scholarly journals Morphometric analysis of spread platelets identifies integrin αIIbβ3-specific contractile phenotype

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Lickert ◽  
Simona Sorrentino ◽  
Jan-Dirk Studt ◽  
Ohad Medalia ◽  
Viola Vogel ◽  
...  

AbstractHaemostatic platelet function is intimately linked to cellular mechanics and cytoskeletal morphology. How cytoskeletal reorganizations give rise to a highly contractile phenotype that is necessary for clot contraction remains poorly understood. To elucidate this processin vitro, we developed a morphometric screen to quantify the spatial organization of actin fibres and vinculin adhesion sites in single spread platelets. Platelets from healthy donors predominantly adopted a bipolar morphology on fibrinogen and fibronectin, whereas distinguishable, more isotropic phenotypes on collagen type I or laminin. Specific integrin αIIbβ3inhibitors induced an isotropic cytoskeletal organization in a dose-dependent manner. The same trend was observed with decreasing matrix stiffness. Circular F-actin arrangements in platelets from a patient with type II Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT) were consistent with the residual activity of a small number of αIIbβ3integrins. Cytoskeletal morphologiesin vitrocan thus inform about platelet adhesion receptor identity and functionality, and integrin αIIbβ3mechanotransduction fundamentally determines the adoption of a highly contractile bipolar phenotype. Super-resolution microscopy and electron microscopies further confirmed the stress fibre-like contractile actin architecture. For the first time, our assay allows the unbiased and quantitative assessment of platelet morphologies and could help to identify defective platelet contractility contributing to elusive bleeding phenotypes.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (22.2) ◽  
pp. 155-164
Author(s):  
Liang Zhang

Background: There is an increasing local application of methylene blue (MB) in the treatment of discogenic low back pain (LBP) and percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) procedures. MB could generate DNA damage and induce apoptosis in different cell types; however, the effects of MB on intervertebral disc (IVD) annulus fibrosus (AF) cells are not clearly understood. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different concentrations of MB on rat AF cells in vitro. Study Design: This study used an experimental design. Setting: This research was conducted at the Orthopaedic Institute of the Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University. Methods: AF cells were isolated and cultured with different concentrations of MB (0, 2, 20, and 200 μg/mL) and assessed to determine the possible cytotoxic effects of MB. The cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The inverted phase-contrast microscopy was used to perform morphological observation of apoptotic cells, and flow cytometry was used to measure the incidence of cell apoptosis. The mRNA and protein expression levels of apoptosis-associated genes (caspase-3, Bcl-2, and Bax) and other related genes (collagen type I, transforming growth factor β1 [TGF-β1], fibroblast growth factor [bFGF], and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 [TIMP-1]) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. Results: Our results indicated that MB reduced cell viability in a concentration- and timedependent manner. MB also induced marked AF cell apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner observed by inverted phase-contrast microscopy, flow cytometry, and indicated by the increased expression of caspase-3. Both RT-PCR and Western blotting revealed significant upregulation of Bax and caspase-3 expression levels accompanied by decreased expression of Bcl2 in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, collagen type I, TGF-β1, bFGF, and TIMP-1 mRNA and protein levels were also found to be decreased by MB in a concentration-dependent manner. Limitations: Limitations of this study were the in vitro study design and lack of in vivo validation of the observed effects of MB on human IVD cells. Conclusions: Our results indicate that a high concentration of MB can not only inhibit proliferation and paracrine function of AF cells, but can also induce cell apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that it is necessary to choose low concentrations of MB in practical application and limit the use of MB in the treatment of discogenic LBP to research protocols. Key words: Methylene blue, annulus fibrosus cell, proliferation, apoptosis, paracrine


MRS Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (21) ◽  
pp. 1253-1259
Author(s):  
Weiguo Han ◽  
Haley Cummings ◽  
Murali Krishna Duvuuru ◽  
Sarah Fleck ◽  
Sahar Vahabzadeh ◽  
...  

AbstractTricalcium phosphate (TCP) is a promising candidate in bone and dental tissue engineering applications. Though osteoconductive, its low osteoinductivity is a major concern. Trace elements addition at low concentrations are known for their impact on not only the osteoinductivity, but also physical and mechanical properties of TCP. Copper (Cu) is known for its role in vascularization and angiogenesis in biological systems. Here, we studied the effects of Cu addition on phase composition, porosity, microstructure and in vitro interaction with osteoblast (OB) cells. Our results showed that Cu stabilized the TCP structure, while no significant effect of microstructure and porosity was found. Cu at concentrations less than 1 wt.% did not have any cytotoxic effect while decreased proliferation of OBs were observed at 1 wt.% Cu doped TCP. Addition of Cu upregulated collagen type I and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in a dose dependent manner at early time-point. Furthermore, Cu reduced inflammatory gene expression by human osteoblasts. These findings show that addition of Cu to TCP may provide a therapeutic strategy that can be applied in bone tissue engineering applications.


2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (5) ◽  
pp. L971-L977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiko Moriyama ◽  
Satoru Fukuyama ◽  
Hiromasa Inoue ◽  
Takafumi Matsumoto ◽  
Takahiro Sato ◽  
...  

Neuromedin U (NMU) is a neuropeptide expressed not only in the central nervous system but also in various organs, including the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. NMU interacts with two G protein-coupled receptors, NMU-R1 and NMU-R2. Although NMU-R2 is expressed in a specific region of the brain, NMU-R1 is expressed in various peripheral tissues, including immune and hematopoietic cells. Our recent study demonstrated an important role of NMU in mast cell-mediated inflammation. In this study, we showed that airway eosinophilia was reduced in NMU-deficient mice in an allergen-induced asthma model. There were no differences in the antigen-induced Th2 responses between wild-type and NMU knockout mice. NMU-R1 was highly expressed in the eosinophil cell line, and NMU directly induced Ca2+mobilization and extracellular/signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation. NMU also induced cell adhesion to components of the extracellular matrix (fibronectin and collagen type I), and chemotaxis in vitro. Furthermore, NMU-R1 was also expressed in human peripheral blood eosinophils, and NMU induced cell adhesion in a dose-dependent manner. These data indicate that NMU promotes eosinophil infiltration into inflammatory sites by directly activating eosinophils. Our study suggests that NMU receptor antagonists could be novel targets for pharmacological inhibition of allergic inflammatory diseases, including asthma.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (21) ◽  
pp. 11903
Author(s):  
Jarmila Knitlova ◽  
Martina Doubkova ◽  
Adam Eckhardt ◽  
Martin Ostadal ◽  
Jana Musilkova ◽  
...  

Congenital clubfoot is a complex musculoskeletal deformity, in which a stiff, contracted tissue forms in the medial part of the foot. Fibrotic changes are associated with increased collagen deposition and lysyl oxidase (LOX)‑mediated crosslinking, which impair collagen degradation and increase the tissue stiffness. First, we studied collagen deposition, as well as the expression of collagen and the amount of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline crosslinks in the tissue of relapsed clubfoot by immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We then isolated fibroblast‑like cells from the contracted tissue to study the potential inhibition of these processes in vitro. We assessed the effects of a LOX inhibitor, β‑aminopropionitrile (BAPN), on the cells by a hydroxyproline assay, ELISA, and Second Harmonic Generation imaging. We also evaluated the cell-mediated contraction of extracellular matrix in 3D cell‑populated collagen gels. For the first time, we have confirmed significantly increased crosslinking and excessive collagen type I deposition in the clubfoot-contracted tissue. We successfully reduced these processes in vitro in a dose-dependent manner with 10–40 µg/mL of BAPN, and we observed an increasing trend in the inhibition of the cell‑mediated contraction of collagen gels. The in vitro inhibitory effects indicate that BAPN has good potential for the treatment of relapsed and resistant clubfeet.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Britani N. Blackstone ◽  
Summer C. Gallentine ◽  
Heather M. Powell

Collagen is a key component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in organs and tissues throughout the body and is used for many tissue engineering applications. Electrospinning of collagen can produce scaffolds in a wide variety of shapes, fiber diameters and porosities to match that of the native ECM. This systematic review aims to pool data from available manuscripts on electrospun collagen and tissue engineering to provide insight into the connection between source material, solvent, crosslinking method and functional outcomes. D-banding was most often observed in electrospun collagen formed using collagen type I isolated from calfskin, often isolated within the laboratory, with short solution solubilization times. All physical and chemical methods of crosslinking utilized imparted resistance to degradation and increased strength. Cytotoxicity was observed at high concentrations of crosslinking agents and when abbreviated rinsing protocols were utilized. Collagen and collagen-based scaffolds were capable of forming engineered tissues in vitro and in vivo with high similarity to the native structures.


1991 ◽  
Vol 274 (2) ◽  
pp. 615-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Kern ◽  
M Menasche ◽  
L Robert

The biosynthesis of type I, type V and type VI collagens was studied by incubation of calf corneas in vitro with [3H]proline as a marker. Pepsin-solubilized collagen types were isolated by salt fractionation and quantified by SDS/PAGE. Expressed as proportions of the total hydroxyproline solubilized, corneal stroma comprised 75% type I, 8% type V and 17% type VI collagen. The rates of [3H]proline incorporation, linear up to 24 h for each collagen type, were highest for type VI collagen and lowest for type I collagen. From pulse-chase experiments, the calculated apparent half-lives for types I, V and VI collagens were 36 h, 10 h and 6 h respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 394
Author(s):  
Simone Krueger ◽  
Alexander Riess ◽  
Anika Jonitz-Heincke ◽  
Alina Weizel ◽  
Anika Seyfarth ◽  
...  

In cell-based therapies for cartilage lesions, the main problem is still the formation of fibrous cartilage, caused by underlying de-differentiation processes ex vivo. Biophysical stimulation is a promising approach to optimize cell-based procedures and to adapt them more closely to physiological conditions. The occurrence of mechano-electrical transduction phenomena within cartilage tissue is physiological and based on streaming and diffusion potentials. The application of exogenous electric fields can be used to mimic endogenous fields and, thus, support the differentiation of chondrocytes in vitro. For this purpose, we have developed a new device for electrical stimulation of chondrocytes, which operates on the basis of capacitive coupling of alternating electric fields. The reusable and sterilizable stimulation device allows the simultaneous use of 12 cavities with independently applicable fields using only one main supply. The first parameter settings for the stimulation of human non-degenerative chondrocytes, seeded on collagen type I elastin-based scaffolds, were derived from numerical electric field simulations. Our first results suggest that applied alternating electric fields induce chondrogenic re-differentiation at the gene and especially at the protein level of human de-differentiated chondrocytes in a frequency-dependent manner. In future studies, further parameter optimizations will be performed to improve the differentiation capacity of human cartilage cells.


Author(s):  
Michel Haagdorens ◽  
Elle Edin ◽  
Per Fagerholm ◽  
Marc Groleau ◽  
Zvi Shtein ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose To determine feasibility of plant-derived recombinant human collagen type I (RHCI) for use in corneal regenerative implants Methods RHCI was crosslinked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) to form hydrogels. Application of shear force to liquid crystalline RHCI aligned the collagen fibrils. Both aligned and random hydrogels were evaluated for mechanical and optical properties, as well as in vitro biocompatibility. Further evaluation was performed in vivo by subcutaneous implantation in rats and corneal implantation in Göttingen minipigs. Results Spontaneous crosslinking of randomly aligned RHCI (rRHCI) formed robust, transparent hydrogels that were sufficient for implantation. Aligning the RHCI (aRHCI) resulted in thicker collagen fibrils forming an opaque hydrogel with insufficient transverse mechanical strength for surgical manipulation. rRHCI showed minimal inflammation when implanted subcutaneously in rats. The corneal implants in minipigs showed that rRHCI hydrogels promoted regeneration of corneal epithelium, stroma, and nerves; some myofibroblasts were seen in the regenerated neo-corneas. Conclusion Plant-derived RHCI was used to fabricate a hydrogel that is transparent, mechanically stable, and biocompatible when grafted as corneal implants in minipigs. Plant-derived collagen is determined to be a safe alternative to allografts, animal collagens, or yeast-derived recombinant human collagen for tissue engineering applications. The main advantage is that unlike donor corneas or yeast-produced collagen, the RHCI supply is potentially unlimited due to the high yields of this production method. Lay Summary A severe shortage of human-donor corneas for transplantation has led scientists to develop synthetic alternatives. Here, recombinant human collagen type I made of tobacco plants through genetic engineering was tested for use in making corneal implants. We made strong, transparent hydrogels that were tested by implanting subcutaneously in rats and in the corneas of minipigs. We showed that the plant collagen was biocompatible and was able to stably regenerate the corneas of minipigs comparable to yeast-produced recombinant collagen that we previously tested in clinical trials. The advantage of the plant collagen is that the supply is potentially limitless.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1094.1-1094
Author(s):  
A. S. Siebuhr ◽  
P. Juhl ◽  
M. Karsdal ◽  
A. C. Bay-Jensen

Background:Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is known to have both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties, depending on the receptor activation. The classical IL-6 signaling via the membrane bound receptor is mainly anti-inflammatory, whereas signaling through the soluble receptor (sIL-6R) is pro-inflammatory/pro-fibrotic. However, the direct fibrotic effect of IL-6 stimulation on dermal fibroblasts is unknown.Objectives:We investigated the fibrotic effect of IL-6 + sIL-6R in a dermal fibroblast model and assessed fibrosis by neo-epitope biomarkers of extracellular matrix proteins.Methods:Primary healthy human dermal fibroblasts were grown for up to 17 days in DMEM medium with 0.4% fetal calf serum, ficoll (to produce a crowded environment) and ascorbic acid. IL-6 [1-90 nM]+sIL-6R [0.1-9 nM] alone or in combination with TGFβ [1 nM] were tested in three different donors. TGFβ [1 nM], PDGF-AB [3 nM] and non-stimulated cells (w/o) were used as controls. Tocilizumab (TCZ) with TGFβ + IL-6 + sIL-6R stimulation was tested in one donor. Collagen type I, III and VI formation (PRO-C1, PRO-C3 and PRO-C6) and fibronectin (FBN-C) were evaluated by validated ELISAs (Nordic Bioscience). Western blot analysis investigated signal cascades. Gene expression of selected ECM proteins was analyzed. Statistical analyses included One-way and 2-way ANOVA and area under the curve analysis.Results:formation by the end of the culture period. The fibronectin and collagen type VI signal were consistent between the three tested donors, whereas the formation of type III collagen was only increased in one donor, but in several trials. Type I collagen formation was unchanged by IL-6 + sIL-6R stimulation. The gene expression of type I collagen was induced by IL-6 + sIL-6R. Western blot analysis validated trans-signaling by the IL-6+sIL-6R stimulation as expected.IL-6 + sIL-6R stimulation in combination with TGFβ decreased fibronectin levels compared to TGFβ alone but did not reach the level of unstimulated fibroblasts. The formation of collagen type IV was generally unchanged with IL-6 + sIL-6R + TGFβ compared to TGFβ alone. Collagen type I and III formation was more scattered in the signals when IL-6 + sIL-6R was in combination with TGFβ, as the biomarker level could be either decreased or increased compared to TGFβ alone. In two studies the type I collagen level was synergistic increased by IL-6 + sIL-6R + TGFβ, whereas another study found the level to be decreased compared to TGFβ alone. The gene expression of fibronectin and type I collagen was increased with TGFβ +IL-6+sIL-6R compared to TGFβ alone.Inhibition of IL-6R by TCZ in combination with IL-6 + sIL-6R did only decrease the fibronectin level with the lowest TCZ concentration (p=0.03). TCZ alone decreased the fibronectin level in a dose-dependent manner (One-way ANOVA p=0.0002).Conclusion:We investigated the fibrotic response of dermal fibroblasts to IL-6 + sIL-6R stimulation. IL-6 modulated the fibronectin level and modulated the collagen type III formation level in a somewhat dose-dependent manner. In combination with TGFβ, IL-6 decreased collagen type I and IV formation and fibronectin. However, in this study inhibition of IL-6R by TCZ did not change the fibrotic response of the dermal fibroblasts. This study indicated that IL-6 did not induce collagen formation in dermal fibroblasts, except type III collagen formation with high IL-6 concentration.Figure:Disclosure of Interests:Anne Sofie Siebuhr Employee of: Nordic Bioscience, Pernille Juhl Employee of: Nordic Bioscience, Morten Karsdal Shareholder of: Nordic Bioscience A/S., Employee of: Full time employee at Nordic Bioscience A/S., Anne-Christine Bay-Jensen Shareholder of: Nordic Bioscience A/S, Employee of: Full time employee at Nordic Bioscience A/S.


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