Fetal-onset hydrocephalus (HC), which affects between 1:500 and 1:5000 live human births, results from unequal production and drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and is associated with abnormal development of the cerebral cortex leading to severe neurological deficits. We previously found that in the hydrocephalic Texas rat, the CSF of affected fetuses induced a cell cycle arrest in neural progenitor cells. Here, we show that alterations in folate metabolism in the CSF of the developing cerebrum are likely responsible for this effect. We identified 3 folate enzymes in the CSF and demonstrate that low levels of one of these, 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase, are associated with HC in the hydrocephalic Texas rat. Therefore, we tested whether supplementation with specific folate species would improve developmental outcome. After daily administration of a combination of tetrahydrofolic and 5-formyltetrahydrofolic acids to pregnant dams, there was a significant reduction in the incidence of HC and improved brain development. By contrast, supplementation with folic acid increased the incidence of congenital HC in this model. These results indicate the complexities of folate metabolism in the developing brain and suggest that folate imbalance leading to HC in the hydrocephalic Texas rat fetuses can be treated with maternal folate supplementation using specific folate metabolites and combinations thereof.

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Repair or replacement of damaged tissues using tissue engineering technology is considered to be a fine solution for enhanced treatment of different diseases such as skin diseases. Although the nanofibers made of synthetic degradable polymers, such as polylactic acid (PLA), have been widely used in the medical field, they do not favour cellular adhesion and proliferation. To enhance cell adherence on scaffold and improve biocompatibility, the surface of PLA scaffold was modified by gelatin in our experiments. For electrospinning, PLA and gelatin were dissolved in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) solvent at varying compositions (PLA:gelatin at 3:7 and 7:3). The properties of the blending nanofiber scaffold were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Modified PLA/gelatin 7/3 scaffold is more suitable for fibroblasts attachment and viability than the PLA or gelatin nanofiber alone. Thus fibroblast cultured on PLA/gelatin scaffold could be an alternative way to improve skin wound healing.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are considered to be potentially able to differentiate into all human cell lineages and thus hold promise as an unlimited source for cell replacement therapies in clinical applications. Definitive endoderm (DE) formation is the first and crucial step in the development of visceral organs such as liver, lung, pancreas and so forth. Therefore, efficient generation of DE cells ensures the efficient generation of eventual target cells used in cell therapy. In the present study, Matrigel-coated poly(lactic acid)/gelatin (PLA/gelatin) nanofibrous scaffolds were utilized to investigate the proliferation and differentiation of hiPSCs into DE cells. Analyses of DE-specific markers including Sox17, FoxA2, and Gooscoid (Gsc) genes revealed higher levels of mRNA and protein expression in the differentiated hiPSCs cells cultured on PLA/gelatin scaffolds than cells differentiated in two-dimensional (2D) culture. Our results showed that three-dimensional (3D) cultures could significantly promote DE differentiation in comparison with 2D culture. Also using small molecules such as inducer of definitive endoderm 1 (IDE1) and signaling molecules such as Activin A and Wnt3a could enhance the DE differentiation of hiPSCs with Activin A/Wnt3a being significantly more potent in both 2D and 3D cultures compared to IDE1. The results of this study may have impact in tissue engineering and cell replacement therapy of visceral organs-related diseases.

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BackgroundFetal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contains many neurotrophic and growth factors and has been shown to be capable of supporting viability, proliferation and differentiation of primary cortical progenitor cells. Rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells have been widely used as an in vitro model of neuronal differentiation since they differentiate into sympathetic neuron-like cells in response to growth factors. This study aimed to establish whether PC12 cells were responsive to fetal CSF and therefore whether they might be used to investigate CSF physiology in a stable cell line lacking the time-specific response patterns of primary cells previously described.MethodsIn vitro assays of viability, proliferation and differentiation were carried out after incubation of PC12 cells in media with and without addition of fetal rat CSF. An MTT tetrazolium assay was used to assess cell viability and/or cell proliferation. Expression of neural differentiation markers (MAP-2 and β-III tubulin) was determined by immunocytochemistry. Formation and growth of neurites was measured by image analysis.ResultsPC12 cells differentiate into neuronal cell types when exposed to bFGF. Viability and cell proliferation of PC12 cells cultured in CSF-supplemented medium from E18 rat fetuses were significantly elevated relative to the control group. Neuronal-like outgrowths from cells appeared following the application of bFGF or CSF from E17 and E19 fetuses but not E18 or E20 CSF. Beta-III tubulin was expressed in PC12 cells cultured in any media except that supplemented with E18 CSF. MAP-2 expression was found in control cultures and in those with E17 and E19 CSF. MAP2 was located in neurites except in E17 CSF when the whole cell was positive.ConclusionsFetal rat CSF supports viability and stimulates proliferation and neurogenic differentiation of PC12 cells in an age-dependent way, suggesting that CSF composition changes with age. This feature may be important in vivo for the promotion of normal brain development. There were significant differences in the effects on PC12 cells compared to primary cortical cells. This suggests there is an interaction in vivo between developmental stage of cells and the composition of CSF. The data presented here support an important, perhaps driving role for CSF composition, specifically neurotrophic factors, in neuronal survival, proliferation and differentiation. The effects of CSF on PC12 cells can thus be used to further investigate the role of CSF in driving development without the confounding issues of using primary cells.

Growing evidence that cell-based therapies can improve recovery outcome in spinal cord injury (SCI) models substantiates their application for treatment of human with SCI. To address the effectiveness of these stem cells, potential candidates should be evaluated in proper SCI platform that allows direct real-time monitoring. In this study, the role of epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs) was elucidated in an ex vivo model of SCI, and valproic acid (VPA) was administered to ameliorate the inhospitable context of injury for grafted EPI-NCSCs. Here the contusion was induced in organotypic spinal cord slice culture at day seven in vitro using a weight drop device and one hour post injury the GFP- expressing EPI-NCSCs were grafted followed by VPA administration. The evaluation of treated slices seven days after injury revealed that grafted stem cells survived on the injured slices and expressed GFAP, whereas they did not express any detectable levels of the neural progenitor marker doublecortin (DCX), which was expressed prior to transplantation. Immunoblotting data demonstrated that the expression of GFAP, BDNF, neurotrophin-3 (NT3), and Bcl2 increased significantly in stem cell treated slices. This study illustrated that the fate of transplanted stem cells has been directed to the glial lineage in the ex vivo context of injury and EPI-NCSCs may ameliorate the SCI condition through releasing neurotrophic factors directly and/or via inducing resident spinal cord cells.