Insights into the suitability of utilizing brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) as a model for healing spinal cord injury with epidermal growth factor and fibroblast growth factor-II by predicting protein-protein interactions

Glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma B interacts with epidermal growth factor receptor to regulate neural stem cell survival and differentiation

The functional recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a challenge clinically. Among the proteins interacted with the glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma B (GPNMB), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) during activation is able to promote the proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the spinal cord. We investigated the roles of GPNMB and EGFR in regulating the survival and differentiation of the NSCs. By overexpression and short-hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of GPNMB in the NSCs, GPNMB promoted cell viability and differentiation by increasing the expressions of βIII tubulin and CNPase (2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3-phosphodiesterase). Using co-immunoprecipitation, we found that EGFR interacted with GPNMB. Furthermore, EGFR had a similar effect as GPNMB on promoting cell viability and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR reversed the decrease in viability and differentiation caused by the knockdown of GPNMB, and vice versa. Last but not least, we tested the effect of GPNMB and EGFR on several intracellular pathways and found that GPNMB/EGFR modulated the phosphorylated (p)-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)1/2/JNK1/2 ratio and the p-nuclear factor κB (NF-κB p65)/NF-κB p65 ratio. In sum, our findings demonstrate the interaction between GPNMB and EGFR that regulates cell bioprocesses, with the hope to provide a new strategy of SCI therapy.

Advanced approaches to regenerate spinal cord injury: The development of cell and tissue engineering therapy and combinational treatments

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a central nervous system (CNS) devastate event that is commonly caused by traumatic or non-traumatic events. The reinnervation of spinal cord axons is hampered through a myriad of devices counting on the damaged myelin, inflammation, glial scar, and defective inhibitory molecules. Unfortunately, an effective treatment to completely repair SCI and improve functional recovery has not been found. In this regard, strategies such as using cells, biomaterials, biomolecules, and drugs have been reported to be effective for SCI recovery. Furthermore, recent advances in combinatorial treatments, which address various aspects of SCI pathophysiology, provide optimistic outcomes for spinal cord regeneration. According to the global importance of SCI, the goal of this article review is to provide an overview of the pathophysiology of SCI, with an emphasis on the latest modes of intervention and current advanced approaches for the treatment of SCI, in conjunction with an assessment of combinatorial approaches in preclinical and clinical trials. So, this article can give scientists and clinicians' clues to help them better understand how to construct preclinical and clinical studies that could lead to a breakthrough in spinal cord regeneration.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells encapsulated thermal-responsive hydrogel network bridges combined photo-plasmonic nanoparticulate system for the treatment of urinary bladder dysfunction after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a distressing injury and an irretrievable dramatic event that can debilitate victims for lifespan. Recovery and treatment of SCI is critical challenges for medicine, to overcome the hurdles stem cells and hydrogel scaffolds implantation is a boon for SCI recovery. In this regard, we reported the synthesis of Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) loaded Agarose/Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) as promising materials for SCI treatment. Herein, Au NPs was synthesized by well-established citrate reduction method and the prepared materials were characterised by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier- transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and EDAX analysis. The microscopic images showed an elliptical or ovoid porous structure nature of hydrogel, and successful and homogenous loading of photo plasmonic nanoparticles into the hydrogel structure. The in vitro cell viability and inflammation analyses data exhibited that prepared hydrogels have no toxic to the cells and displayed high anti-regenerative ability with bone marrow Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and macrophages cells. The in vivo analysis study demonstrated that the treated materials with encapsulated MSCs have greater nerve tissue regeneration efficacy which was confirmed by the results of BBB scores. The hind limb locomotion of treated model animals was totally vanished after post-operational surgery. It's established that implanted nano-hydrogel materials combined with MSCs have quicker recovery of motor function after post-operative surgery, when compared to the other implanted animal groups.

A crucial role of fibroblast growth factor 2 in the differentiation of hair follicle stem cells toward endothelial cells in a STAT5-dependent manner

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is reported to affect the proliferation, differentiation, and survival abilities of stem cells. In this study, we hypothesize that FGF2 might promote the differentiation of hair follicle stem cell (HFSCs) into endothelial cells (ECs), in a manner dependent on STAT5 activation. We first treated human HFSCs with recombinant human FGF2 to determine the involvement of FGF2 in the differentiation of HFSCs. Then the expression of EC-specific markers including von Willebrand factor (vWF), VE-cadherin, CD31, FLT-1, KDR and Tie2 was evaluated using immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, while the expression of HFSC-specific markers such as K15, K19, Lgr5, Sox9 and Lhx2 was determined by flow cytometry. Next, in vitro tube formation was performed to confirm the function of FGF2, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake by ECs and HFSCs was studied by Dil-acetylated LDL assay. In addition, we transduced FGF2-treated HFSCs with constitutive-active or dominant-negative STAT5A adenovirus vectors. FGF2 up-regulated the expression of EC-specific markers, and promoted the differentiation of HFSCs into ECs, tube formation and LDL uptake. The phosphorylated STAT5 was translocated into the nucleus of HFSCs after FGF2 treatment, but this translocation was blocked by the dominant-negative STAT5A mutant. FGF2 increased the differentiation potential through the activation of STAT5 in vivo. Taken together, we find that FGF2 promotes the differentiation of HFSCs into ECs via activated STAT5, which gives a new perspective on the role of FGF2 in the development of ischemic vascular disease.