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Fell CA, Brooks-Richards TL, Woodruff M, Allenby MC. Soft pneumatic actuators for mimicking multi-axial femoropopliteal artery mechanobiology. Biofabrication 2022; 14. [PMID: 35378520 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ac63ef] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Tissue biomanufacturing aims to produce lab-grown stem cell grafts and biomimetic drug testing platforms but remains limited in its ability to recapitulate native tissue mechanics. The emerging field of soft robotics aims to emulate dynamic physiological locomotion, representing an ideal approach to recapitulate physiologically complex mechanical stimuli and enhance patient-specific tissue maturation. The kneecap's femoropopliteal artery (FPA) represents a highly flexible tissue across multiple axes during blood flow, walking, standing, and crouching positions, and these complex biomechanics are implicated in the FPA's frequent presentation of peripheral artery disease. We developed a soft pneumatically actuated (SPA) cell culture platform to investigate how patient-specific FPA mechanics affect lab-grown arterial tissues. Silicone hyperelastomers were screened for flexibility and biocompatibility, then additively manufactured into SPAs using a simulation-based design workflow to mimic normal and diseased FPA extensions in radial, angular, and longitudinal dimensions. SPA culture platforms were seeded with mesenchymal stem cells, connected to a pneumatic controller, and provided with 24-hour multi-axial exercise schedules to demonstrate the effect of dynamic conditioning on cell alignment, collagen production, and muscle differentiation without additional growth factors. Soft robotic bioreactors are promising platforms for recapitulating patient-, disease-, and lifestyle-specific mechanobiology for understanding disease, treatment simulations, and lab-grown tissue grafts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A Fell
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering; Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, 4001, AUSTRALIA
| | - Trent L Brooks-Richards
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering; Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, 4001, AUSTRALIA
| | - Mia Woodruff
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering; Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Brisbane, Queensland, 4001, AUSTRALIA
| | - Mark Colin Allenby
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Andrew N. Liveris Building, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, AUSTRALIA
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Rashidi N, Pant AD, Salinas SD, Shah M, Thomas VS, Zhang G, Dorairaj S, Amini R. Iris stromal cell nuclei deform to more elongated shapes during pharmacologically-induced miosis and mydriasis. Exp Eye Res 2020; 202:108373. [PMID: 33253707 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2020.108373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear shape alteration in ocular tissues, which can be used as a metric for overall cell deformation, may also lead to changes in gene expression and protein synthesis that could affect the biomechanics of the tissue extracellular matrix. The biomechanics of iris tissue is of particular interest in the study of primary angle-closure glaucoma. As the first step towards understanding the mutual role of the biomechanics and deformation of the iris on the activity of its constituent stromal cells, we conducted an ex-vivo study in freshly excised porcine eyes. Iris deformation was achieved by activating the constituent smooth muscles of the iris. Pupillary responses were initiated by inducing miosis and mydriasis, and the irides were placed in a fixative, bisected, and sliced into thin sections in a nasal and temporal horizontal orientation. The tissue sections were stained with DAPI for nucleus, and z-stacks were acquired using confocal microscopy. Images were analyzed to determine the nuclear aspect ratio (NAR) using both three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of the nuclear surfaces as well as projections of the same 3D reconstruction into flat two-dimensional (2D) shapes. We observed that regardless of the calculation method (i.e., one that employed 3D surface reconstructions versus one that employed 2D projected images) the NAR increased in both the miosis group and the mydriasis group. Three-dimensional quantifications showed that NAR increased from 2.52 ± 0.96 in control group to 2.80 ± 0.81 and 2.74 ± 0.94 in the mydriasis and miosis groups, respectively. Notwithstanding the relative convenience in calculating the NAR using the 2D projected images, the 3D reconstructions were found to generate more physiologically realistic values and, thus, can be used in the development of future computational models to study primary angle-closure glaucoma. Since the iris undergoes large deformations in response to ambient light, this study suggests that the iris stromal cells are subjected to a biomechanically active micro-environment during their in-vivo physiological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Rashidi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Anup D Pant
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA; Department of Engineering, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA
| | - Samuel D Salinas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Mickey Shah
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Vineet S Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Ge Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Syril Dorairaj
- Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Rouzbeh Amini
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, 334 Snell Engineering, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Evaluation of alginate modification effect on cell-matrix interaction, mechanotransduction and chondrogenesis of encapsulated MSCs. Cell Tissue Res 2020; 381:255-272. [PMID: 32405685 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03216-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising cell candidates for cartilage regeneration. Furthermore, it is important to control the cell-matrix interactions that have a direct influence on cell functions. Providing an appropriate microenvironment for cell differentiation in response to exogenous stimuli is a critical step towards the clinical utilization of MSCs. In this study, hydrogels consisted of different proportions of alginates that were modified using gelatin, collagen type I and arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) and were evaluated regarding their effects on mesenchymal stem cells. The effect of applying hydrostatic pressure on MSCs encapsulated in collagen-modified alginate with and without chondrogenic medium was evaluated 7, 14 and 21 days after culture, which is a comprehensive evaluation of chondrogenesis in 3D hydrogels with mechanical and chemical stimulants. Alcian blue, safranin O and dimethyl methylene blue (DMMB) staining showed the chondrogenic phenotype of cells seeded in the collagen- and RGD-modified alginate hydrogels with the highest intensity after 21 days of culture. The results of real-time PCR for cartilage-specific extracellular matrix genes indicated the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs in all hydrogels. Also, the synergic effects of chemical and mechanical stimuli are indicated. The highest expression levels of the studied genes were observed in the cells embedded in collagen-modified alginate by loading after 14 days of exposure to the chondrogenic medium. The effect of using IHP on encapsulated MSCs in modified alginate with collagen type I is equal or even higher than using TGF-beta on encapsulated cells. The results of immunohistochemical assessments also confirmed the real-time PCR data.
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Soleymani S, Hadi A, Asgari F, Haghighipour N, Bolhassani A. Combination of Mechanical and Chemical Methods Improves Gene Delivery in Cell-based HIV Vaccines. Curr Drug Deliv 2020; 16:818-828. [PMID: 31549593 DOI: 10.2174/1567201816666190923152914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Novel vaccination approaches are required to control human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. The membrane proximal external region (MPER) of Env gp41 subunit and the V3/glycans of Env gp120 subunit were known as potential antigenic targets for anti-HIV-1 vaccines. In this study, we prepared the modified dendritic cells (DCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with HIV-1 MPER-V3 gene using mechanical and chemical approaches. METHODS At first, MPER-V3 fusion DNA delivery was optimized in dendritic cells (DCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using three mechanical (i.e., uniaxial cyclic stretch, equiaxial cyclic stretch and shear stress bioreactors), and two chemical (i.e., TurboFect or Lipofectamine) methods. Next, the modified DCs and MSCs with MPER-V3 antigen were compared to induce immune responses in vivo. RESULTS Our data showed that the combination of equiaxial cyclic stretch loading and lipofectamine twice with 48 h intervals increased the efficiency of transfection about 60.21 ± 1.05 % and 65.06 ± 0.09 % for MSCs and DCs, respectively. Moreover, DCs and MSCs transfected with MPER-V3 DNA in heterologous DC or MSC prime/ peptide boost immunizations induced high levels of IgG2a, IgG2b, IFN-γ and IL-10 directed toward Th1 responses as well as an increased level of Granzyme B. Indeed, the modified MSCs and DCs with MPER-V3 DNA could significantly enhance the MPER/V3-specific T-cell responses compared to MPER/V3 peptide immunization. CONCLUSIONS These findings showed that the modified MSC-based immunization could elicit effective immune responses against HIV antigen similar to the modified DC-based immunization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepehr Soleymani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDs, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amin Hadi
- National Cell Bank of Iran, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Asgari
- National Cell Bank of Iran, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDs, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Hadi A, Rastgoo A, Haghighipour N, Bolhassani A, Asgari F, Soleymani S. Enhanced gene delivery in tumor cells using chemical carriers and mechanical loadings. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209199. [PMID: 30592721 PMCID: PMC6310266 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular delivery of DNA is considered a challenge in biological research and treatment of diseases. The previously reported transfection rate by commercially available transfection reagents in cancer cell lines, such as the mouse lung tumor cell line (TC-1), is very low. The purpose of this study is to introduce and optimize an efficient gene transfection method by mechanical approaches. The combinatory transfection effect of mechanical treatments and conventional chemical carriers is also investigated on a formerly reported hard-to-transfect cell line (TC-1). To study the effect of mechanical loadings on transfection rate, TC-1 tumor cells are subjected to uniaxial cyclic stretch, equiaxial cyclic stretch, and shear stress. The TurboFect transfection reagent is exerted for chemical transfection purposes. The pEGFP-N1 vector encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression is utilized to determine gene delivery into the cells. The results show a significant DNA delivery rate (by ~30%) in mechanically transfected cells compared to the samples that were transfected with chemical carriers. Moreover, the simultaneous treatment of TC-1 tumor cells with chemical carriers and mechanical loadings significantly increases the gene transfection rate up to ~ 63% after 24 h post-transfection. Our results suggest that the simultaneous use of mechanical loading and chemical reagent can be a promising approach in delivering cargoes into cells with low transfection potentials and lead to efficient cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Hadi
- School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Rastgoo
- School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDs, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Asgari
- National Cell Bank of Iran, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sepehr Soleymani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDs, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Yu W, Chen H, Yang H, Ding J, Xia P, Mei X, Wang L, Chen S, Zou C, Wang LX. Dissecting Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Dedifferentiation in Pulmonary Hypertension: Role of Mutated Caveolin-1 (Cav1 F92A)-Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Heart Lung Circ 2018; 28:1587-1597. [PMID: 30262154 DOI: 10.1016/j.hlc.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterised by remodelling in vascular smooth muscles, and switching from contractile (differentiated) to synthetic (dedifferentiated) phenotype. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a mutated caveolin-1 (Cav1F92A) gene from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) on phenotypic switching in the smooth muscle cells during PAH. METHODS Human pulmonary smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) were treated with monocrotaline (MCT,1μM), and co-cultured with Cav1F92A gene modified rBMSCs (rBMSCs/Cav1F92A). The nitric oxide (NO) production, cell adhesion, cell viability and inflammatory cytokines expression in rBMSCs was measured to evaluate the survival rate of rBMSCs and the changes of inflammatory cytokines. The concentration of NO/cGMP (nitric oxide/Guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate), the tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) mRNA, the expression of contractile smooth muscle cells (SMCs) phenotype markers (thrombospondin-1 and Matrix Gla protein, MGP), the synthetic SMCs phenotype markers (H-caldesmon and smooth muscle gene SM22 alpha, SM22α), cell migration and the morphological changes in rBMSCs/Cav1F92A co-cultured HPASMCs were investigated. RESULTS Cav1F92A increased NO concentration, cell adhesion, cell viability, anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-10 (IL-10), but decreased the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1α (IL-1α), interferon-γ (INF-γ) and TNF-α expression in rBMSCs. rBMSCs/Cav1F92A activated the NO/cGMP, down-regulated TNF-α, TGF-β1, thrombospondin-1 and MGP expression, up-regulated SM22α and H-caldesmon expression, restored cell morphology, and inhibited cell migration in MCT treated HPASMCs. CONCLUSIONS rBMSCs/Cav1F92A inhibits switching from contractile to synthetic phenotype in HPASMCs. It also inhibits migration and promotes morphological restoration of these cells. rBMSCs/Cav1F92A may be used as a therapeutic modality for PAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wancheng Yu
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong 250021, China
| | - Haiying Chen
- Central laboratory of Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, China
| | - Hongli Yang
- Central laboratory of Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, China
| | - Jie Ding
- Central laboratory of Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, China
| | - Peng Xia
- Department of Cardiology, Liaocheng People's Hospital and Affiliated Liaocheng People's Hospital of Shandong University, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, China
| | - Xu Mei
- Department of Geriatrics, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Liaocheng People's Hospital and Affiliated Liaocheng People's Hospital of Shandong University, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, China
| | - Shuangfeng Chen
- Central laboratory of Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, China
| | - Chengwei Zou
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong 250021, China.
| | - Le-Xin Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Liaocheng People's Hospital and Affiliated Liaocheng People's Hospital of Shandong University, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, China; School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia.
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Rogers EH, Pekovic-Vaughan V, Hunt JA. Mechanical stretch and chronotherapeutic techniques for progenitor cell transplantation and biomaterials. Biomedicine (Taipei) 2018; 8:14. [PMID: 30141401 PMCID: PMC6108224 DOI: 10.1051/bmdcn/2018080314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In the body, mesenchymal progenitor cells are subjected to a substantial amount external force from different mechanical stresses, each potentially influences their behaviour and maintenance differentially. Tensile stress, or compression loading are just two of these forces, and here we examine the role of cyclical or dynamic mechanical loading on progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as on other cellular processes including cell morphology, apoptosis and matrix mineralisation. Moreover, we also examine how mechanical stretch can be used to optimise and ready biomaterials before their implantation, and examine the role of the circadian rhythm, the body's innate time keeping system, on biomaterial delivery and acceptance. Finally, we also investigate the effect of mechanical stretch on the circadian rhythm of progenitor cells, as research suggests that mechanical stimulation may be sufficient in itself to synchronise the circadian rhythm of human adult progenitor cells alone, and has also been linked to progenitor cell function. If proven correct, this could offer a novel, non-intrusive method by which human adult progenitor cells may be activated or preconditioned, being readied for differentiation, so that they may be more successfully integrated within a host body, thereby improving tissue engineering techniques and the efficacy of cellular therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Helena Rogers
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, the William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, UK, L7 8TX
| | - Vanja Pekovic-Vaughan
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, the William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, UK, L7 8TX
| | - John Alan Hunt
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Campus, College Drive, Nottingham, UK, NG11 8NS
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