The effect of cationically-modified phosphorylcholine polymers on human osteoblasts in vitro and their effect on bone formation in vivo

Zoledronate inhibits the differentiation potential of adipose-derived stem cells into osteoblasts in repairing jaw necrosis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the inhibitory effects of zoledronate (ZOL) on adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) into osteoblasts for repairing jaw necrosis.

METHODS

ADSCs were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts. The differentiation characteristics of osteoblasts was observed under inverted microscope by alizarin red staining. The transwell assay was performed to evaluate the migration of ADSCs co-cultured with osteoblasts and divided into ZOL group treated with ZOL and N-ZOL group without ZOL treatment. The differentiation and proliferation characteristics of ADSCs differentiated osteoblasts were observed respectively. The expression of CTSK (Cathepsin K) and FGFR3 (Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3) in osteoblasts were analyzed by immunofluorescence and western blot.

RESULTS

The differentiation degree and proliferation of ADSCs to osteoblasts in N-ZOL group were both higher than those in ZOL group. The migratory cell number in ADSCs differentiation in ZOL group was higher than that of N-ZOL group. The protein expression of CTSK and FGFR3 in ADSCs differentiated to osteoblasts in ZOL group was higher than that in N-ZOL group.

CONCLUSION

The differentiation of ADSCs into osteoblasts is significantly inhibited by ZOL. Due to this reason, it may be difficult to achieve good results by ZOL induced ADSCs into osteoblasts in repairing jaw necrosis.

Evaluation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Point-of-Care Testing for Cardiovascular Disease

Molecular imprinting is a rapidly growing area of interest involving the synthesis of artificial recognition elements that enable the separation of analyte from a sample matrix and its determination. Traditionally, this approach can be successfully applied to small analyte (<1.5 kDa) separation/ extraction, but, more recently it is finding utility in biomimetic sensors. These sensors consist of a recognition element and a transducer similar to their biosensor counterparts, however, the fundamental distinction is that biomimetic sensors employ an artificial recognition element. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) employed as the recognition elements in biomimetic sensors contain binding sites complementary in shape and functionality to their target analyte. Despite the growing interest in molecularly imprinting techniques, the commercial adoption of this technology is yet to be widely realised for blood sample analysis. This review aims to assess the applicability of this technology for the point-of-care testing (POCT) of cardiovascular disease-related biomarkers. More specifically, molecular imprinting is critically evaluated with respect to the detection of cardiac biomarkers indicative of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), such as the cardiac troponins (cTns). The challenges associated with the synthesis of MIPs for protein detection are outlined, in addition to enhancement techniques that ultimately improve the analytical performance of biomimetic sensors. The mechanism of detection employed to convert the analyte concentration into a measurable signal in biomimetic sensors will be discussed. Furthermore, the analytical performance of these sensors will be compared with biosensors and their potential implementation within clinical settings will be considered. In addition, the most suitable application of these sensors for cardiovascular assessment will be presented.