissue engineering both in its fresh form and decellularized; its efficiency to aid treatment of burn injuries is well known. On the other hand, it has been reported clinically by several studies that human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSC) are a promising cell source for cell therapy for burns. Recently, we have reported a new technique for decellularization of HAM. In this study, potential of prepared decellularized HAM (dHAM) as a viable support for proliferation and delivery of hADSC was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Amniotic membranes were collected, decellularized and preserved according to the protocol described in our previously published study. hADSC were obtained from the patients undergoing elective liposuction surgery and cells were then seeded on the decellularized membrane for various times. Efficiency of the decellularized membrane as a delivery system for hADSC was investigated by MTT, LDH specific activity, DAPI staining and SEM. RESULTS: The results showed that dHAM provided a supporting microenvironment for cell growth without producing any cytotoxic effects. In addition, the cells were spread out and actively attached to the dHAM scaffold. CONCLUSION: These results strongly suggest that dHAMs have considerable potential as 3D cell-carrier scaffolds for delivery of hADSC, in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

Silver- and fluoride-containing mesoporous bioactive glasses versus commonly used antibiotics: Activity against multidrug-resistant bacterial strains isolated from patients with burns.

The wound healing process is frequently associated with a number of major clinical challenges, due to the failure of commonly used antibiotics as a remedy for wounds. There have always been fascinating questions about the novel applications of bioactive glasses (BGs) and it is expected that in the next few years these types of materials may play an important role in many aspects of soft tissue regeneration. This research focuses on the feasibility of using silver- and fluoride-containing BGs against multidrug-resistant bacterial strains isolated from patients with burns. According to the results obtained, fluoride did not exhibit antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria, while both 1% and 2% silver-containing BGs inhibited the bacterial growth. It is an important finding that 1% silver-containing BGs showed a potential antibacterial activity without any toxicity against fibroblasts, suggesting that this class of BGs could play a key role in the prevention of infection, reduction of pain, and removal of excessive exudates.

Decellularized human amniotic membrane: more is needed for an efficient dressing for protection of burns against antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from burn patients.

Human amniotic membranes (HAMs) have attracted the attention of burn surgeons for decades due to favorable properties such as their antibacterial activity and promising support of cell proliferation. On the other hand, as a major implication in the health of burn patients, the prevalence of bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics is increasing due to overuse of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate whether HAMs (both fresh and acellular) are an effective antibacterial agent against antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from burn patients. Therefore, a HAM was decellularized and tested for its antibacterial activity. Decellularization of the tissue was confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. In addition, the cyto-biocompatibility of the acellular HAM was proven by the cell viability test (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide, MTT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The resistant bacteria were isolated from burns, identified, and tested for their susceptibility to antibiotics using both the antibiogram and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Among the isolated bacteria, three blaIMP gene-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were chosen for their high resistance to the tested antibiotics. The antibacterial activity of the HAM was also tested for Klebsiella pneumoniae (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 700603) as a resistant ATCC bacterium; Staphylococcus aureus (mecA positive); and three standard strains of ATCC bacteria including Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27833), and S. aureus (ATCC 25923). Antibacterial assay revealed that only the latter three bacteria were susceptible to the HAM. All the data obtained from this study suggest that an alternative strategy is required to complement HAM grafting in order to fully protect burns from nosocomial infections.

Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline forsterite coated poly(L-lactide-co-ß-malic acid) scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.

In this research, after synthesizing poly(L-lactide-co-ß-malic acid) (PLMA) copolymer, hybrid particles of ice and nanocrystalline forsterite (NF) as coating carriers were used to prepare NF-coated PLMA scaffolds. The porous NF-coated scaffolds were directly fabricated by a combined technique using porogen leaching and freeze-drying methods. The obtained results indicate that the scaffolds were structurally porous with NF particles on their surfaces. When compared to the uncoated scaffolds, the NF coating improved both mechanical properties as well as enhanced bioactivity of the scaffolds. In addition, in vitro biological response of the rat bone marrow stromal cells indicated that NF significantly increased the biocompatibility of NF-coated scaffolds compared with PLMA.