Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) as a potential therapeutic Strategy in COVID-19 Patients: Literature Research

In 2019, an outbreak of an unknown coronavirus – SARS-CoV-2 – responsible for COVID-19 disease, was first reported in China, and evolved into a pandemic of huge dimensions and raised serious concerns for global health. The number of critical cases continues to increase dramatically, while vaccines and specific treatments are not yet available. There are several strategies currently being studied for the treatment of adverse symptoms of COVID-19, that encompass Acute Lung Injury (ALI)/Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), extensive pulmonary inflammation, cytokine storm, and pulmonary edema, due to virus-induced pneumonia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synovia-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Application in Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Review

Musculoskeletal injuries impact millions of people globally and affect their health and well-being as well as of their companion and athletic animals. Soft-tissue injuries represent almost half of these and are associated with unorganized scar tissue formation and long time-depending healing processes. Cell-based therapeutic strategies have been developed in the past decades aiming at the treatment and reversion of such disorders. Stem cells are fairly appealing in the field, being a responsive undifferentiated population, with ability to self-renew and differentiate into different lineages. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be obtained from several adult tissues, including the synovial membrane. Synovia-derived MSCs can be found in individuals of any age and are associated to intrinsic regenerative processes, through both paracrine and cell-to-cell interactions, thus, contributing to hosts’ healing capacity. Studies have demonstrated the potential benefit of synovia-derived MSCs in these regenerative processes in both human and veterinary medicine. The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature regarding SM-MSC therapies applied to musculoskeletal disorders, in both human and veterinary medicine

is it time to move forward?

Funding: This research was supported by Projects PEst-OE/AGR/UI0211/2011 from FCT, and COMPETE 2020, from ANI – Projetos ID&T Empresas em Copromoção, by the project “insitu.Biomas – Reinvent biomanufacturing systems by using an usability approach for in situ clinic temporary implants fabrication” with the reference POCI-01-0247-FEDER-017771, by the project “Print-on-Organs – Engineering bioinks and processes for direct printing on organs” with the reference POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033877, and by the project “Bone2Move – Development of “in vivo” experimental techniques and modelling methodologies for the evaluation of 4D scafolds for bone defect in sheep model: an integrative research approach” with the reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031146. Mariana Vieira Branquinho (SFRH/BD/146172/2019), Ana Catarina Sousa (SFRH/BD/146689/2019), and Rui Damásio Alvites (SFRH/BD/116118/2016), acknowledge FCT, for financial support.INTRODUCTION: Central airway obstruction (CAO) represents a pathological condition that can lead to airflow limitation of the trachea, main stem bronchi, bronchus intermedius or lobar bronchus. MAIN BODY: It is a common clinical situation consensually considered under-diagnosed. Management of patients with CAO can be difficult and deciding on the best treatment approach represents a medical challenge. This work intends to review CAO classifications, causes, treatments and its therapeutic limitations, approaching benign and malign presentations. Three illustrative cases are further presented, supporting the clinical problem under review. CONCLUSION: Management of CAO still remains a challenge. The available options are not always effective nor free from complications. A new generation of costume-tailored airway stents, associated with stem cell-based therapy, could be an option in specific clinical situations.publishersversionpublishe

Olfactory Mucosa Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Biomaterials: A New Combination to Regenerative Therapies after Peripheral Nerve Injury

The peripheral nerve injury after trauma is a common occurrence in both human and veterinary medicine and has severe consequences for the survival and quality of life of the patients. Despite the continuous efforts and the creation of diverse medical and surgical techniques, the harmful effects of this type of injury are far from being overcome. Regenerative medicine has been growing in the scientific milieu as a new therapeutic approach for different situations. Among the cell-based therapies explored, the mesenchymal stem cells are evidenced by their features, versatility and potential applications. The olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells, components of the olfactory system and identified in the lamina propria, were newly identified and are still undergoing characterization, appearing as a new promise in the regenerative therapy of several tissues but with special emphasis on the nervous system in general and the peripheral nervous system in particular, for which they appear to have special regenerative aptitude

Peripheral nerve injury and axonotmesis: State of the art and recent advances

Peripheral nerve lesions are frequent occurrences in both human and animal patients, leading to important physiological and labor complications that affect the quality of life of those who suffer the injury. More severe injuries are often associated with poor nerve regeneration and inadequate functional recovery, even with early medical and surgical interventions. Peripheral nerve crush lesions are frequent and, therefore, an experimental lesion paradigm widely used in researches involving nerve injury models and therapies for its resolution. In recent years, many studies have focused on innovative approaches to peripheral nerve treatment after crush injuries with more or less success. This review addresses the theme of peripheral nerve injury, with a special focus on the axonotmesis lesion, its etiology, pathophysiological mechanisms, methods of functional evaluation and regenerative processes, therapeutic options and corresponding recent advances

Biomaterials and Cellular Systems at the Forefront of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Peripheral nerve injuries remain a common clinical complication, and currently available therapies present significant limitations, often resulting in poor and suboptimal outcomes. Despite significant developments in microsurgical approaches in the last decades, no effective treatment options have been disclosed. Current research focuses on the optimization of such microsurgical techniques and on their combination with other pro-regenerative factors, such as mesenchymal stem cells or biomaterials. Mesenchymal stem cells present a remarkable capacity for bioactive molecule production that modulates inflammatory and regenerative processes, stimulating peripheral nerve regeneration. In parallel, efforts have been directed towards the development of biomaterial nerve guidance channels and nerve conduits. These biomaterials have been optimized in terms of biodegradability, ability to release bioactive factors, incorporation of cellular agents, and internal matrix architecture (to enable cellular migration and mimic native tissue morphology and to generate and bear specific electrical activity). The current literature review presents relevant advances in the development of mesenchymal stem cell and biomaterial-based therapeutic approaches aiming at the peripheral nerve tissue regeneration in diverse lesion scenarios, also exploring the advances achieved by our research group in this field in recent years

Rat olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (om-mscs): a characterization study

Stem/stromal cell-based therapies are a branch of regenerative medicine and stand as an attractive option to promote the repair of damaged or dysfunctional tissues and organs. Olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem/stromal cells have been regarded as a promising tool in regenerative therapies because of their several favorable properties such as multipotency, high proliferation rate, helpful location, and few associated ethical issues. These cells are easily accessible in the nasal cavity of most mammals, including the rat, can be easily applied in autologous treatments, and do not cope with most of the obstacles associated with the use of other stem cells. Despite this, its application in preclinical trials and in both human and animal patients is still limited because of the small number of studies performed so far and to the nonexistence of a standard and unambiguous protocol for collection, isolation, and therapeutic application. In the present work a validation of a protocol for isolation, culture, expansion, freezing, and thawing of olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem/stromal cells was performed, applied to the rat model, as well as a biological characterization of these cells. To investigate the therapeutic potential of OM-MSCs and their eventual safe application in preclinical trials, the main characteristics of OMSC stemness were addressed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combined use of chitosan and olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem/stromal cells to promote peripheral nerve regeneration in vivo

Peripheral nerve injury remains a clinical challenge with severe physiological and functional consequences. Despite the existence of multiple possible therapeutic approaches, until now, there is no consensus regarding the advantages of each option or the best methodology in promoting nerve regeneration. Regenerative medicine is a promise to overcome this medical limitation, and in this work, chitosan nerve guide conduits and olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem/stromal cells were applied in different therapeutic combinations to promote regeneration in sciatic nerves after neurotmesis injury. Over 20 weeks, the intervened animals were subjected to a regular functional assessment (determination of motor performance, nociception, and sciatic indexes), and after this period, they were evaluated kinematically and the sciatic nerves and cranial tibial muscles were evaluated stereologically and histomorphometrically, respectively. The results obtained allowed confirming the beneficial effects of using these therapeutic approaches. The use of chitosan NGCs and cells resulted in better motor performance, better sciatic indexes, and lower gait dysfunction after 20 weeks. The use of only NGGs demonstrated better nociceptive recoveries. The stereological evaluation of the sciatic nerve revealed identical values in the different parameters for all therapeutic groups. In the muscle histomorphometric evaluation, the groups treated with NGCs and cells showed results close to those of the group that received traditional sutures, the one with the best final values. The therapeutic combinations studied show promising outcomes and should be the target of new future works to overcome some irregularities found in the results and establish the combination of nerve guidance conduits and olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem/stromal cells as viable options in the treatment of peripheral nerves after injury.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Application of Cell-Based Therapies in Veterinary Dermatology

Stem cells have been extensively studied in the field of veterinary medicine due to their unique characteristics. The last are undifferentiated cells with self-renewal, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory capacity. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used due to its simple isolation and expansion, being collected from different sources such as adipose tissue, bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord. For that reason, MSCs have been studied and used as innovative therapies in the treatment of several diseases, such as tendinitis, bone regeneration, osteoarthritis, neuromuscular diseases, heart diseases, respiratory diseases, kidney disorders, ophthalmology, oncology, and dermatology. Concerning dermatological problems, the number of skin diseases in animals has been increasing in recent years. Skin diseases may be related to genetic conditions, external aggressions, or immunological disorders. Many of these skin pathologies are chronic, reason why the animals are subjected to long-term therapies, which can have deleterious side effects. This review aims to highlight the importance of cell-based therapies, using MSCs from different origins and their secretome, in the field of veterinary dermatology and in immune-mediated diseases such as atopic dermatitis, furunculosis, anal vasculitis, and scar tissue regeneration. These approaches should be further explored, as they have revealed promising results in the search for novel therapies