Injectable collagen scaffold with human umbilical cordderived mesenchymal stem cells promotes functional recovery in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage:phase Ⅰ clinical trial

Animal expe riments have shown that injectable collagen scaffold with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells can promote recovery from spinal cord injury.To investigate whether injectable collagen scaffold with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells can be used to treat spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage,this non-randomized phase I clinical trial recruited patients who met the inclusion criteria and did not meet the exclusion crite ria of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage treated in the Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force from May 2016 to December 2020.Patients were divided into three groups according to the clinical situation and patient benefit:control(n=18),human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells(n=4),and combination(n=8).The control group did not receive any transplantation.The human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells group received human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation.The combination group received injectable collagen scaffold with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells.Patients who received injectable collagen scaffold with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells had more remarkable improvements in activities of daily living and cognitive function and smaller foci of intra cerebral hemorrhage-related encephalomalacia.Severe adve rse events associated with cell transplantation were not observed.Injectable collagen scaffold with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells appears to have great potential treating spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Collagen scaffold combined with human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells transplantation for acute complete spinal cord injury

Currently, there is no effective strategy to promote functional recovery after a spinal cord injury. Collagen scaffolds can not only provide support and guidance for axonal regeneration, but can also serve as a bridge for nerve regeneration at the injury site. They can additionally be used as carriers to retain mesenchymal stem cells at the injury site to enhance their effectiveness. Hence, we hypothesized that transplanting human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells on collagen scaffolds would enhance healing following acute complete spinal cord injury. Here, we test this hypothesis through animal studies and a phase I clinical trial.(1) Animal experiments: Models of completely transected spinal cord injury were established in rats and canines by microsurgery. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from neonatal umbilical cord tissue were adsorbed onto collagen scaffolds and surgically implanted at the injury site in rats and canines;the animals were observed after 1 week–6 months. The transplantation resulted in increased motor scores, enhanced amplitude and shortened latency of the motor evoked potential, and reduced injury area as measured by magnetic resonance imaging.(2) Phase I clinical trial: Forty patients with acute complete cervical injuries were enrolled at the Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force and divided into two groups. The treatment group(n = 20) received collagen scaffolds loaded with mesenchymal stem cells derived from neonatal umbilical cordtissues;the control group(n = 20) did not receive the stem-cell loaded collagen implant. All patients were followed for 12 months. In the treatment group, the American Spinal Injury Association scores and activities of daily life scores were increased, bowel and urinary functions were recovered, and residual urine volume was reduced compared with the pre-treatment baseline. Furthermore, magnetic resonance imaging showed that new nerve fiber connections were formed, and diffusion tensor imaging showed that electrophysiological activity was recovered after the treatment. No serious complication was observed during follow-up. In contrast, the neurological functions of the patients in the control group were not improved over the follow-up period. The above data preliminarily demonstrate that the transplantation of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells on a collagen scaffold can promote the recovery of neurological function after acute spinal cord injury. In the future, these results need to be confirmed in a multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial with a larger sample size. The clinical trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force on February 3, 2016(approval No. PJHEC-2016-A8). All animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force on May 20, 2015(approval No. PJHEC-2015-D5).

Combination of mesenchymal stem cells and three-dimensional collagen scaffold preserves ventricular remodeling in rat myocardial infarction model

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of mortality worldwide.Regeneration of the damaged myocardium remains a challenge due to mechanical constraints and limited healing ability of the adult heart tissue.Cardiac tissue engineering using biomaterial scaffolds combined with stem cells and bioactive molecules could be a highly promising approach for cardiac repair.Use of biomaterials can provide suitable microenvironment to the cells and can solve cell engraftment problems associated with cell transplantation alone.Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)are potential candidates in cardiac tissue engineering because of their multilineage differentiation potential and ease of isolation.Use of DNA methyl transferase inhibitor,such as zebularine,in combination with three-dimensional(3D)scaffold can promote efficient MSC differentiation into cardiac lineage,as epigenetic modifications play a fundamental role in determining cell fate and lineage specific gene expression.AIM To investigate the role of collagen scaffold and zebularine in the differentiation of rat bone marrow(BM)-MSCs and their subsequent in vivo effects.METHODS MSCs were isolated from rat BM and characterized morphologically,immunophenotypically and by multilineage differentiation potential.MSCs were seeded in collagen scaffold and treated with 3μmol/L zebularine in three different ways.Cytotoxicity analysis was done and cardiac differentiation was analyzed at the gene and protein levels.Treated and untreated MSC-seeded scaffolds were transplanted in the rat myocardial infarction(MI)model and cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography.Cell tracking was performed by DiI dye labeling,while regeneration and neovascularization were evaluated by histological and immunohistochemical analysis,respectively.RESULTS MSCs were successfully isolated and seeded in collagen scaffold.Cytotoxicity analysis revealed that zebularine was not cytotoxic in any of the treatment groups.Cardiac differentiation analysis showed more pronounced results in the type 3 treatment group which was subsequently chosen for the transplantation in the in vivo MI model.Significant improvement in cardiac function was observed in the zebularine treated MSC-seeded scaffold group as compared to the MI control.Histological analysis also showed reduction in fibrotic scar,improvement in left ventricular wall thickness and preservation of ventricular remodeling in the zebularine treated MSC-seeded scaffold group.Immunohistochemical analysis revealed significant expression of cardiac proteins in DiI labeled transplanted cells and a significant increase in the number of blood vessels in the zebularine treated MSC-seeded collagen scaffold transplanted group.CONCLUSION Combination of 3D collagen scaffold and zebularine treatment enhances cardiac differentiation potential of MSCs,improves cell engraftment at the infarcted region,reduces infarct size and improves cardiac function.

Preparation and Biocompatibility of Porous Poly(vinylalcohol)-Glycosaminoglycan-Collagen Scaffold

This paper aims to prepare a PVA-GAG-COL composite with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen (COL) by the method of freeze drying and to investigate the feasibility as a tissue engineering scaffold for tissue or organ repairing. In this study, SEM was used to observe the morphology. Biocompatibility was tested by cell culture with the extracted fluid of composite materials. Different proportional scaffolds could be obtained with different concentrations and alcoholysis degree of PVA. Different proportional scaffolds also had different porous structures. SEM proved that large amount of porous structure could be formed. Biocompatibility test showed that the extracted fluid of composite materials was nontoxic, which could promote the adhesion and proliferation of the fibroblast. Fibroblast could grow on the scaffold normally.A porous scaffold for tissue engineering with high water content can be fabricated by PVA, GAG and COL, which has excellent cell biocompatibility. The porous structure shows potential in tissue engineering and cell culture.

Surface Wettability and Chemistry of Ozone Perfusion Processed Porous Collagen Scaffold

Crosslinking treatment of collagen has often been used to improve the biological stability and mechanical properties of 3D porous collagen scaffolds. However, accompanying these improvements, the collagen fibril surface becomes hydrophobic nature resulting in a reduced surface wettability. The wetting of the collagen fibril by culture medium is reduced and it is difficult for the medium to diffuse into the 3D structure of a porous collagen scaffold. This paper reports a ＂perfusion processing＂ strategy using ozone to improve the surface wettability of chemical crosslinked collagen scaffolds. Surface wettability, surface composition and biological stability were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of this surface processing strategy. It was observed that ozone perfusion processing improved surface wettability for both exterior and interior surfaces of the porous 3D collagen scaffold. The improvement in wettability is attributed to the incorporation of oxygen-containing functional groups onto the surface of the collagen fibrils, as confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy （XPS） analysis. This leads to a significant improvement in water taking capability without compromising the bulk biological stability and mechanical properties, and confirms that ozone perfusion processing is an effective tool to modify the wettability both for interior and exterior surfaces throughout the scaffold.

Collagen matrix scaffolds:Future perspectives for the management of chronic liver diseases

Approximately 1.5 billion chronic liver disease(CLD)cases have been estimated worldwide,encompassing a wide range of liver damage severities.Moreover,liver disease causes approximately 1.75 million deaths per year.CLD is typically characterized by the silent and progressive deterioration of liver parenchyma due to an incessant inflammatory process,cell death,over deposition of extracellular matrix proteins,and dysregulated regeneration.Overall,these processes impair the correct function of this vital organ.Cirrhosis and liver cancer are the main complications of CLD,which accounts for 3.5%of all deaths worldwide.Liver transplantation is the optimal therapeutic option for advanced liver damage.The liver is one of the most common organs transplanted;however,only 10%of liver transplants are successful.In this context,regenerative medicine has made significant progress in the design of biomaterials,such as collagen matrix scaffolds,to address the limitations of organ transplantation(e.g.,low donation rates and biocompatibility).Thus,it remains crucial to continue with experimental and clinical studies to validate the use of collagen matrix scaffolds in liver disease.

The Three-Dimensional Collagen Scaffold Improves the Sternness of Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） show the great promise for the treatment of a variety of diseases because of their self-renewal and multipotential abilities. MSCs are generally cultured on two-dimensional （2D） substrate in vitro. There are indications that they may simultaneously lose their sternness and multipotentiality as the result of prolonged 2D culture. In this study, we used three-dimensional （3D） collagen scaffolds as rat MSCs cartier and compared the properties of MSCs on 3D collagen scaffolds with monolayer cultured MSCs. The results demonstrated that collagen scaffolds were suitable for rat MSCs adherence and proliferation. More importantly, compared to MSCs under 2D culture, 3D MSCs significantly maintained higher expression levels of stemness genes （Oct4, Sox2, Rex-1 and Nanog）, yielded high frequencies of colony-forming units-fibroblastic （CFU-F） and showed enhanced osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation efficiency upon induction. Thus, 3D collagen scaffolds may be beneficial for expanding rat MSCs while maintaining the stem cell properties in vitro.

Injectable collagen scaffold promotes swine myocardial infarction recovery by long-term local retention of transplanted human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells

Stem cell therapy is an attractive approach for recovery from myocardial infarction(MI)but faces the challenges of rapid diffusion and poor survival after transplantation.Here we developed an injectable collagen scaffold to promote the long-term retention of transplanted cells in chronic MI.Forty-five minipigs underwent left anterior descending artery(LAD)ligation and were equally divided into three groups 2 months later(collagen scaffold loading with human umbilical mesenchymal stem cell(hUMSC)group,hUMSC group,and placebo group(only phosphate-buffered saline(PBS)injection)).Immunofluorescence staining indicated that the retention of transplanted cells was promoted by the collagen scaffold.Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging(CMR)showed much higher left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and lower infarct size percentage in the collagen/hUMSC group than in the hUMSC and placebo groups at 12 months after treatment.There were also higher densities of vWf-,α-sma-,and cTnT-positive cells in the infarct border zone in the collagen/cell group,as revealed by immunohistochemical analysis,suggesting better angiogenesis and more cardiomyocyte survival after MI.Thus,the injectable collagen scaffold was safe and effective on a large animal myocardial model,which is beneficial for constructing a favorable microenvironment for applying stem cells in clinical MI.

Silicified collagen scaffold induces semaphorin 3A secretion by sensory nerves to improve in-situ bone regeneration

Sensory nerves promote osteogenesis through the release of neuropeptides.However,the potential application and mechanism in which sensory nerves promote healing of bone defects in the presence of biomaterials remain elusive.The present study identified that new bone formation was more abundantly produced after implantation of silicified collagen scaffolds into defects created in the distal femur of rats.The wound sites were accompanied by extensive nerve innervation and angiogenesis.Sensory nerve dysfunction by capsaicin injection resulted in significant inhibition of silicon-induced osteogenesis in the aforementioned rodent model.Application of extracellular silicon in vitro induced axon outgrowth and increased expression of semaphorin 3 A(Sema3A)and semaphorin 4D(Sema4D)in the dorsal root ganglion(DRG),as detected by the upregulation of signaling molecules.Culture medium derived from silicon-stimulated DRG cells promoted proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells.These effects were inhibited by the use of Sema3A neutralizing antibodies but not by Sema4D neutralizing antibodies.Knockdown of Sema3A in DRG blocked silicon-induced osteogenesis and angiogenesis almost completely in a femoral defect rat model,whereas overexpression of Sema3A promoted the silicon-induced phenomena.Activation of“mechanistic target of rapamycin”(mTOR)pathway and increase of Sema3A production were identified in the DRG of rats that were implanted with silicified collagen scaffolds.These findings support the role of silicon in inducing Sema3A production by sensory nerves,which,in turn,stimulates osteogenesis and angiogenesis.Taken together,silicon has therapeutic potential in orthopedic rehabilitation.

Doping bioactive elements into a collagen scaffold based on synchronous self-assembly/mineralization for bone tissue engineering

Pure collagen is biocompatible but lacks inherent osteoinductive,osteoimmunomodulatory and antibacterial activities.To obtain collagen with these characteristics,we developed a novel methodology of doping bioactive elements into collagen through the synchronous self-assembly/mineralization(SSM)of collagen.In the SSM model,amorphous mineral nanoparticles(AMN)(amorphous SrCO3,amorphous Ag3PO4,etc.)stabilized by the polyampholyte,carboxymethyl chitosan(CMC),and collagen molecules were the primary components under acidic conditions.As the pH gradually increased,intrafibrillar mineralization occurred via the self-adaptive interaction between the AMNs and the collagen microfibrils,which were self-assembling;the AMNs wrapped around the microfibrils became situated in the gap zones of collagen and finally transformed into crystals.Srdoped collagen scaffolds(Sr-CS)promoted in vitro cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells(rBMSCs)and synergistically improved osteogenesis of rBMSCs by altering the macrophage response.Ag-doped collagen scaffolds(Ag-CS)exhibited in vitro antibacterial effects on S.aureus,as well as cell/tissue compatibility.Moreover,Sr-CS implanted into the calvarial defect of a rat resulted in improved bone regeneration.Therefore,the SSM model is a de novo synthetic strategy for doping bioactive elements into collagen,and can be used to fabricate multifunctional collagen scaffolds to meet the clinical challenges of encouraging osteogenesis,boosting the immune response and fighting severe infection in bone defects.

Chitosan-collagen porous scaffold and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for ischemic stroke

In this study, we successfully constructed a composite of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and a chitosan-collagen scaffold in vitro, transplanted either the composite or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells alone into the ischemic area in animal models, and compared their effects. At 14 days after co-transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and the hi- tosan-collagen scaffold, neurological function recovered noticeably. Vascular endothelial growth factor expression and nestin-labeled neural precursor cells were detected in the iscbemic area, surrounding tissue, hippocampal dentate gyrus and subventricular zone. Simultaneously, a high level of expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and a low level of expression of neuron-spe- cific enolase were visible in BrdU-labeled bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. These findings suggest that transplantation of a composite of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and a chi- tosan-collagen scaffold has a neuroprotective effect following ischemic stroke.

Mineralized collagen scaffolds fabricated with amniotic membrane matrix increase osteogenesis under inflammatory conditions

Defects in craniofacial bones occur congenitally,after high-energy impacts,and during the course of treatment for stroke and cancer.These injuries are difficult to heal due to the overwhelming size of the injury area and the inflammatory environment surrounding the injury.Significant inflammatory response after injury may greatly inhibit regenerative healing.We have developed mineralized collagen scaffolds that can induce osteogenic differentiation and matrix biosynthesis in the absence of osteogenic media or supplemental proteins.The amniotic membrane is derived from placentas and has been recently investigated as an extracellular matrix to prevent chronic inflammation.Herein,we hypothesized that a mineralized collagen-amnion composite scaffold could increase osteogenic activity in the presence of inflammatory cytokines.We report mechanical properties of a mineralized collagen-amnion scaffold and investigated osteogenic differentiation and mineral deposition of porcine adipose-derived stem cells within these scaffolds as a function of inflammatory challenge.Incorporation of amniotic membrane matrix promotes osteogenesis similarly to un-modified mineralized collagen scaffolds,and increases in mineralized collagen-amnion scaffolds under inflammatory challenge.Together,these findings suggest that a mineralized collagen-amnion scaffold may provide a beneficial environment to aid craniomaxillofacial bone repair,especially in the course of defects presenting significant inflammatory complications.

Targeted protein delivery:carbodiimide crosslinking influences protein release from microparticles incorporated within collagen scaffolds

Tissue engineering response may be tailored via controlled,sustained release of active agents from protein-loaded degradable microparticles incorporated directly within three-dimensional(3D)ice-templated collagen scaffolds.However,the effects of covalent crosslinking during scaffold preparation on the availability and release of protein from the incorporated microparticles have not been explored.Here,we load 3D ice-templated collagen scaffolds with controlled additions of poly-(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)microparticles.We probe the effects of subsequent N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N0-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride crosslinking on protein release,using microparticles with different internal protein distributions.Fluorescein isothiocyanate labelled bovine serum albumin is used as a model protein drug.The scaffolds display a homogeneous microparticle distribution,and a reduction in pore size and percolation diameter with increased microparticle addition,although these values did not fall below those reported as necessary for cell invasion.The protein distribution within the microparticles,near the surface or more deeply located within the microparticles,was important in determining the release profile and effect of crosslinking,as the surface was affected by the carbodiimide crosslinking reaction applied to the scaffold.Crosslinking of microparticles with a high proportion of protein at the surface caused both a reduction and delay in protein release.Protein located within the bulk of the microparticles,was protected from the crosslinking reaction and no delay in the overall release profile was seen.

Transplantation of UC-MSCs on collagen scaffold activates follicles in dormant ovaries of POF patients with long history of infertility

Premature ovarian failure(POF) is a refractory disease for clinical treatment with the goal of restoring fertility. In this study,umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on a collagen scaffold(collagen/UC-MSCs) can activate primordial follicles in vitro via phosphorylation of FOXO3 a and FOXO1. Transplantation of collagen/UC-MSCs to the ovaries of POF patients rescued overall ovarian function, evidenced by elevated estradiol concentrations, improved follicular development, and increased number of antral follicles. Successful clinical pregnancy was achieved in women with POF after transplantation of collagen/UC-MSCs or UC-MSCs. In summary, collagen/UC-MSC transplantation may provide an effective treatment for POF.

Collagen scaffolds modified with collagen-binding bFGF promotes the neural regeneration in a rat hemisected spinal cord injury model

Nerve conduit is one of strategies for spine cord injury(SCI)treatment.Recently,studies showed that biomaterials could guide the neurite growth and promote axon regeneration at the injury site.However,the scaffold by itself was difficult to meet the need of SCI functional recovery.The basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)administration significantly promotes functional recovery after organ injuries.Here,using a rat model of T9 hemisected SCI,we aimed at assessing the repair capacity of implantation of collagen scaffold(CS)modified by collagen binding bFGF(CBD-bFGF).The results showed that CS combined with CBD-bFGF treatment improved survival rates after the lateral hemisection SCI.The CS/CBD-bFGF group showed more significant improvements in motor than the simply CS-implanted and untreated control group,when evaluated by the 21-point Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan(BBB)score and footprint analysis.Both hematoxylin and eosin(H&E)and immunohistochemical staining of neurofilament(NF)and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)demonstrated that fibers were guided to grow through the implants.These findings indicated that administration of CS modified with CBD-bFGF could promote spinal cord regeneration and functional recovery.

Development and potential of a biomimetic chitosan/type Ⅱ collagen scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering

Damaged articular cartilage has very limited capacity for spontaneous healing. Tissue engineering provides a new hope for functional cartilage repair. Creation of an appropriate cell carrier is one of the critical steps for successful tissue engineering. With the supposition that a biomimetic construct might promise to generate better effects, we developed a novel composite scaffold and investigated its potential for cartilage tissue engineering.

Transplantation of collagen scaffold with autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells promotes functional endometrium reconstruction via downregulating ΔNp63 expression in Asherman＇s syndrome

Asherman's syndrome(AS) is a common disease that presents endometrial regeneration disorder. However, little is known about its molecular features of this aregenerative endometrium in AS and how to reconstruct the functioning endometrium for the patients with AS. Here, we report that ΔNp63 is significantly upregulated in residual epithelial cells of the impaired endometrium in AS; the upregulated-ΔNp63 induces endometrial quiescence and alteration of stemness. Importantly, we demonstrate that engrafting high density of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells(BMNCs) loaded in collagen scaffold onto the uterine lining of patients with AS downregulates ΔNp63 expression, reverses ΔNp63-induced pathological changes, normalizes the stemness alterations and restores endometrial regeneration. Finally, five patients achieved successful pregnancies and live births. Therefore, we conclude that ΔNp63 is a crucial therapeutic target for AS. This novel treatment significantly improves the outcome for the patients with severe AS.

Collagen-chitosan scaffold impregnated with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of traumatic brain injury

Combinations of biomaterials and cells can effectively target delivery of cells or other therapeutic factors to the brain to rebuild damaged nerve pathways after brain injury.Porous collagen-chitosan scaffolds were prepared by a freeze-drying method based on brain tissue engineering.The scaffolds were impregnated with rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.A traumatic brain injury rat model was established using the 300 g weight free fall impact method.Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells/collagen-chitosan scaffolds were implanted into the injured brain.Modified neurological severity scores were used to assess the recovery of neurological function.The Morris water maze was employed to determine spatial learning and memory abilities.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to measure pathological changes in brain tissue.Immunohistochemistry was performed for vascular endothelial growth factor and for 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine(BrdU)/neuron specific enolase and BrdU/glial fibrillary acidic protein.Our results demonstrated that the transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and collagen-chitosan scaffolds to traumatic brain injury rats remarkably reduced modified neurological severity scores,shortened the average latency of the Morris water maze,increased the number of platform crossings,diminished the degeneration of damaged brain tissue,and increased the positive reaction of vascular endothelial growth factor in the transplantation and surrounding areas.At 14 days after transplantation,increased BrdU/glial fibrillary acidic protein expression and decreased BrdU/neuron specific enolase expression were observed in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in the injured area.The therapeutic effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and collagen-chitosan scaffolds was superior to stereotactic injection of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells alone.To test the biocompatibility and immunogenicity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and collagen-chitosan scaffolds,immunosuppressive cyclosporine was intravenously injected 12 hours before transplantation and 1-5 days after transplantation.The above indicators were similar to those of rats treated with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and collagen-chitosan scaffolds only.These findings indicate that transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in a collagen-chitosan scaffold can promote the recovery of neuropathological injury in rats with traumatic brain injury.This approach has the potential to be developed as a treatment for traumatic brain injury in humans.All experimental procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Investigation Committee of Capital Medical University,China(approval No.AEEI-2015-035)in December 2015.

Growth and differentiation of neural stem cells in a three-dimensional collagen gel scaffold

Collagen protein is an ideal scaffold material for the transplantation of neural stem cells. In this study rat neural stern cells were seeded into a three-dimensional collagen gel scaffold, with suspension cultured neural stem cells being used as a control group. Neural stem cells, which were cultured in medium containing epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor, actively expanded and formed neurospheres in both culture groups. In serum-free medium conditions, the processes extended from neurospheres in the collagen gel group were much longer than those in the suspension culture group. Immunofluorescence staining showed that neurespheres cultured in collagen gels were stained positive for nestin and differentiated cells were stained positive for the neuronal marker βIII-tubulin, the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein and the oligodendrocytic marker 2＇,3＇-cyclic nucleotide 3＇-phosphodiesterase. Compared with neurospheres cultured in suspension, the differentiation potential of neural stem cells cultured in collagen gels increased, with the formation of neurons at an early stage. Our results show that the three-dimensional collagen gel culture system is superior to suspension culture in the proliferation, differentiation and process outgrowth of neural stem cells.

Biocompatibility of a collagen-heparin sulfate scaffold implanted into porcine brain

BACKGROUND： Collagen-heparin sulfate scaffolds have been widely used to repair nerve injury and promote nerve regeneration. Previous research has evaluated scaffold biocompatibility by measuring gliocyte proliferation but not neuronal apoptosis. OBJECTIVE： To explore the biocompatibility of collagen-heparin sulfate scaffold in porcine brain by detecting peripheral neural apoptosis and protein expression. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A randomized, controlled animal experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Neurology, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, between March and June, 2008. MATERIALS： Rabbit anti-human Bax, Caspase-3 polyclonal antibody, rat anti-human Bcl-2 polyclonal antibody, streptavidin biotin-peroxidase complex （SABC） immunohistochemical kit, and TUNEL kit （Roche, USA） were used in this study. METHODS： Twenty adult piglets were randomly evenly divided into implantation and control groups A collagen-heparin sulfate scaffold was implanted from the anterior fontanelle into the brain in the implantation group. The same puncture but no scaffold implantation was made in the control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Cell apoptosis was detected using TUNEL; Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3 expressions were measured using the SABC method. RESULTS： At days 1,3, 7, and 14 after scaffold implantation, a few apoptotic cells were observed in the brain tissues near the puncture site, with more apoptotic cells in the implantation group （P 〈 0.05）. However, both groups showed similar apoptosis levels by day 30 after implantation. Implantation increased Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3 expressions on days 3 and 7 after implantation （P 〈 0.05） but decreased the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax in the implantation group was significantly lower on days 3 and 7 （P 〈 0.05）, with no significant difference by day 30 after implantation （P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The collagen-heparin sulfate scaffold has good biocompatibility to porcine brain tissues.