Object. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex pathological entity, the treatment of which requires a multipronged approach. One way to integrate different therapeutic strategies for SCI is to develop implantable scaffolds that can deliver therapies in a synergistic manner. Many investigators have developed implantable “bridges,” but an important property of such scaffolds—that is, mechanical compatibility with host tissues—has been neglected. In this study, the authors evaluated the results of implanting a mechanically matched hydrogel-based scaffold to treat SCI. Methods. A nonbiodegradable hydrogel, poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA), was engineered using thermally initiated free radical solution polymerization. Two groups of 12 adult Sprague—Dawley rats underwent partial cervical hemisection injury followed by implantation of either PHEMA or PHEMA soaked in 1 µg of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Four rats from each group were killed 1, 2, or 4 weeks after induction of the injury. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to determine the presence of scarring, cellular inflammatory responses, gliosis, angiogenesis, and axonal growth in and around the implanted scaffolds. Conclusions. The implanted PHEMA with 85% water content had a compressive modulus of 3 to 4 kPa, which matched the spinal cord. Implanted PHEMA elicited modest cellular inflammatory responses that disappeared by 4 weeks and minimal scarring was noted around the matrix. Considerable angiogenesis was observed in PHEMA, and PHEMA soaked in BDNF promoted axonal penetration into the gel. The authors conclude that mechanically engineered PHEMA is well accepted by host tissues and might be used as a platform for sustained drug delivery to promote axonal growth and functional recovery after SCI.

BTX-A has a functional and histological healing effect on detrusor hyperreflexia subsequent to spinal cord injury in rats. Although administering BTX-A in the early period had better quantifiable functional and histological outcomes compared to the late period, the difference was not statistically significant.

Although neuronal/glial restricted precursor transplanted rats seemed to have more improvement, all rats in groups 2 and 3 showed some significant improvement in lower urinary system function. On the other hand, the level of this improvement was far from complete functional recovery.

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Bond were added to the medium using extract method. The cells were cultured with or without resveratrol (RES) addition. MTT, reactive oxygen species (ROS), DCF, Comet and 8-OHdG measurements were performed. The agents had a dose-dependent (1:1>1:10>1:20) cytotoxic effect. Considering 1:10 concentration; Group D at 1 h (p<0.01) and Group B and D at 24 h had the weakest cytotoxic effect (p<0.05). After RES addition, the highest cell viability was determined in Groups B+RES and D+RES at 1 h and in Groups A+RES and B+RES at 24 h (p<0.01). The dentin bonding agents induced ROS production and DNA damage regarding to their composition. However, RES addition decreased the indicated parameters.

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Our study provides the evidence that GSK-3β and PPARγ may be directly involved in pathways leading to NMDA receptor-induced cell death and that the inhibitors including tideglusib may exert neuroprotective effect against these receptor overactivation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether medium modification improves the odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) in vitro and in vivo. DPSC isolated from human impacted third molar teeth were analysed for clusters of differentiation with flow cytometry. Odontogenic differentiation was stimulated by medium modification with the addition of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2). The expression of dentin sialophosphoprotein, dentin matrix protein 1, enamelysin/matrix metalloproteinase 20 and the phosphate-regulating gene with homologies to endopeptidases on the X chromosome of the cells were analysed with RT-PCR at 7, 14 and 21 days. Then, DPSC were transplanted on the back of immunocompromised mice via a hydroxyapatite tricalcium phosphate scaffold, and the structure of the formed tissue was investigated. The cells were identified as mesenchymal stem cells with a 98.3% CD73 and CD90 double-positive cell rate. The increase in mineralization capacity and expression of human enamel-dentin specific transcripts proportional to the culture period were determined after differentiation. Six weeks after transplantation, an osteo-dentin matrix was formed in the group in which odontogenic differentiation was stimulated, and the odontogenic characteristics of the matrix were confirmed by histological examination and RT-PCR analysis. Odontogenic differentiation of the isolated and characterized human DPSC was improved with medium modification by the addition of BMP2 in vitro and in vivo. The defined medium and applied technique have a potential use for forming reparative dentin in the future, but the effects of the method should be investigated in long-term studies.