Nanoscale Electrical Potential and Roughness of a Calcium Phosphate Surface Promotes the Osteogenic Phenotype of Stromal Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and osteoblasts respond to the surface electrical charge and topography of biomaterials. This work focuses on the connection between the roughness of calcium phosphate (CP) surfaces and their electrical potential (EP) at the micro- and nanoscales and the possible role of these parameters in jointly affecting human MSC osteogenic differentiation and maturation in vitro. A microarc CP coating was deposited on titanium substrates and characterized at the micro- and nanoscale. Human adult adipose-derived MSCs (hAMSCs) or prenatal stromal cells from the human lung (HLPSCs) were cultured on the CP surface to estimate MSC behavior. The roughness, nonuniform charge polarity, and EP of CP microarc coatings on a titanium substrate were shown to affect the osteogenic differentiation and maturation of hAMSCs and HLPSCs in vitro. The surface EP induced by the negative charge increased with increasing surface roughness at the microscale. The surface relief at the nanoscale had an impact on the sign of the EP. Negative electrical charges were mainly located within the micro- and nanosockets of the coating surface, whereas positive charges were detected predominantly at the nanorelief peaks. HLPSCs located in the sockets of the CP surface expressed the osteoblastic markers osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase. The CP multilevel topography induced charge polarity and an EP and overall promoted the osteoblast phenotype of HLPSCs. The negative sign of the EP and its magnitude at the micro- and nanosockets might be sensitive factors that can trigger osteoblastic differentiation and maturation of human stromal cells

Applied Research Stations and New Beam Transfer Lines at the NICA Accelerator Complex

International audienceApplied research at the NICA accelerator complex include the following areas that are under construction: single event effects testing on capsulated microchips (energy range of 150-500 MeV/n) at the Irradiation Setup for Components of Radioelectronic Apparature (ISCRA) and on decapsulated microchips (ion energy up to 3,2 MeV/n) at the Station of CHip Irradiation (SOCHI), space radiobiological research and modelling of influence of heavy charged particles on cognitive functions of the brain of small laboratory animals and primates (ener-gy range 500-1000 MeV/n) at the Setup for Investigation of Medical Biological Objects (SIMBO). Description of main systems and beam parameters at the ISCRA, SOCHI and SIMBO applied research stations is presented. The new beam transfer lines from the Nuclotron to ISCRA and SIMBO stations, and from HILAC to SOCHI station are being constructed. Description of the transfer lines layout, the magnets and diagnostic detectors, results of the beam dynamics simulations are described given