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Wang M, Mequanint K. Preparation and Microscopic Mechanical Characterization of L-Methionine-Based Polyphosphazene Fibrous Mats for Vascular Tissue Engineering. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2546. [PMID: 38004526 PMCID: PMC10674633 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15112546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the mechanical properties, degradation behavior, and biocompatibility of poly[(α-amino acid ester) phosphazene] electrospun fibers based on the ethyl ester of L-methionine (PαAPz-M), a material with potential applications in tissue engineering. We utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to evaluate the fiber mechanical characteristics and calculate its Young's modulus, revealing it to closely mimic the stiffness of a natural extracellular matrix (ECM). We also studied the degradation behavior of PαAPz-M scaffolds over 21 days, showing that they maintain the highly porous structure required for tissue engineering. Further evaluation of mesenchymal multipotent 10T1/2 cell and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) behavior on the scaffolds demonstrated significant cell viability, proliferation, and successful MSC differentiation into smooth muscle cells. Expression of collagen and elastin by MSCs on the fiber mats highlighted potential ECM formation during scaffold degradation, confirming PαAPz-M as a promising material for vascular tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kibret Mequanint
- Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada;
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van Asten JGM, Latorre M, Karakaya C, Baaijens FPT, Sahlgren CM, Ristori T, Humphrey JD, Loerakker S. A multiscale computational model of arterial growth and remodeling including Notch signaling. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2023; 22:1569-1588. [PMID: 37024602 PMCID: PMC10511605 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01697-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Blood vessels grow and remodel in response to mechanical stimuli. Many computational models capture this process phenomenologically, by assuming stress homeostasis, but this approach cannot unravel the underlying cellular mechanisms. Mechano-sensitive Notch signaling is well-known to be key in vascular development and homeostasis. Here, we present a multiscale framework coupling a constrained mixture model, capturing the mechanics and turnover of arterial constituents, to a cell-cell signaling model, describing Notch signaling dynamics among vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) as influenced by mechanical stimuli. Tissue turnover was regulated by both Notch activity, informed by in vitro data, and a phenomenological contribution, accounting for mechanisms other than Notch. This novel framework predicted changes in wall thickness and arterial composition in response to hypertension similar to previous in vivo data. The simulations suggested that Notch contributes to arterial growth in hypertension mainly by promoting SMC proliferation, while other mechanisms are needed to fully capture remodeling. The results also indicated that interventions to Notch, such as external Jagged ligands, can alter both the geometry and composition of hypertensive vessels, especially in the short term. Overall, our model enables a deeper analysis of the role of Notch and Notch interventions in arterial growth and remodeling and could be adopted to investigate therapeutic strategies and optimize vascular regeneration protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordy G M van Asten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marcos Latorre
- Center for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain
| | - Cansu Karakaya
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Frank P T Baaijens
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Cecilia M Sahlgren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Biosciences, Åbo Akademi, Turku, Finland
| | - Tommaso Ristori
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Jay D Humphrey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sandra Loerakker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
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Kaimari S, Kamalakar A, Goudy SL. Biomedical engineering approaches for the delivery of JAGGED1 as a potential tissue regenerative therapy. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1217211. [PMID: 37781534 PMCID: PMC10534981 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1217211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
JAG1 is a ligand that activates the NOTCH signaling pathway which plays a crucial role in determining cell fate behavior through cell-to-cell signaling. JAG1-NOTCH signaling is required for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation into cardiomyocytes and cranial neural crest (CNC) cells differentiation into osteoblasts, making it a regenerative candidate for clinical therapy to treat craniofacial bone loss and myocardial infarction. However, delivery of soluble JAG1 has been found to inhibit NOTCH signaling due to the requirement of JAG1 presentation in a bound form. For JAG1-NOTCH signaling to occur, JAG1 must be immobilized within a scaffold and the correct orientation between the NOTCH receptor and JAG1 must be achieved. The lack of clinically translatable JAG1 delivery methods has driven the exploration of alternative immobilization approaches. This review discusses the role of JAG1 in disease, the clinical role of JAG1 as a treatment, and summarizes current approaches for JAG1 delivery. An in-depth review was conducted on literature that used both in vivo and in vitro delivery models and observed the canonical versus non-canonical NOTCH pathway activated by JAG1. Studies were then compared and evaluated based on delivery success, functional outcomes, and translatability. Delivering JAG1 to harness its ability to control cell fate has the potential to serve as a therapeutic for many diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sundus Kaimari
- Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Archana Kamalakar
- Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Steven L. Goudy
- Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Zhang Y, Hernandez M, Gower J, Winicki N, Morataya X, Alvarez S, Yuan JXJ, Shyy J, Thistlethwaite PA. JAGGED-NOTCH3 signaling in vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabl5471. [PMID: 35507674 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abl5471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Within the pulmonary arterial tree, the NOTCH3 pathway is crucial in controlling vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and maintaining smooth muscle cells in an undifferentiated state. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease without cure, characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance due to vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in precapillary arteries, perivascular inflammation, and asymmetric neointimal hyperplasia. Here, we show that human PAH is characterized by overexpression of the NOTCH ligand JAGGED-1 (JAG-1) in small pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and that JAG-1 selectively controls NOTCH3 signaling and cellular proliferation in an autocrine fashion. In contrast, the NOTCH ligand DELTA-LIKE 4 is minimally expressed in small pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells from individuals with PAH, inhibits NOTCH3 cleavage and signaling, and retards vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. A new monoclonal antibody for the treatment of PAH, which blocks JAG-1 cis- and trans-induced cleavage of the NOTCH3 receptor in the pulmonary vasculature, was developed. Inhibition of JAG-1-induced NOTCH3 signaling in the lung reverses clinical and pathologic pulmonary hypertension in two rodent models of disease, without toxic side effects associated with nonspecific NOTCH inhibitors. Our data suggest opposing roles of NOTCH ligands in the pulmonary vasculature in pulmonary hypertension. We propose that selectively targeting JAG-1 activation of NOTCH3 may be an effective, safe strategy to treat PAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Moises Hernandez
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jonathan Gower
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nolan Winicki
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Xena Morataya
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sebastian Alvarez
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jason X-J Yuan
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - John Shyy
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Wang K, Zhu H, Yang L, Xu Q, Ren F, Liu X. [Inhibition of the Notch1/Jagged1 pathway promotes homing of bone mesenchymal stem cells to improve asthma in rats]. NAN FANG YI KE DA XUE XUE BAO = JOURNAL OF SOUTHERN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2021; 41:1464-1472. [PMID: 34755661 DOI: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2021.10.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the association of the Notch1/Jagged1 pathway with the homing of mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to regulate Th1/Th2 drift in asthma. METHODS Twenty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model group, BMSC transplantation group, and BMSC+Notch inhibitor group. Ovalbumin sensitization was used to establish rat models of asthma, and BMSCs were transplanted via the tail vein. The pathology of the lung tissue was examined with HE staining, and the contents of interleukin (IL)-5, IL-13, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in lung tissue homogenate were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expressions of Notch1 and Jagged1 mRNA were detected with RT-PCR, and CXCR4 expression in the bronchial epithelial cells was examined using immunofluorescence staining; Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of T-bet, GATA-3, Notch1, and Jagged1 in the lung tissue. RESULTS Compared with those in the control group, the expressions of IFN-γ and T-bet proteins decreased significantly and the pulmonary expressions of IL-5, IL-13, and GATA-3 proteins as well as Notch1 and Jagged1 mRNA and protein expressions all increased significantly in the model group (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Compared with those in the model group, CXCR4, IFN-γ, and T-bet protein expressions in BMSC group and BMSCs+Notch inhibitor group all increased significantly, and Notch1 and Jagged1 protein expressions in BMSCs group and IL-5, IL-13, Notch1, and Jagged1 mRNA and protein expressions in BMSCs + Notch inhibitor group all decreased significantly (P < 0.05 or 0.01). The expressions of CXCR4 and IFN-γ were significantly higher and the expressions of IL-13 and Notch1 mRNA were significantly lower in BMSCs+Notch inhibitor group than in BMSC group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION In asthmatic rats, the homing of the BMSCs to the lung tissue has a regulatory effect on Th1/Th2 drift, and the Notch1/Jagged1 pathway may participate in the homing of the BMSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Wang
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medical Education Ministry, Hefei 230031, China.,Huixue Research Center (Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Branch), Hefei 230031, China.,School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - H Zhu
- First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230031, China
| | - L Yang
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Q Xu
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - F Ren
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - X Liu
- College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
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