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BACKGROUND: Owing to the advantages of low sensitization and natural three-dimensional structure, good biocompatibility and cell affinity, acellular heart scaffold materials are of great current interest in cardiac tissue engineering. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cytocompatibility of an acellular heart scaffold of neonatal rats. METHODS: In order to construct the seed cell-scaffold complex, passage 3 bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) of Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats were cultured with an acellular heart scaffold of Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats for 7 and 14 days. Hematoxylin eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy were used to observe the growth of BMSCs in the scaffold. The cell-scaffold complex was induced in myocardial tissue lysate for 14 days. BMSCs with planar orientation differentiation for 14 and 20 days were used as control group. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of myosin heavy chain α-MHC and zinc finger transcription factor GATA-4 in BMSCs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed the acellular heart scaffold contained a large number of eosinophilic fibrous structures, and the cell number of cell-scaffold complex after co-culture for 14 days was higher than that after co-culture for 7 days. Under the scanning electron microscope, a large amount of cells adhered to the fiber surface of the acellular scaffold at 14 days of co-culture. (2) BMSCs with planar orientation differentiation for 14 and 20 days had the bamboo-like and myotube-like structures. In the cell-scaffold complex with planar orientation differentiation for 14 days, the expression of α-MHC and GATA-4 could be detected, and their expression levels fulfilled the requirement for the presence of bamboo-like cells and myotube-like structure. These results indicate that the acellular heart scaffold exhibits good cytocompatibility.
RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Shugan Jiangu Recipe (SJR) on bone mineral density (BMD) and serum bone metabolic biochemical markers in postmenopausal breast cancer patients with osteopenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 38 patients of postmenopausal women with breast cancer, who received aromatase inhibitors (AIs), were assigned to the treatment group (21 cases) and the control group (17 cases) by using random digit table. All patients took Caltrate D Tablet (containing Ca 600 mg and Vit D3 125 IU), one tablet daily. Patients in the treatment group took SJR, 6 g each time, twice daily for 6 successive months. The bone mineral density (BMD) level was detected before treatment and at months 6 after treatment. Levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), bone gla protein (BGP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and C-terminal telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The drug safety was also assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with before treatment, BMD of L2-4 and femur neck obviously increased in the treatment group at month 6 after treatment (P < 0.01), serum BALP and TRAP decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with before treatment, BMD of L2-4 and femur neck obviously decreased in the control group at month 6 after treatment (P < 0.05), serum BALP and TRAP increased (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, lumbar and femur neck BMD obviously increased, serum levels of BGP and BALP obviously decreased, and serum levels of CTX-II and TRAP obviously increased in the treatment group at month 6 after treatment (P < 0.01). No serious adverse event occurred during the treatment period. Bone fracture occurred in one case of the control group (5.8%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SJR could attenuate bone loss of postmenopausal women with breast cancer who received AIs, increase BMD and improve abnormal bone metabolism.</p>