Keloids are firm rubbery growths that grow beyond the boundaries of human wounds and their treatment has met with limited success. Their properties and growth behavior have not been properly characterized and it has been suggested that a benign neoplastic stem cell-like phenotype in an altered cytokine microenvironment drives their uncontrolled cell proliferation. Modification of the stem cell niche may be an attractive approach to its prevention. We studied the growth behavior, stemness, and tumorigenic characteristics of keloid cells in prolonged culture. Since human Wharton's jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) secrete high levels of cytokines and have anti-tumorigenic properties we explored its role on the inhibition of keloid growth in vitro. Keloid cells grew readily in both adherent and sphere culture and expressed high levels of mesenchymal CD and tumor-associated fibroblast (TAF) markers up to passage 10. When they were exposed to repeat doses of hWJSC conditioned medium (hWJSC-CM) and lysate (hWJSC-CL) every 72 h up to 9 days their growth was inhibited with a reduction in CD and TAF marker expression. On Days 3, 6, and 9 treated keloid cells showed linear decreases in cell proliferation (BrdU), increases in Annexin V-FITC and TUNEL-positive cells, interruptions of the cell cycle and inhibition of migration in scratch-wound assays. Immunocytochemistry and qRT-PCR confirmed a significant downregulation of TAF and anti-apoptotic-related gene (SURVIVIN) expression and upregulation of autophagy-related (BAX, ATG5, ATG7, BECLIN-1) gene expression. The results suggest that hWJSCs or molecules secreted by them may be of therapeutic value in the treatment of keloids.

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a multipotent and migratory cell population in the developing embryo that contribute to the formation of a wide range of tissues. Defects in the development, differentiation and migration of NCCs give rise to a class of syndromes and diseases that are known as neurocristopathies. NCC development has historically been studied in a variety of animal models, including xenopus, chick and mouse. In the recent years, there have been efforts to study NCC development and disease in human specific models, with protocols being established to derive NCCs from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), and to further differentiate these NCCs to neural, mesenchymal and other lineages. These in vitro differentiation platforms are a valuable tool to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in human neural crest development. The use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients afflicted with neurocristopathies has also enabled the study of defective human NCC development using these in vitro platforms. Here, we review the various in vitro strategies that have been used to derive NCCs from hPSCs and to specify NCCs into cranial, trunk, and vagal subpopulations and their derivatives. We will also discuss the potential applications of these human specific NCC platforms, including the use of iPSCs for disease modeling and the potential of NCCs for future regenerative applications.

No abstract

No abstract

: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells, with the ability to differentiate into mesodermal (e.g. adipocyte, chondrocyte, hematopoietic, myocyte, osteoblast), ectodermal (e.g. epithelial, neural) and endodermal (e.g. hepatocyte, islet cell) lineages based on the type of induction cues provided. As compared to embryonic stem cells, MSCs hold multitude of advantages from a clinical translation perspective, including ease of isolation, low immunogenicity and limited ethical concerns. Therefore, MSCs are a promising stem cell source for different regenerative medicine applications. The in vitro differentiation of MSCs into different lineages relies on effective mimicking of the in vivo milieu, including both biochemical and mechanical stimuli. As compared to other biophysical cues, such as substrate stiffness and topography, the role of fluid shear stress (SS) in regulating MSC differentiation has been investigated to a lesser extent although the role of interstitial fluid and vascular flow in regulating the normal physiology of bone, muscle and cardiovascular tissues is well-known. This review aims to summarise the current state-of-the-art regarding the role of SS in the differentiation of MSCs into osteogenic, cardiovascular, chondrogenic, adipogenic and neurogenic lineages. We will also highlight and discuss the potential of employing SS to augment the differentiation of MSCs to other lineages, where SS is known to play a role physiologically but has not yet been successfully harnessed for in vitro differentiation, including liver, kidney and corneal tissue lineage cells. The incorporation of SS in combination with biochemical and biophysical cues during MSC differentiation may provide a promising avenue to improve the functionality of the differentiated cells by more closely mimicking the in vivo milieu.

No abstract

Most craniofacial bones are derived from the ectodermal germ layer via neural crest stem cells, which are distinct from mesoderm-derived long bones. However, current craniofacial bone tissue engineering approaches do not account for this difference and utilize mesoderm-derived bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) as a paradigm cell source. The effect of the embryonic origin (ontogeny) of an MSC population on its osteogenic differentiation potential and regenerative ability still remains unresolved. To clarify the effects of MSC ontogeny on bone regenerative ability, we directly compared the craniofacial bone regenerative abilities of an ecto-mesenchymal stem cell (eMSC) population, which is derived from human embryonic stem cells via a neural crest intermediate, with mesodermal adult BM-MSCs. eMSCs showed comparable osteogenic and chondrogenic ability to BM-MSCs in 2-D in vitro culture, but lower adipogenic ability. They exhibited greater proliferation than BM-MSCs and comparable construct mineralization in a well-established 3-D polycaprolactone-tricalcium phosphate (PCL-TCP) scaffold system in vitro. eMSC-derived 3D osteogenic constructs were maintained for longer in a proliferative osteoblast state and exhibited differential levels of genes related to fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling compared to BM-MSCs. Although both eMSC and BM-MSC-seeded scaffold constructs could promote bone regeneration in a rat calvarial defect model, eMSC-derived osseous constructs had significantly higher cellularity due to increased number of proliferative (Ki67+) cells than those seeded with BM-MSCs, and exhibited enhanced new bone formation in the defect area as compared to untreated controls. Overall, our study demonstrates the potential of human eMSCs for future clinical use in craniofacial regeneration applications and indicates the importance of considering MSC origin when selecting an MSC source for regenerative applications.

No abstract