Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
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Human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) is now considered a valuable source for stem cell-based therapies. HUCB cells are enriched for stem cells that have the potential to initiate and maintain tissue repair. This potential is especially attractive in neural diseases for which no current cure is available. ⋯ Alternatively, various cell types within the graft may promote neural repair by delivering neural protection and secretion of neurotrophic factors. In this review, we evaluate the preclinical studies in which HUCB was applied for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and for traumatic and ischemic brain damage. We discuss how transplantation of HUCB cells affects these disorders and we present recent clinical studies with promising outcome.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · May 2005
ReviewThe miniature pig as an animal model in biomedical research.
Crucial prerequisites for the development of safe preclinical protocols in biomedical research are suitable animal models that would allow for human-related validation of valuable research information gathered from experimentation with lower mammals. In this sense, the miniature pig, sharing many physiological similarities with humans, offers several breeding and handling advantages (when compared to non-human primates), making it an optimal species for preclinical experimentation. The present review offers several examples taken from current research in the hope of convincing the reader that the porcine animal model has gained massively in importance in biomedical research during the last few years. The adduced examples are taken from the following fields of investigation: (a) the physiology of reproduction, where pig oocytes are being used to study chromosomal abnormalities (aneuploidy) in the adult human oocyte; (b) the generation of suitable organs for xenotransplantation using transgene expression in pig tissues; (c) the skin physiology and the treatment of skin defects using cell therapy-based approaches that take advantage of similarities between pig and human epidermis; and (d) neurotransplantation using porcine neural stem cells grafted into inbred miniature pigs as an alternative model to non-human primates xenografted with human cells.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · May 2005
Oxidative toxicity in BV-2 microglia cells: sesamolin neuroprotection of H2O2 injury involving activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been proposed to play a pathogenic role in neuronal injury. Sesame antioxidants that inhibit lipid peroxidation and regulate cytokine production may suppress ROS generation. In this study, we focused on the effect of sesamolin on H2O2-induced neurotoxicity and ROS production in the murine microglial cell line BV-2. ⋯ Sesamolin was able to inhibit H2O2-induced p38 MAPK and caspase-3 activation and cell death. In addition, sesamolin preserved superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in BV-2 cells under H2O2 stress. In conclusion, sesamolin protects microglia against H2O2-induced cell injury and this protective effect was accompanied by its inhibition of p38 MAPK and caspase-3 activation and ROS production.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · May 2005
Infusion of human umbilical cord blood ameliorates neurologic deficits in rats with hemorrhagic brain injury.
Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells. It is routinely used for transplantation to repopulate cells of the immune system. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that intravenous infusions of umbilical cord blood can ameliorate neurologic deficits associated with ischemic brain injury in rodents. ⋯ These tests included a neurological severity test, a stepping test, and an elevated body-swing test. Animals with umbilical cord blood infusions exhibited significant improvements in (1) the neurologic severity test at 6 and 13 days after cord blood infusion in comparison to saline-treated animals (P < 0.05); (2) the stepping test at day 6 (P < 0.05); and (3) the elevated body-swing test at day 13 (P< 0.05). These results demonstrate that the administration of human umbilical cord blood cells can ameliorate neurologic deficits associated with intracerebral hemorrhage.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · May 2005
Magnetic resonance tracking of implanted adult and embryonic stem cells in injured brain and spinal cord.
Stem cells are a promising tool for treating brain and spinal cord injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a noninvasive method to study the fate of transplanted cells in vivo. We studied implanted rat bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) labeled with iron-oxide nanoparticles (Endorem) and human CD34+ cells labeled with magnetic MicroBeads (Miltenyi) in rats with a cortical or spinal cord lesion. ⋯ Histologic studies confirmed a decrease in lesion size. We also used 3-D polymer constructs seeded with MSCs to bridge a spinal cord lesion. Our studies demonstrate that grafted adult as well as embryonic stem cells labeled with iron-oxide nanoparticles migrate into a lesion site in brain as well as in spinal cord.