Thrombospondin-4 (TSP4) gene-modified bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) promote the effect of therapeutic angiogenesis in critical limb ischemia (CLI) of diabetic rats

Sodium ferulate attenuates ischaemic stroke by mediating the upregulation of thrombospondin-4 expression and combined treatment with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Ischaemic stroke is one of the major diseases affecting human health, involving complex and diverse pathological mechanisms, including inflammatory response, oxidative stress and angiogenesis. Sodium ferulate (SF) exerts a protective effect on cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion and when combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), has a considerable therapeutic effect on brain injury in rats. Here, we speculate that SF also exerts cerebroprotective effects. In this study, we found that after SF intervention, thrombospondin 4 (TSP4) protein expression increased in oxygen glucose deprivation/restoration (OGD/R)-treated human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs). In addition, the transfection of sh-TPS4 reversed the inhibitory effects of SF on inflammatory infiltration, oxidative stress and apoptosis and promoted effects on cell migration and angiogenesis. BMSCs have strong proliferation ability and multi-directional differentiation potential and alleviate brain injury. We found that compared with wild-type BMSCs, the TSP4-modified BMSCs had a more considerable effect that alleviated OGD/R-induced cell injury. Furthermore, SF combined with TSP4-modified BMSCs promoted the repair of damaged OGD/R-treated HBMECs by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model, the therapeutic effect of SF combined with BMSCs on brain injury in rats was better than that of SF alone, and the therapeutic effect of the TSP4-modified BMSCs was better than that of the wild-type BMSCs. In conclusion, our results showed that SF upregulated TSP4 expression and combined with BMSCs to promote repair of damaged OGD/R-treated HBMECs and improve ischaemic stroke in rats.

Bioactive fiber-reinforced hydrogel to tailor cell microenvironment for structural and functional regeneration of myotendinous junction

Myotendinous junction (MTJ) injuries are prevalent in clinical practice, yet the treatment approaches are limited to surgical suturing and conservative therapy, exhibiting a high recurrence rate. Current research on MTJ tissue engineering is scarce and lacks in vivo evaluation of repair efficacy. Here, we developed a three-dimensional-printed bioactive fiber-reinforced hydrogel containing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and Klotho for structural and functional MTJ regeneration. In a rat MTJ defect model, the bioactive fiber-reinforced hydrogel promoted the structural restoration of muscle, tendon, and muscle-tendon interface and enhanced the functional recovery of injured MTJ. In vivo proteomics and in vitro cell cultures elucidated the regenerative mechanisms of the bioactive fiber-reinforced hydrogel by modulating oxidative stress and inflammation, thus engineering an optimized microenvironment to support the survival and differentiation of transplanted MSCs and maintain the functional phenotype of resident cells within MTJ tissues, including tendon/muscle cells and macrophages. This strategy provides a promising treatment for MTJ injuries.

Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase-transfected bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells promote corneal allograft survival by inhibiting T cell proliferation: A rat study

PURPOSE

Allograft rejection is still the main cause of corneal transplantation failure. Therefore, we investigated the role of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-transfected bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (IDO-BMSCs) in corneal allograft rejection in rats.

METHODS

IDO-BMSCs were constructed and co-cultured with CD4+CD24- T cells to detect their effects on the proliferation of CD4+CD25-T cells in vitro. A corneal allograft rat model was used to confirm our in vitro and in vivo observations. Therefore, IDO-BMSCs were injected directly into the recipient's conjunctiva on the day of corneal transplantation and on day 5 after operation. Corneal graft rejection indices, including corneal neovascularization, opacity, and edema, were measured for up to 14 days after transplantation. The recipients' cervical lymph nodes and peripheral blood were collected to test the role of IDO-BMSCs in immune cells using flow cytometry.

RESULTS

The lentivirus-mediated IDO gene was successfully transfected into BMSCs, which stably secreted the IDO protein. The proliferation of CD4+CD25-T cells was significantly inhibited after their co-culture with IDO-BMSCs. Subconjunctival injection of IDO-BMSCs into corneal allografts of rats effectively reduced graft neovascularization, promoted allograft survival, and induced immune tolerance. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the local lymph nodes and peripheral blood, along with CD4+CD25-T cells in the local lymph nodes, were significantly reduced after transplantation.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that IDO-BMSC treatment enhances the direct immunomodulatory effect of corneal allograft transplants in rats, promoting corneal allograft survival by inhibiting the proliferation of CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+CD25-T cells. Therefore, modification of BMSCs by lentivirus-mediated IDO gene transfection may provide a novel strategy for controlling corneal allograft rejection.

Endodomain truncation of the HIV-1 envelope protein improves the packaging efficiency of pseudoviruses

HIV-1 remains one of the most devastating infectious pathogens without available vaccines. A valid neutralization assay using multiple representative virus strains is prerequisite for antibody response analysis in HIV-1 vaccine development, where HIV pseudoviruses (PsVs) commonly serve as surrogate agents for the authentic HIV, offering a safer manipulation in Biosafety Level 2+. However, PsV production is of low efficiency and is unstable in this field. Here, we optimize PsV production conditions via the use of alternative host cells, packaging ratios and gene truncation. We show that a 153-aa truncation of the endodomain substantially enhances the packaging efficiency of HIV PsVs, providing 4 to 25 times higher infection titers than the full-length Env. Further, we obtained a robust HIV-1 PsV panel covering 12 representative global strains for neutralization assay testing. This work sheds light on how to optimize HIV PsV packaging, and provides functional insight into the cytoplasmic domain of HIV-1.