Lesión de médula espinal y medicina regenerativa Spinal cord injury and regenerative medicine

La lesión medular (LM) es un problema que afecta sobre todo a la población en edad laboral y, por lo tanto, sus repercusiones rebasan el ámbito familiar. La LM es irreversible para la mitad de las víctimas y en la actualidad los tratamientos existentes consisten en la asistencia y la estabilización espinal. Con el reconocimiento de la existencia de células madre (CM), el tratamiento de la LM ha recibido otro enfoque. Las CM se encargan de la renovación de los tejidos durante la vida del individuo y su reparación en caso de lesión. Las CM más atractivas desde el punto de vista terapéutico son las capaces de generar diversos tejidos, obtenibles con facilidad, y cuya manipulación es aceptable en términos éticos. En este artículo se presentan algunos de los estudios realizados con CM de diversos orígenes y su aplicación al tratamiento de la LM.Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a trauma problem striking mainly working age adults, therefore affecting society beyond the victim’s family circle. Most of the victims of SCI will never recover; therapy for this type of injury consists basically on spinal cord support and stabilization. With the discovery of stem cells (SC), SCI treatment has been given another chance. Stem cells are responsible for tissue renewal throughout the individual’s life, as well as tissue repair when needed. From the therapeutic point of view, the most appealing SC are those capable of generating a variety of tissues, those easily harvested, and finally, those ethically unquestioned. This article summarizes some studies carried with SC of various origins and their application to SCI treatment

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) graft copolymer dense membranes for human mesenchymal stem cell growth

Background: The use of novel materials as an artificial extracellular matrix for stem cell growth is a current strategy of increasing interest for regenerative medicine. Here, we prepare thermal-remolded membrane scaffolds from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) grafted with 2-amino-ethyl methacrylate hydrochloride. However, it is unclear whether these membranes are useful for tissue engineering. Results: The mechanical properties, tribology, and morphology of the dense membranes were assessed. The results show that tensile strain at break and roughness of the compressed membrane decrease with increasing graft degree. Moreover, graft copolymer membranes showed lower resistance to scratching, greater degree of swelling and higher brittleness than un-grafted P(3HB) films. Thus, it effectively supports the growth of dermal fibroblast, as demonstrated by epifluorescence microscopy. Conclusions: It is concluded that the developed membrane can be properly used in is the restoration of skin tissue.How to cite: González-Torres M, Sánchez-Sánchez R, Solís-Rosales SG, et al. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) graft copolymer dense membranes for human mesenchymal stem cell growth. Electron J Biotechnol 2018, 34; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2018.05.007. Keywords: Artificial extracellular matrix, Dense membranes, Membrane scaffolds, Mesenchymal, Methacrylate, Regenerative medicine, Scaffolds, Stem cell growth, Stem cell growth, Thermal properties, Thermal-remolde