Articular cartilage is an avascular tissue with limited regenerative property. Therefore, a defect or trauma in articular cartilage due to disease or accident can lead to progressive tissue deterioration. Cartilage tissue engineering, by replacing defective cartilage tissue, is a method for repairing such a problem. In this research, three main aspects—cell, biomaterial scaffold, and bioactive factors—that support tissue engineering study were optimized. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSC) that become cartilage were grown in an optimized growth medium supplemented with either platelet rich plasma (PRP) or L-ascorbic acid (LAA). As the characterization result, the ADSC used in this experiment could be classified as Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) based on multipotency analysis and cell surface marker analysis. The biomaterial scaffold was fabricated from the Bombyx morii cocoon using silk fibroin by salt leaching method and was engineered to form different sizes of pores to provide optimized support for cell adhesion and growth. Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity evaluation was done using MTT assay to optimize silk fibroin concentration and pore size. Characterized ADSC were grown on the optimized scaffold. LAA and PRP were chosen as bioactive factors to induce ADSC differentiation to become chondrocytes. The concentration optimization of LAA and PRP was analyzed by cell proliferation using MTT assay and chondrogenic differentiation by measuring glycosaminoglycan (GAG) using Alcian Blue at 605 nm wavelength. The optimum silk fibroin concentration, pore size, LAA concentration, and PRP concentration were used to grow and differentiate characterized ADSC for 7, 14, and 21 days. The cell morphology on the scaffold was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The result showed that the ADSC could adhere on plastic, express specific cell surface markers (CD73, CD90, and CD105), and could be differentiated into three types of mature cells. The silk fibroin scaffold made from 12% w/v concentration formed a 500 µm pore diameter (SEM analysis), and was shown by MTT assay to be biocompatible and to facilitate cell growth. The optimum concentrations of the bioactive factors LAA and PRP were 50 µg/mL and 10%, respectively. GAG analysis with Alcian Blue staining suggested that PRP induction medium and LAA induction medium on 12% w/v scaffold could effectively promote not only cell adhesion and cell proliferation but also chondrogenic differentiation of ADSC within 21 days of culture. Therefore, this study provides a new approach to articular tissue engineering with a combination of ADSC as cell source, LAA and PRP as bioactive factors, and silk fibroin as a biocompatible and biodegradable scaffold.
Autologous transplantations, the gold standard, did not meet sufficient health tissue coverage area for cartilage damage treatments. The field of tissue engineering offers a promising alternative to fulfill this limitation by growing patient own cells on biomaterials through tissue culture, reconstructed into new cartilage tissue, and the implanted to the injury area. To support tissue regeneration, biocompatible, biodegradable, and high strength silk fibroin (SF) was proposed in this study as scaffold materials. In this research, direct dissolution in CaCl 2 /formic acid, a faster and simpler process than traditional dissolution techniques, combined with salt leaching technique. SF contents on the scaffold were varied from 2 w/v% to 12 w/v% and NaCl size as porogen was fixed in diameter of 250±58 µm. Evaluation of the SF scaffold's morphology, hydrophilicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility were conducted. The results showed porous silk fibroin scaffold had been successfully developed. The SF scaffolds have pore size 261-293 µm with highly interconnected pores. FTIR and XRD analysis of the scaffolds showed the characteristics of silk fibroin, which reveals the α-helix amorphous and β-sheet crystalline structure and comparable to the silk fibers. The scaffold showed good hydrophilicity and high water uptakes, which essential properties for cell survival. The scaffold degraded under Protease XIV, indicate biodegradable properties. Observation of cell attachment confirms the scaffold has good biocompatibility to adipose-derived stem cells and are suitable to be used in cartilage tissue engineering.
Since it was first reported, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains an unresolved puzzle for biomedical researchers in different fields. Various treatments, drugs, and interventions were explored as treatments for COVID. Nevertheless, there are no standard and effective therapeutic measures. Meanwhile, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy offers a new approach with minimal side effects. MSCs and MSC-based products possess several biological properties that potentially alleviate COVID-19 symptoms. Generally, there are three classifications of stem cell therapy: cell-based therapy, tissue engineering, and cell-free therapy. This review discusses the MSC-based and cell-free therapies for patients with COVID-19, their potential mechanisms of action, and clinical trials related to these therapies. Cell-based therapies involve the direct use and injection of MSCs into the target tissue or organ. On the other hand, cell-free therapy uses secreted products from cells as the primary material. Cell-free therapy materials can comprise cell secretomes and extracellular vesicles. Each therapeutic approach possesses different benefits and various risks. A better understanding of MSC-based and cell-free therapies is essential for supporting the development of safe and effective COVID-19 therapy.
Sarcopenia is a degenerative phenomenon, common in elderly populations. As humans age, they are likely to experience skeletal muscle weakness and atrophy; however, unfortunately, there is still no effective treatment for sarcopenia. The health-promoting potential of plant-based foods is associated with the presence of bioactive components. This article reviews information on bioactive plant compounds which may affect skeletal muscle health, particularly with respect to therapeutic approaches to sarcopenia. In general, plant products can be categorized into two main groups, based on their general status in the human diet: inedible or edible. Investigations suggest that bioactive compounds from both groups show the potential to prevent the development of sarcopenia, in several ways, including anti-atrophy, prevention of oxidative damage, enhanced myogenesis, and anti-inflammatory activity. Each of these agents has been shown to suppress one or more of the signs of sarcopenia, and restore health to muscle, in the patient (in vivo) or in tissue culture (in vitro). The potential use of plant bioactive compounds as therapy for sarcopenia is worthy of further study.
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