Transplantation of Neuronal-Primed Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Hemiparkinsonian Rodents

Bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have shown promise in in vitro neuronal differentiation and in cellular therapy for neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson' disease. However, the effects of intracerebral transplantation are not well defined, and studies do not agreed on the optimal neuronal differentiation method. Here, we investigated three growth factor-based neuronal differentiation procedures (using FGF-2/EGF/PDGF/SHH/FGF-8/GDNF), and found all to be capable of eliciting an immature neural phenotype, in terms of cell morphology and gene/protein expression. The neuronal-priming (FGF-2/EGF) method induced neurosphere-like formation and the highest NES and NR4A2 expression by hMSCs. Transplantation of undifferentiated and neuronal-primed hMSCs into the striatum and substantia nigra of 6-OHDA-lesioned hemiparkinsonian rats revealed transient graft survival of 7 days, despite the reported immunosuppressive properties of MSCs and cyclosporine-immunosuppression of rats. Neither differentiation of hMSCs nor induction of host neurogenesis was observed at injection sites, and hMSCs continued producing mesodermal fibronectin. Strategies for improving engraftment and differentiation post-transplantation, such as prior in vitro neuronal-priming, nigral and striatal grafting, and co-transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells that promote neural regeneration, were unable to provide advantages. Innate inflammatory responses (Iba-1-positive microglia/macrophage and GFAP-positive astrocyte activation and accumulation) were detected around grafts within 7 days. Our findings indicate that growth factor-based methods allow hMSC differentiation toward immature neuronal-like cells, and contrary to previous reports, only transient survival and engraftment of hMSCs occurs following transplantation in immunosuppressed hemiparkinsonian rats. In addition, suppression of host innate inflammatory responses may be a key factor for improving hMSC survival and engraftment

Levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Three Organochlorine Pesticides in Fish from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides, have been shown to have many adverse human health effects. These contaminants therefore may pose a risk to Alaska Natives that follow a traditional diet high in marine mammals and fish, in which POPs bioaccumulate.This study examined the levels of PCBs and three pesticides [p, p'-DDE, mirex, and hexachlorobenzene (HCB)] in muscle tissue from nine fish species from several locations around the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The highest median PCB level was found in rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata, 285 ppb, wet weight), while the lowest level was found in rock greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus, 104 ppb, wet weight). Lipid adjusted PCB values were also calculated and significant interspecies differences were found. Again, rock sole had the highest level (68,536 ppb, lipid weight). Concerning the PCB congener patterns, the more highly chlorinated congeners were most common as would be expected due to their greater persistence. Among the pesticides, p, p'-DDE generally dominated, and the highest level was found in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka, 6.9 ppb, wet weight). The methodology developed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was used to calculate risk-based consumption limits for the analyzed fish species. For cancer health endpoints for PCBs, all species would trigger strict advisories of between two and six meals per year, depending upon species. For noncancer effects by PCBs, advisories of between seven and twenty-two meals per year were triggered. None of the pesticides triggered consumption limits.The fish analyzed, mainly from Adak, contain significant concentrations of POPs, in particular PCBs, which raises the question whether these fish are safe to eat, particularly for sensitive populations. However when assessing any risk of the traditional diet, one must also consider the many health and cultural benefits from eating fish

Illuminating the life of GPCRs

The investigation of biological systems highly depends on the possibilities that allow scientists to visualize and quantify biomolecules and their related activities in real-time and non-invasively. G-protein coupled receptors represent a family of very dynamic and highly regulated transmembrane proteins that are involved in various important physiological processes. Since their localization is not confined to the cell surface they have been a very attractive "moving target" and the understanding of their intracellular pathways as well as the identified protein-protein-interactions has had implications for therapeutic interventions. Recent and ongoing advances in both the establishment of a variety of labeling methods and the improvement of measuring and analyzing instrumentation, have made fluorescence techniques to an indispensable tool for GPCR imaging. The illumination of their complex life cycle, which includes receptor biosynthesis, membrane targeting, ligand binding, signaling, internalization, recycling and degradation, will provide new insights into the relationship between spatial receptor distribution and function. This review covers the existing technologies to track GPCRs in living cells. Fluorescent ligands, antibodies, auto-fluorescent proteins as well as the evolving technologies for chemical labeling with peptide- and protein-tags are described and their major applications concerning the GPCR life cycle are presented

Efeitos do alcoolismo e da desintoxicação alcoólica sobre o reparo e biomecânica óssea Effects of alcoholism and alcoholic detoxication on the repair and biomechanics of bone

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os efeitos do consumo crônico de etanol e da desintoxicação alcoólica sobre a resistência mecânica do osso e neoformação óssea junto a implantes de hidroxiapatita densa (HAD) realizados em ratos. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 15 ratos divididos em três grupos, sendo controle (CT), alcoolista crônico (AC) e desintoxicado (DE). Após quatro semanas, foi realizada implantação de HAD na tíbia e produzida falha no osso parietal, em seguida o grupo AC continuaram a consumir etanol e o grupo DE iniciaram a desintoxicação. Ao completar 13 semanas os animais sofreram eutanásia, os ossos foram coletados para o processamento histomorfométrico e os fêmures encaminhados ao teste mecânico de resistência. RESULTADOS: Os animais do grupo AC apresentaram menores valores de neoformação óssea, de calcemia e resistência mecânica, quando comparado aos grupos CT e DE. Os animais dos grupos DE apresentaram valores superiores em todas as variáveis avaliadas em relação ao grupo AC. CONCLUSÃO: O consumo de etanol interferiu na osteogênese ao redor de implante de HAD, nos níveis de cálcio e na resistência mecânica óssea. A desintoxicação alcoólica se mostrou eficaz, pois aumentou à osteogênese e osseointegração da HAD, a calcemia e resistência mecânica óssea. Nivel de Evidência I, estudo terapeutico.<br>OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of chronic ethanol consumption and alcohol detoxication on the mechanical resistance of bone and bone neoformation around dense hydroxyapatite implants (DHA) in rats. METHODS: Fifteen rats were separated into three groups: (1) control group (CT); (2) chronic alcoholic (CA), and (3) disintoxicated (DI). After four weeks, a DHA was implanted in the right tibia of the animals, and the CA group continued consuming ethanol, while the DI group started detoxication. The solid and liquid feeding of the animals was recorded, and a new alcohol dilution was effected every 48 hours. After 13 weeks, the animals were euthanized and their biological material was collected. RESULTS: Bone tissue was found around DHA in all the animals. Group CA showed less bone neoformation, lower levels of ionic and total calcium when compared to the animals of the CT and DI groups. The DI animals showed higher values in all the variables in relation to the CA group. CONCLUSION: Ethanol consumption interfered in osteogenesis around the DHA implants, and in calcium levels and mechanical bone resistance. Alcohol detoxication was effective, as it increased osteogenesis, DHA osteointegration, calcemia, and mechanical resistance of the bone. Level of Evidence: Level I, therapeutic studie