In vitro potential of human bone marrow and umbilical cord vein mesenchymal stem cells to differentiate into insulin producing cells

Mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] derived from bone marrow are multi potent cells that have the capacity to trans-different!ate into a variety of cell types including insulin islet cells. However the efficiency is low. The aim of this study is to explore the potential of Marrow and Umbilical cord vein MSC to differentiate into functional islet like cells in vitro. BM-MSCs and UC-MSCs were obtained from healthy donors and were cultured. MSCs with high CD90, CD73, CD105, CD44 and very low CD34 and CD45 expression were differentiated into Islet-like cells, under defined conditions. Insulin and c-peptide positive cells were evaluated with immune-florescence and insulin release after glucose challenge was tested by ELISA. QRT-PCR was done to detect expression of insulin, Glut2, Nkx6.1 and Nkx2.2 at mRNA level. Our results showed that only BM-MSC can be differentiated to insulin secreting cells. About 15.8% +/- 2.6 and 13.5% +/- 5.5 of cells were positive for insulin and c-peptide, respectively. Our results revealed that expression of Insulin and Glut2 upregulated 20 fold changes at mRNA level. However they were not functional when treated by different concentration of glucose. Our results showed that only Human BM-MSCs, compared to umbilical cord vein MSCs, are able to differentiate into insulin producing cells in vitro

[Applications of quantum dots in cell tracking]

Tracking cells after transplantation is always one the main concerns of researchers in the field of regenerative medicine. Finding a tracer with long stability and low cytotoxicity can be considered as a solution for this issue. Semiconductor nanocrystals, also called quantum dots [QDs], have unique photophysical properties which make them as suitable candidate in this setting. Broad-range excitation, size-tunable narrow emission spectrum, high brightness and their exceptional resistance against photobleaching are among characteristics which enable the researchers to use these nanoparticles in long-term, multi-target and high sensitive in vivo imaging of live animals. However, due to the toxic components found in QDs core caution must be exercised in their clinical usage. This review summarizes the role of QDs in cellular tracking and is concerned about their potential cytotoxicity

applications of bone marrow-derived stem cells to induce tolerance and chimerism in organ transplantation

Progress in understanding the cellular and molecular biology of the immune system, in the second half of the 20th century brings the transplantation of replacement organs and tissues in clinical reality to cure disease. Immunosuppressive agents that are part of nearly every transplantation procedure, are toxic to some extent and their chronic use predisposes the patient to the development of infection and cancer. Alternatives to immunosuppression include modulation of host immune system to reduce the immune response and the induction of a state of immunologic tolerance. Induction of hematopoietic mixed chimerism through donor bone marrow transplantation offers a promising approach for tolerance induction as a prelude to organ transplantation. Furthermore, mesenchymal stromal cells have important effects on the host immune system and possess immune modulation properties that make them attractive for potential use in organ transplantation as immunosuppressant. Both modalities might potentially provide novel therapeutic options for treatment/prevention of rejection and/or repair of organ allografts through their multifaceted properties. In this review, evidences for the tolerogenic properties and mechanisms of hematopoietic mixed chimerism as well as mesenchymal stromal cells effects on allograft surveillance are summarized

Comparison of proliferation, senescence and differentiation into skeletal cell lineages of murine bone marrow-derived and amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells

While mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] have been Isolated from multiple tissue sources, the differences existed between the cells from different tissues have still remained to be clarified. This study compares MSCs from murine amniotic fluid [AF] with those from bone marrow [BM] tissues. AF and BM cells were collected from 10 NMRI mice at second weeks of their pregnancy and the culture was expanded. The isolated MSCs were then compared in terms of in vitro differentiation capacity, expansion rate and the percentages of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase [SA- beta-gal] positive-cells in their cultures. Either cell appeared to be able to differentiate into bone, cartilage and adipose cell lineage. AF-cells were observed to be more proliferative than BM-cells. The population doubling time [PDT] of AF-cells was 92.6 +/- 13.9 hours compared to 168 +/- 40 hours that was recorded for BM-cells. The percentage of SA- beta-gal positive-cells in AF-cell culture appeared to be significantly lower than that in BM-cell culture. Collectively, it seems that murine AF housed MSCs with a relatively higher proliferation property than BM-derived MSCs and a typical tripotent differentiation potential comparable with marrow MSCs, hence it would be as an appropriate source of MSCs for use in regenerative medicine related studies

Urinary iodine/creatinine ratio in patients with stomach cancer in Urmia, Islamic Republic of Iran

We carried out a case-control study is to investigate the relationship between iodine deficiency and stomach cancer. We compared the ratio of urinary iodine to urinary creatinine in 100 patients diagnosed with stomach cancer and 84 people in a control group. Mean urinary iodine levels were lower in the patients with stomach cancer, 61.9 micro g/g creatinine, compared to 101.7 micro g/g creatinine in the control group [P < 0.0001]. More of the cancer patients [49.0%] had severe iodine deficiency [< 25 micro g/g creatinine] than people in the control group [19.1%] [P< 0.0001]. We found the relationship between stomach cancer and iodine deficiency to be significant