Establishment of Efficacy and Safety Assessment of Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hATMSCs) in a Nude Rat Femoral Segmental Defect Model

Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hATMSC) have emerged as a potentially powerful tool for bone repair, but an appropriate evaluation system has not been established. The purpose of this study was to establish a preclinical assessment system to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cell therapies in a nude rat bone defect model. Segmental defects (5 mm) were created in the femoral diaphyses and transplanted with cell media (control), hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate scaffolds (HA/TCP, Group I), hATMSCs (Group II), or three cell-loading density of hATMSC-loaded HA/TCP (Group III-V). Healing response was evaluated by serial radiography, micro-computed tomography and histology at 16 weeks. To address safety-concerns, we conducted a GLP-compliant toxicity study. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed that hATMSCs filled the pores/surfaces of scaffolds in a cell-loading density-dependent manner. We detected significant increases in bone formation in the hATMSC-loaded HA/TCP groups compared with other groups. The amount of new bone formation increased with increases in loaded cell number. In a toxicity study, no significant hATMSC-related changes were found in body weights, clinical signs, hematological/biochemical values, organ weights, or histopathological findings. In conclusion, hATMSCs loaded on HA/TCP enhance the repair of bone defects and was found to be safe under our preclinical efficacy/safety hybrid assessment system.

Histochemical comparative study of primary and metastatic tumors in nude rats xenotransplanted with KB cells / Estudo histoquímico comparativo da matriz extracelular dc tumores primários e metastáticos em ratos nude xenotransplantados com células KB

A comparative study of metastic and primitive tumors extra-celular matrix in nude rats, xenotransplanted with KB cells, using histochemical methods, was carried out. In both primitive and metastatic tumors it was possible to observe a qualitative and a quantitative variation of matricial components; coexistence of different kinds of fibers; small representation of elastic fibers; presence of acid and sulfated glycosaminoglycans and neutral polysacharyds, and also absence of basal membrane. It is suggested a small interaction between collagenic components and proteoglycan of primary tumors and the proteoglycan, whereas in métastasés this interaction is increased.

Estudou-se comparativamente, através de métodos histoquímicos, a expressão dos componentes da matriz extracelular de tumores primitivos e metastáticos em ratos nude, xenotransplantados com células KB. Em ambas as neoplasias observou-se uma variabilidade tanto qualitativa como quantitativa dos componentes matriciais, coexistência de diferentes tipos de fibras, pouca representatividade de fibras elásticas de glicosaminoglicanas ácidas e sulfatadas e de polissacarídeos neutros, além da ausência de membrana basal.