Regeneration of infarcted myocardium with resveratrol-modified cardiac stem cells

The major problem in stem cell therapy includes viability and engraftment efficacy of stem cells after transplantation. Indeed, the vast majority of host-transfused cells do not survive beyond 24-72 hrs. To increase the survival and engraftment of implanted cardiac stem cells in the host, we developed a technique of treating these cells with resveratrol, and tested it in a rat model of left anterior descending (LAD) occlusion. Multi-potent clonogenic cardiac stem cells isolated from rat heart and stably transfected with EGFP were pre-treated with 2.5 μM resveratrol for 60 min. Rats were anaesthetized, hearts opened and the LAD occluded to induce heart attack. One week later, the cardiac reduced environment was confirmed in resveratrol treated rat hearts by the enhanced expression of nuclear factor-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) and redox effector factor-1 (Ref-1). M-mode echocardiography after stem cell therapy, showed improvement in cardiac function (left ventricular ejection fraction, fractional shortening and cardiac output) in both, the treated and control group after 7 days, but only resveratrol-modified stem cell group revealed improvement in cardiac function at the end of 1, 2 and 4 months time. The improvement of cardiac function was accompanied by enhanced stem cell survival and engraftment as demonstrated by the expression of cell proliferation marker Ki67 and differentiation of stem cells towards the regeneration of the myocardium as demonstrated by the expression of EGFP up to 4 months after LAD occlusion in the resveratrol-treated stem cell group. Expression of stromal cell-derived factor and myosin conclusively demonstrated homing of stem cells in the infarcted myocardium, its regeneration leading to improvement of cardiac function.     

Regeneration

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Regeneration of Enteromorpha

Young plants of E. intestinalis have been grown in culture. Cutting off the thalli of attached plants just above the basal rhizoids leads to the regeneration of new branches. After a short time the point of wounding is indistinguishable. The process can be repeated many times; each regeneration resulting in a more branched thallus. Segments of unattached plants kept in culture may give rise to rhizoids from the basal cut ends and to papillae from the upper ends. They may also produce “bottle brush” forms similar to those found amongst ship-fouling algae. Such forms seem to arise when “swarmers” are retained in the parent cell and germinate in situ to give aggregations of juvenile plants. Their formation can be stimulated by a temperature shock.     

Regeneration of skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle has a robust capacity for regeneration following injury. However, few if any effective therapeutic options for volumetric muscle loss are available. Autologous muscle grafts or muscle transposition represent possible salvage procedures for the restoration of mass and function but these approaches have limited success and are plagued by associated donor site morbidity. Cell-based therapies are in their infancy and, to date, have largely focused on hereditary disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. An unequivocal need exists for regenerative medicine strategies that can enhance or induce de novo formation of functional skeletal muscle as a treatment for congenital absence or traumatic loss of tissue. In this review, the three stages of skeletal muscle regeneration and the potential pitfalls in the development of regenerative medicine strategies for the restoration of functional skeletal muscle in situ are discussed.     

Regeneration of corneal tissue

Penetrating wounds in rabbit corneas heal to form an opaque tissue that eventually becomes transparent. DNA content, dry weight, water content, and collagen content of the tissue gradually become more like that of normal cornea. The healing tissues also synthesize low-sulfated keratan sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and heparan sulfate. These glycosaminoglycans are not found in normal adult corneas but have been reported in fetal corneas. Previous studies have shown that collagen from healing corneal wounds and collagen from fetal corneas have very similar cross-linking patterns, but these patterns are different from those in normal adult collagen. The similarities between collagen and glycosaminoglycans in healing corneal wounds and in fetuses suggest some recapitulation of ontogenetic processes. The biochemical sequence and eventual return of transparency to the rabbit cornea indicate a capability for true regeneration of stromal tissue in the rabbit.     

肝再生增强因子

肝脏是机体具有强大再生能力的脏器 ,目前已知的肝再生相关因子如肝细胞生长因子 (ＨＧＦ)、转化生长因子 α(ＴＧＦ α)、表皮生长因子 (ＥＧＦ)等 ,均难以解释具有器官特异性的肝再生调控机制 ,因此寻找新型肝再生调控因子一直是该领域的热点[1] 。1994年 8月 ,Ｈａｇｉｙａ等[2 ] 从初断乳大鼠肝组织中克隆到一种新型的促肝细胞增殖因子 ,称为肝再生增强因子 (ａｕｇｍｅｎｔｅｒｏｆｌｉｖｅｒｒｅｇｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ ,ＡＬＲ)。近来研究发现 ,ＡＬＲ是一种特殊的促肝细胞分裂原 ,在肝损伤修复过程中发挥重要作用。1.ＡＬＲ基因大鼠…     

Electromechanical heterogeneity of the myocardium

Herein we discuss modem data showing that ventricle's working myocardium is highly heterogeneous. Significant transmural differences in electrophysiological and biomechanical properties of cardiomyocytes are reviewed. The reviewed evidence of myocardial heterogeneity constitutes the basis for modem assessment of segmental kinetics of different regions in intact heart. We used muscle duplexes as condensed models of a heterogeneous myocardial system. Experimental data, presented here were obtained both in biological duplexes formed by isolated myocardial preparations and in mathematical models of muscle duplexes. We showed that specific functional heterogeneity of cardiomyocytes, related to their excitation sequence, allowed the myocardium to optimise its contractile function and smooth dispersion of repolarisation.     

Regeneration in vertebrates

One way or another, all species possess the ability to regenerate damaged tissues. The degree of regeneration, however, varies considerably among tissues within a body and among species, with urodeles being the most spectacular. Such differences in regenerative capacity are indicative of specific mechanisms that control the different types of regeneration. In this review the different types of regeneration in vertebrates and their basic characteristics are presented. The major cellular events, such as dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation, which allow complex organ and body part regeneration, are discussed and common molecular mechanisms are pinpointed.