Clinical assessment after human adipose stem cell transplantation into dogs

Anti-Oxidative Effects of Human Adipose Stem Cell Conditioned Medium with Different Basal Medium during Mouse Embryo In Vitro Culture

Simple Summary

Assisted reproductive techniques, which are used to resolve various infertility problems, have advanced following the emphasis on their use. Embryos produced in vitro rather than in vivo are exposed to greater stress, with the quality of the embryos being affected by the in vitro culture conditions. To reduce oxidative stress and consequent apoptosis of embryos for successful implantation and pregnancy maintenance, the present study evaluated the anti-oxidative effect of human adipose stem cell conditioned medium (ASC-CM) with different basal medium as supplement in in vitro culture (IVC) medium for mouse preimplantation embryo. Treatment of 5% human ASC-CM based on Dulbecco′s modified Eagle′s medium (DMEM-CM) indicated an enhanced development of mouse in vitro fertilized embryo, decreased expression level of indicators for oxidative stress, and apoptosis in blastocysts. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that DMEM-CM can be an optimal supplement during IVC to promote in vitro embryo development and the success rate of assisted reproduction with its anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects.

Abstract

The quality of embryos produced by assisted reproductive techniques should be advanced by the improvement of in vitro culture conditions for successful implantation and pregnancy maintenance. We investigated the anti-oxidative effect of human adipose stem cell (ASC) conditioned medium with its optimal basal medium, Dulbecco′s modified Eagle′s medium (DMEM-CM), or keratinocyte serum-free medium (KSFM-CM) as supplements during in vitro culture (IVC) of in vitro fertilized mouse embryo. At first, preimplantation embryo development was evaluated in KSFM-CM and DMEM-CM supplemented cultures at various concentrations. The blastocyst (BL) and hatched BL formation rates were significantly increased in 5% DMEM-CM, while no difference was observed from KSFM-CM. Next, comparing the efficacy of KSFM-CM and DMEM-CM at the same concentration, DMEM-CM enhanced the developmental rate of 16 cells, morula, BL, and hatched BL. The expression level of reactive oxygen species decreased and that of glutathione increased in BL cultured with DMEM-CM, which confirms its anti-oxidative effect. Furthermore, apoptosis in BL cultured with DMEM-CM was reduced compared with that in KSFM-CM. This study demonstrated that the comparative effect of human ASC-CM made of two different basal media during mouse embryo IVC and anti-oxidative effect of 5% DMEM-CM was optimal to improve preimplantation embryo development.

Clinical Assessment of Intravenous Endothelial Progenitor Cell Transplantation in Dogs

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been applied for cell therapy because of their roles in angiogenesis and neovascularization in ischemic tissue. However, adverse responses caused by EPC therapy have not been fully investigated. In this study, a human peripheral blood sample was collected from a healthy donor and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated using Ficoll-Hypaque. There were four experimental groups: 10 ml saline infusion group (injection rate; 3 ml/min), 10 ml saline bolus group (injection rate; 60 ml/min), 10 ml EPCs infusion group (2 x 10⁵ cells/ml, injection rate; 3 ml/min), 10 ml EPCs bolus group (2 × 10⁵ cells/ml, injection rate; 60 ml/min). Clinical assessment included physical examination and laboratory examination for intravenous human EPC transplantation in dogs. The results revealed no remarkable findings in vital signs among the dogs used. In blood analysis, platelet counts in saline infusion groups were significantly higher than in the EPC groups within normal ranges, and no significant differences were observed except K⁺, Cl^- and blood urea nitrogen/urea. In ELISA assay, no significant difference was observed in serum tumor necrosis factor alpha. The serum concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly higher in EPC groups than in saline groups, and interleukin 10 was significantly up-regulated in the EPC infusion group compared with other groups. In conclusion, we demonstrated that no clinical abnormalities were detected after intravenous transplantation of human EPCs in dogs. The transplanted xenogenic EPCs might be involved in anti-inflammatory and angiogenic functions in dogs.

A Comparative Study of Biological Characteristics and Transcriptome Profiles of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Different Canine Tissues

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the most promising seed cells for cell therapy. Comparing the biological and transcriptome gene characteristics of MSCs from different sources provides an important basis for the screening of clinically used cells. The main purpose of this experiment was to establish methods for the isolation and culture of MSCs from five different canine sources, including adipose tissue, bone marrow, umbilical cord, amniotic membrane, and placenta, and compare biological and transcriptome characteristics of MSCs, in order to provide a basis for the clinical application of canine MSCs. MSCs were isolated from Chinese pastoral dogs, and the following experiments were performed: (1) the third, sixth, and ninth generations of cells were counted, respectively, and a growth curve was plotted to calculate the MSC population doubling time; (2) the expression of CD34 and CD44 surface markers was studied by immunofluorescence; (3) the third generation of cells were used for osteogenetic and adipogenic differentiation experiments; and (4) MSC transcriptome profiles were performed using RNA sequencing. All of the five types of MSCs showed fibroblast-like adherent growth. The cell surface expressed CD44 instead of CD34; the third-generation MSCs had the highest proliferative activity. The average population doubling time of adipose mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs), placenta mesenchymal stem cells (P-MSCs), bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs), and amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (AM-MSCs) were 15.8 h, 21.2 h, 26.2 h, 35 h, and 41.9 h, respectively. All five types of MSCs could be induced to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts in vitro, with lipid droplets appearing after 8 days and bone formation occurring 5 days after AD-MSC induction. However, the multilineage differentiation for the remaining of MSCs was longer compared to that of the AD-MSCs. The MSC transcriptome profiles showed that AD-MSC and BM-MSCs had the highest homology, while P-MSCs were significantly different compared to the other four types of MSCs. All the isolated MSCs had the main biological characteristics of MSCs. AD-MSCs had the shortest time for proliferation, adipogenesis, and osteogenic differentiation.