Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2024 | Viewed by 4508

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alessia Peserico

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Interests: stem cell homing; nanoparticle assisted stem cell tracking; regenerative medicine ovarian follicologenesis in mammals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, stem cell therapy has become a very promising and advanced scientific research topic. Stem cells have the capability to self-renew and to differentiate into several cell types, and are involved in physiological regeneration processes.

In the context of tissue injury, stem cells have gained worldwide attention because of their immense potential for immunomodulation and their therapeutic function. Stem cells can migrate to tissue injury areas to contribute to immune modulation, secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines, and hide themselves from the immune system.

With so many stem cell replacement therapies currently going through clinical trials, there is a compelling need to understand the mechanisms behind a successful therapy, and one of the critical points of their discovery is to monitor and manage stem cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, and organization in vitro as well as in vivo. In this context, the use of biomaterials to manipulate stem cells providing control of their behavior and homing has received great interest, becoming a pivotal step for the development of innovative stem cell transplantation solutions.

This Special Issue aims to provide the latest updates on stem cells and their in vitro and in vivo applications in the regenerative medicine field, opening novel and advanced strategies for tissue-repairing processes and many other clinical applications.

Original articles, up-to-date review articles, and commentaries addressing this topic are all welcome.

Dr. Alessia Peserico
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

stem cells
stem cell homing
stem cell tracking
regeneration
tissue injury
immunomodulation
biomaterials
tissue-on-a-chip
organoids
differentiation

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Open AccessArticle

Integrative Analysis Reveals the Diverse Effects of 3D Stiffness upon Stem Cell Fate

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9311; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119311 - 26 May 2023

Viewed by 817

Abstract

The origin of life and native tissue development are dependent on the heterogeneity of pluripotent stem cells. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are located in a complicated niche with variable matrix stiffnesses, resulting in divergent stem cell fates. However, how stiffness drives stem cell fate remains unknown. For this study, we performed whole-gene transcriptomics and precise untargeted metabolomics sequencing to elucidate the complex interaction network of stem cell transcriptional and metabolic signals in extracellular matrices (ECMs) with different stiffnesses, and we propose a potential mechanism involved in stem cell fate decision. In a stiff (39~45 kPa) ECM, biosynthesis of aminoacyl-tRNA was up-regulated, and increased osteogenesis was also observed. In a soft (7~10 kPa) ECM, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and deposition of glycosaminoglycans were increased, accompanied by enhanced adipogenic/chondrogenic differentiation of BMMSCs. In addition, a panel of genes responding to the stiffness of the ECM were validated in vitro, mapping out the key signaling network that regulates stem cells’ fate decisions. This finding of “stiffness-dependent manipulation of stem cell fate” provides a novel molecular biological basis for development of potential therapeutic targets within tissue engineering, from both a cellular metabolic and a biomechanical perspective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

AEC and AFMSC Transplantation Preserves Fertility of Experimentally Induced Rat Varicocele by Expressing Differential Regenerative Mechanisms

Antonietta Rosa Silini

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(10), 8737; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24108737 - 14 May 2023

Viewed by 1011

Abstract

Amniotic membrane and amniotic fluid derived cells are regarded as a promising stem cell source for developing regenerative medicine techniques, although they have never been tested on male infertility diseases such as varicocele (VAR). The current study aimed to examine the effects of two distinct cell sources, human Amniotic Fluid Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (hAFMSCs) and amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs), on male fertility outcomes in a rat induced VAR model. To explain cell-dependent enhancement of reproductive outcomes in rats transplanted with hAECs and hAFMSCs, insights on testis morphology, endocannabinoid system (ECS) expression and inflammatory tissue response have been carried out alongside cell homing assessment. Both cell types survived 120 days post-transplantation by modulating the ECS main components, promoting proregenerative M2 macrophages (Mφ) recruitment and a favorable anti-inflammatory IL10 expression pattern. Of note, hAECs resulted to be more effective in restoring rat fertility rate by enhancing both structural and immunoresponse mechanisms. Moreover, immunofluorescence analysis revealed that hAECs contributed to CYP11A1 expression after transplantation, whereas hAFMSCs moved towards the expression of Sertoli cell marker, SOX9, confirming a different contribution into the mechanisms leading to testis homeostasis. These findings highlight, for the first time, a distinct role of amniotic membrane and amniotic fluid derived cells in male reproduction, thus proposing innovative targeted stem-based regenerative medicine protocols for remedying high-prevalence male infertility conditions such as VAR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Canine Amniotic Mesenchymal Stem Cell Conditioned Media on the Wound Healing Process: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Alexandra Valenčáková

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8214; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24098214 - 04 May 2023

Viewed by 889

Abstract

The aim of this study was to provide a beneficial treatment effect of mesenchymal stem cell products derived from the canine amniotic membrane (AM-MSC) on the complicated wound healing process in dogs. AM-MSCs were characterized in terms of morphology, phenotypic profile, and multilineage differentiation potential. The in vitro study of the effect of canine amniotic mesenchymal stem cell conditioned media (AMMSC-CM) on a primary skin fibroblast cell culture scratch assay showed a decrease in the measured scratch area of about 66.39% against the negative control (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium—32.55%) and the positive control (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium supplemented with FGF2, N2, B27, and EGF—82.077%) after 72 h treatment. In the experimental study, seven dogs with complicated nonhealing wounds were treated with a combination of antibiotics, NSAIDs, and local AMMSC-CM application. After 15 days of therapy, we observed a 98.47% reduction in the wound surface area as opposed to 57.135% in the control group treated by conventional therapy based on debridement of necrotic tissue, antibiotic therapy, pain management, and change of wound dressing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Adipose Tissue Depot Harvesting Site on the Multilineage Induction Capacity of Male Rat Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: An In Vitro Study

Hussein M. El-Husseiny

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 7513; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087513 - 19 Apr 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1237

Abstract

Recently, substantial attention has been paid toward adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) as a potential therapy in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Rat AdMSCs (r-AdMSCs) are frequently utilized. However, the influence of the adipose depot site on the multilineage differentiation potential of the r-AdMSCs is still ambiguous. Hence, the main objective of this study was to explore the influence of the adipose tissue harvesting location on the ability of r-AdMSCs to express the stem-cell-related markers and pluripotency genes, as well as their differentiation capacity, for the first time. Herein, we have isolated r-AdMSCs from the inguinal, epididymal, peri-renal, and back subcutaneous fats. Cells were compared in terms of their phenotype, immunophenotype, and expression of pluripotency genes using RT-PCR. Additionally, we investigated their potential for multilineage (adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic) induction using special stains confirmed by the expression of the related genes using RT-qPCR. All cells could positively express stem cell marker CD 90 and CD 105 with no significant in-between differences. However, they did not express the hematopoietic markers as CD 34 and CD 45. All cells could be induced successfully. However, epididymal and inguinal cells presented the highest capacity for adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation (21.36-fold and 11.63-fold for OPN, 29.69-fold and 26.68-fold for BMP2, and 37.67-fold and 22.35-fold for BSP, respectively, in epididymal and inguinal cells (p < 0.0001)). On the contrary, the subcutaneous cells exhibited a superior potential for chondrogenesis over the other sites (8.9-fold for CHM1 and 5.93-fold for ACAN, (p < 0.0001)). In conclusion, the adipose tissue harvesting site could influence the differentiation capacity of the isolated AdMSCs. To enhance the results of their employment in various regenerative cell-based therapies, it is thus vital to take the collection site selection into consideration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (4 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI