Affect of antidepressants on the in vitro differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neuronal cells

Interleukin-17A promotes the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neuronal cells

Ischemia or hemorrhagic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and permanent disability in the worldwide population. As a consequence of the potential increasing in stroke, stem cell therapy is currently an area of intense focus. However, there are less data available regarding the promotion of healing efficacy after stroke. The present study aimed to investigate whether the cytokine interleukin-17A (IL-17A) could have a role in promoting the neuronal differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and to investigate the associated molecular mechanism. Firstly, different concentration of IL-17A at range from 5-40 ng/mL was applied to stimulate bone marrow MSCs (BMSCs) during the course of neurogenic differentiation. Then reverse transcription-PCR, histological analyses and immunofluorescence assays were used to determine the optimum concentration of IL-17A in promoting the neuronal differentiation of BMSCs, which was 20 ng/mL. Mechanistically, Wnt signaling pathway was activated and Notch signaling pathway was suppressed. In addition, there were antergic effect of these two signaling pathways modulating the neurogenic differentiation of BMSCs induced by IL-17A. The present study demonstrated the potential role of IL-17A-based BMSCs strategy for promoting neuronal differentiation in vitro. However, the treatment efficacy could be considerably confirmed in animals with ischemia stroke. Therefore, a more sophisticated strategy that addresses the complicated treatment associated with stroke is needed.

Growth characteristics of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells at cultivation on synthetic polyelectrolyte nanofilms in vitro

This study examines the adhesive properties and cytotoxicity of polyelectrolyte nanofilms from polyethyleneimine (PEI), polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) on human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (h-MSCs) and mouse adipose tissue (m-MSC) in vitro. Films are formed on 24- and 96-well culture plates in the combinations: PEI, PAH, PEI-PSS, PEI-PSS-PAH, PEI-PSS-PEI. An analysis of the culture results show that direct contact of h-MSCs with the PEI surface promotes adhesion (93–95% of adhesive cells versus 40% in the control). On the PEI surface, h-MSCs are evenly distributed, form colonies and 80% monolayer after 72 h of culture, as in the control on culture plastic. On nanofilms from PAH and PEI-PSS-PAH, cells grow in the form of rosette-like colonies with long and thin processes similar to neurites. The cytotoxic properties of PSS were revealed in direct contact with h-MSCs (more than 40% of nonviable cells with damaged plasma membranes). On the PSS surface, cells lost their adhesiveness. To culture and stably grow the cell mass of h-MSCs, it is better to use monolayer nanofilms made of highly adhesive and non-toxic PEI polyelectrolyte, which can bind the growth factors of blood serum and platelet lysate, ensuring the growth of h-MSCs under in vitro deprivation conditions.

Cerebral and cerebellar histological changes in the rat animal model of rotenone induced parkinsonism can be ameliorated by bone marrow derived stem cell conditioned media

Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting elderly patients. It occurs due to the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). We continue our work in this model focusing on other brain areas affected with this disorder; cerebral cortex and cerebellum (areas other than substantia nigra) for better understanding the motor and behavior effect of the Parkinson disease as a forward steep for its treatment and medical control. This work aims to evaluate the therapeutic effect of stem cell-conditioned medium in the Parkinsonism model. In this study, Parkinsonism model was induced in rats by daily subcutaneous injection of 0.5 mg/Kg of rotenone for 28 days. Thirty rats were divided randomly into 3 groups; control, Parkinson, and conditioned medium (CM) treated groups. Cerebral Cortex and Cerebellum were obtained for histological, immunohistochemical and biochemical studies. In the Parkinsonism group, marked histological changes were observed. These findings were nearly ameliorated in CM treated group as confirmed by the biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical (anti-alpha synculein, anti GFAP and anti nestin) studies. It could be concluded that CM had a good therapeutic effect on Parkinsonism induced damage in both the cerebral cortex and cerebellum.

Therapeutic Advancement in Neuronal Transdifferentiation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Neurological Disorders

Neurodegenerative disorders have become the leading cause of chronic pain and death. Treatments available are not sufficient to help the patients as they only alleviate the symptoms and not the cause. In this regard, stem cells therapy has emerged as an upcoming option for the replacement of dead and damaged neurons. Stem cells, in general, are characterized as cells exhibiting potency properties, i.e., on being subjected to specific conditions they transform into cells of another lineage. Of all the types, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known for their pluripotent nature without the obstacle of ethical concern surrounding the procurement of other cell types. Although fibroblasts are quite similar to MSCs morphologically, certain markers like CD73, CD 90 are specific to MSCs, making both the cell types distinguishable from each other. This is implemented while procuring MSCs from a plethora of sources like umbilical cord blood, adipose tissue, bone marrow, etc. Among these, bone marrow MSCs are the most widely used type for neural regeneration. Neural regeneration is achieved via transdifferentiation. Several studies have either transplanted the stem cells into rodent models or have carried out transdifferentiation in vitro. The process involves a combination of growth factors, pre-treatment factors, and neuronal differentiation inducing mediums. The results obtained are characterized by neuron-like morphology, expression of markers, along with electrophysical activity in some. Recent attempts involve exploring biomaterials that may mimic the native ECM and therefore can be directly introduced at the site of interest. The review gives a brief description of MSCs, their sources and markers, and the different attempts that have been made towards achieving the goal of differentiating MSCs into neurons.

Differentiation of bone marrow stromal stem cells seeded on silk scaffold to mature oligodendrocyte using cerebrospinal fluid

The differentiation of cultured Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) on silk scaffold into mature oligodendrocyte was done in the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). BMSC were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats and were seeded on silk scaffold. The seeded cells were cultured in DMEM/F12 medium supplemented with CFS, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), Retinoic acid (RA) and Epidermal growth factor (EGF). The glial differentiation was investigated using Real time-PCR and immunofluorescence techniques for specific glial markers: Oligo 2, NG2, PLP and MBP. Our dates showed that the differentiated cells expressed specific glial markers: Oligo 2, NG2, PLP and MBP. The specific mature oligodendrocyte genes were up regulated in cultured cells on silk scaffold in the presence of CSF. It is concluded that CSF leads to improve glial differentiation of seeded BMSC on silk scaffold using preparation of appropriate niche. This culture condition may be served as an efficient differentiation induction protocol for glial phenotype, with the perspective of therapeutic application in neuroregenerative medicine.

Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells towards Neuronal Lineage: Clinical Trials in Nervous System Disorders

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been proposed as an alternative therapy to be applied into several pathologies of the nervous system. These cells can be obtained from adipose tissue, umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, among other tissues, and have remarkable therapeutic properties. MSCs can be isolated with high yield, which adds to their ability to differentiate into non-mesodermal cell types including neuronal lineage both in vivo and in vitro. They are able to restore damaged neural tissue, thus being suitable for the treatment of neural injuries, and possess immunosuppressive activity, which may be useful for the treatment of neurological disorders of inflammatory etiology. Although the long-term safety of MSC-based therapies remains unclear, a large amount of both pre-clinical and clinical trials have shown functional improvements in animal models of nervous system diseases following transplantation of MSCs. In fact, there are several ongoing clinical trials evaluating the possible benefits this cell-based therapy could provide to patients with neurological damage, as well as their clinical limitations. In this review we focus on the potential of MSCs as a therapeutic tool to treat neurological disorders, summarizing the state of the art of this topic and the most recent clinical studies.

The effects of fluoxetine on the human adipose-derived stem cell proliferation and differentiation

Fluoxetine is one of the most commonly used antidepressants. Fluoxetine could prevent the mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in lung fetus of rat. Moreover, the mesenchymal stem cells are also present in adult tissues. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to investigate the effects of fluoxetine (FLX) on both proliferation and adipogenic/osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). After culturing of human ADSCs, these cells were treated with two concentrations of FLX (10 and 20 μm). Then, cells were differentiated by adding osteogenic and adipogenic media. The effect of FLX on human ADSCs proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay. Fluoxetine role on adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of human ADSCs was analyzed by oil red and alizarin red staining and RT-PCR reaction. According to MTT assay, FLX showed a time- and concentration-dependent proliferation response and eventually decreased human ADSCs proliferation. RT-PCR analysis indicated that FLX significantly diminished the expression of osteogenesis-related genes such as RUNX2 and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Data also revealed a significant reduction in the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) (specific genes of adipogenic lineage). In addition, FLX decreased mineralized matrix and the amount of lipid droplets in human ADSCs by staining methods. Our observation demonstrated that the effects of FLX may be time-dependent. This drug possesses an increasing phase in proliferation and survival of human ADSCs (first 24 h) following a decreasing phase (after 48 h). Moreover, FLX could attenuate both osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of human ADSCs.

Neuroprotective effects of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells on periventricular leukomalacia-like brain injury in neonatal rats

Background

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a type of multifactorial brain injury that causes cerebral palsy in premature infants. To date, effective therapies for PVL have not been available. In this study, we examined whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess neuroprotective property in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neonatal rat PVL-like brain injury.

Methods

Human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UCMSCs) were used in this study. Four-day-old rats were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (15 mg/kg) to cause the PVL-like brain injury and were treated immediately after the LPS-injection with UCMSCs, conditioned medium prepared from MSCs (UCMSC-CM) or interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-pretreated MSC (IFN-γ-UCMSC-CM). To assess systemic reaction to LPS-infusion, IFN-γ in sera was measured by ELISA. The brain injury was evaluated by immunostaining of myelin basic protein (MBP) and caspase-3. RT-PCR was used to quantitate pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the brain injury, and the expression of tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6) or indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) to evaluate anti-inflammatory or immunomodulatory molecules in UCMSCs, respectively. A cytokine and growth factor array was employed to investigate the cytokine secretion profiles of UCMSCs.

Results

Elevated serum IFN-γ was observed in LPS-infused rats. The expression of IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-1ß, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were increased in the brain by LPS-infusion in comparison to saline-infused control. LPS-infusion increased caspase-3-positive cells and decreased MBP-positive area in neonatal rat brains. A cytokine and growth factor array demonstrated that UCMSCs secreted various cytokines and growth factors. UCMSCs significantly suppressed IL-1ß expression in the brains and reversed LPS-caused decrease in MBP-positive area. UCMSC-CM did not reverse MBP-positive area in the injured brain, while IFN-γ-UCMSC-CM significantly increased MBP-positive area compared to control (no treatment). IFN-γ-pretreatment increased TSG-6 and IDO expression in UCMSCs.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that bolus intraperitoneal infusion of LPS caused PVL-like brain injury in neonatal rats and UCMSCs infusion ameliorated dysmyelination in LPS-induced neonatal rat brain injury. Conditioned medium prepared from IFN-γ-pretreated UCMSCs significantly reversed the brain damage in comparison with UCMSC-CM, suggesting that the preconditioning of UCMSCs would improve their neuroprotective effects. The mechanisms underline the therapeutic effects of MSCs on PVL need continued investigation to develop a more effective treatment.

Correlates of Post-Stroke Brain Plasticity, Relationship to Pathophysiological Settings and Implications for Human Proof-of-Concept Studies

The promotion of neurological recovery by enhancing neuroplasticity has recently obtained strong attention in the stroke field. Experimental studies support the hypothesis that stroke recovery can be improved by therapeutic interventions that augment neuronal sprouting. However plasticity responses of neurons are highly complex, involving the growth and differentiation of axons, dendrites, dendritic spines and synapses, which depend on the pathophysiological setting and are tightly controlled by extracellular and intracellular signals. Thorough mechanistic insights are needed into how neuronal plasticity is influenced by plasticity-promoting therapies in order not to risk the success of future clinical proof-of-concept studies.

Fluoxetine Decreases the Proliferation and Adipogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

Fluoxetine was originally developed as an antidepressant, but it has also been used to treat obesity. Although the anti-appetite effect of fluoxetine is well-documented, its potential effects on human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) or mature adipocytes have not been investigated. Therefore, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of fluoxetine on the proliferation of ASCs. We also investigated its inhibitory effect on adipogenic differentiation. Fluoxetine significantly decreased ASC proliferation, and signal transduction PCR array analysis showed that it increased expression of autophagy-related genes. In addition, fluoxetine up-regulated SQSTM1 and LC3B protein expression as detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence. The autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), significantly attenuated fluoxetine-mediated effects on ASC proliferation and SQSTM1/LC3B expression. In addition, 3-MA decreased the mRNA expression of two autophagy-related genes, beclin-1 and Atg7, in ASCs. Fluoxetine also significantly inhibited lipid accumulation and down-regulated the levels of PPAR-γ and C/EBP-α in ASCs. Collectively, these results indicate that fluoxetine decreases ASC proliferation and adipogenic differentiation. This is the first in vitro evidence that fluoxetine can reduce fat accumulation by inhibiting ASC proliferation and differentiation.