In vitro and in vivo Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma-Based Autologous Topical Serum on Cutaneous Wound Healing.

INTRODUCTION: Skin injury and wound healing is an inevitable event during lifetime. However, several complications may hamper the regeneration of the cutaneous tissue and lead to a chronic profile that prolongs patient recovery. Platelet-rich plasma is rising as an effective and safe alternative to the management of wounds. However, this technology presents some limitations such as the need for repeated blood extractions and health-care interventions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the use of an endogenous and storable topical serum (ES) derived from plasma rich in growth factors promoting wound healing, and to obtain preliminary data regarding its clinical and experimental effect over ulcerated skin models and patient care. METHODS: Human dermal fibroblast and 3D organotypic ulcerated skin models were used to assess ES over the main mechanisms of wound healing including cell migration, edge contraction, collagen synthesis, tissue damage, extracellular matrix remodeling, cell death, metabolic activity, and histomorphometry analysis. Additionally, 4 patients suffering from skin wounds were treated and clinically assessed. RESULTS: ES promoted dermal fibroblast migration, wound edge contraction, and collagen synthesis. When topically applied, ES increased collagen and elastin deposition and reduced tissue damage. The interstitial edema, structural integrity, and cell activity were also maintained, and apoptotic levels were reduced. Patients suffering from hard-to-heal wounds of different etiologies were treated with ES, and the ulcers healed completely within few weeks with no reported adverse events. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study suggests that ES might promote cutaneous wound healing and may be useful for accelerating the re-epithelization of skin ulcers.

A Complete In Vitro Toxicological Assessment of the Biological Effects of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles: From Acute Toxicity to Multi-Dose Subchronic Cytotoxicity Study.

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are of significant relevance due to their unique properties, which have been exploited for widespread applications. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) are one of most exploited ENM in the industry due to their excellent catalytic and multi-enzyme mimetic properties. Thus, the toxicological effects of these ENMs should be further studied. In this study, the acute and subchronic toxicity of CeO2-NPs were assessed. First, an in vitro multi-dose short-term (24 h) toxicological assessment was performed in three different cell lines: A549 and Calu3 were used to represented lung tissue and 3T3 was used as an interstitial tissue model. After that, a sub-chronic toxicity assessment (90 days) of these NPs was carried out on a realistic and well-established reconstituted primary human airway epithelial model (MucilAir™), cultured at the Air-Liquid Interface (ALI), to study the long-term effects of these particles. Results showed minor toxicity of CeO2-NPs in acute exposures. However, in subchronic exposures, cytotoxic and inflammatory responses were observed in the human airway epithelial model after 60 days of exposure to CeO2-NPs. These results suggest that acute toxicity approaches may underestimate the toxicological effect of some ENMs, highlighting the need for subchronic toxicological studies in order to accurately assess the toxicity of ENM and their cumulative effects in organisms.

Enfermedades mentales y nutrición saludable. Nuevas alternativas para su tratamiento / Healthy nutrition and mental disorders. New treatment alternatives

Los denominados trastornos mentales comunes (trastornos depresivos y de ansiedad) son patologías muy frecuentes en la población y tienen un impacto notable en las personas afectadas. Se revisarán la prevalencia de estos trastornos, así como los tratamientos clásicos y otros más novedosos basados en la nutrición. La OMS estima que la depresión afecta al 4,4% de la población mundial y los trastornos de ansiedad al 3,6%. Los tratamientos clásicos para estos trastornos se han basado principalmente en la combinación de psicoterapia y el uso de antidepresivos y ansiolíticos. Sin embargo, los incómodos efectos secundarios que presentan estos fármacos reducen su adherencia, contribuyendo a la disminución de su eficacia y a la cronificación de la enfermedad. Tras el descubrimiento del eje intestino microbiota-cerebro y la postulación de la comunicación bidireccional de la microbiota del tracto digestivo y del sistema nervioso central, los trabajos más recientes están centrando sus investigaciones en la influencia de la dieta sobre el estado anímico. De esta manera se han recabado evidencias científicas que promueven el uso de nutracéuticos de diferentes tipos como posibles coadyuvantes de las terapias farmacológicas para los trastornos mentales. Estos nutracéuticos están basados en probióticos de los géneros Lactobacillus y Bifidobacterium. Las últimas tendencias exploran el campo de los insectos como fuente de principios activos para la salud mental. Aunque se necesitan más estudios en este campo, existen ya evidencias de que la nutracéutica podría ser una alternativa para el tratamiento de la depresión y la ansiedad. (AU)

The so-called common mental disorders (depressive andanxiety disorders) are very common pathologies among thepopulation and their impact is very striking on the affected people. The prevalence of these disorders will be reviewed, as well as the classic and other novel treatments based on nutrition. WHO estimates that depression affects 4.4% and anxiety disorders 3.6% of the world's population. Classic treatments aremainly based on the combination of psychotherapy and antidepressants and anxiolytics. However, the unpleasantside-effects of these drugs reduce patients’ adherence, decreasing their efficacy and increasing the chronicity of the disease. Since the discovery of the brain-gut-microbiota axisand the bidirectional communication between gut microbiota and the central nervous system, most recent researches arefocusing on the influence of the diet on the mood. In this way, scientific evidences have been collected promoting the use of nutraceuticals as possible adjuvants for the treatment of mental disorders. These kinds of nutraceuticals are based on Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics. The latest trends explore the field of insects as source of active ingredients for mental health. Although more studies are needed in this field, there are already clear evidences supporting nutraceuticals as an alternative treatment for depression and anxiety. (AU)

Evaluation of the Influence of Astrocytes on In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Models.

In vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) models are a useful tool to screen the permeability and toxicity of new drugs. Currently, many different in vitro BBB models coexist, but none stands out as being notably better than the rest. Therefore, there is still a need to evaluate the quality of BBB models under various conditions and assess their ability to mimic the in vivo situation. In this study, two brain endothelial cell lines (bEnd.3 and hCMEC/D3) and two epithelial-like cell lines (MDCKII and Caco-2) were selected for BBB modelling purposes. They were grown as monolayers of a single cell type, under the following conditions: in coculture with either primary or immortalised astrocytes; or in the presence of primary or immortalised astrocyte-derived conditioned media. A total of 20 different BBB models were established in this manner, in order to assess the effects of the astroglial components on the BBB phenotype in each case. To this end, six parameters were studied: the expression of selected tight junction proteins; the enzyme activities of alkaline phosphatase and of gamma glutamyl transpeptidase; the transendothelial/transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER); restriction in paracellular transport; and efflux transporter inhibition were each evaluated and correlated. The results showed that coculturing with either primary or immortalised astrocytes led to a general improvement in all parameters studied, evidencing the contribution of this cell type to effective BBB formation. Furthermore, the permeability coefficient (P e) of the tracer molecule, Lucifer Yellow, correlated with three of the six parameters studied. In addition, this study highlights the potential for the use of the Lucifer Yellow P e value as an indicator of barrier integrity in in vitro BBB models, which could be useful for screening the permeability of new drugs.

Detection of Pathognomonic Biomarker PrPSc and the Contribution of Cell Free-Amplification Techniques to the Diagnosis of Prion Diseases.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases are rapidly progressive neurodegenerative diseases, the clinical manifestation of which can resemble other promptly evolving neurological maladies. Therefore, the unequivocal ante-mortem diagnosis is highly challenging and was only possible by histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of the brain at necropsy. Although surrogate biomarkers of neurological damage have become invaluable to complement clinical data and provide more accurate diagnostics at early stages, other neurodegenerative diseases show similar alterations hindering the differential diagnosis. To solve that, the detection of the pathognomonic biomarker of disease, PrPSc, the aberrantly folded isoform of the prion protein, could be used. However, the amounts in easily accessible tissues or body fluids at pre-clinical or early clinical stages are extremely low for the standard detection methods. The solution comes from the recent development of in vitro prion propagation techniques, such as Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) and Real Time-Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC), which have been already applied to detect minute amounts of PrPSc in different matrixes and make early diagnosis of prion diseases feasible in a near future. Herein, the most relevant tissues and body fluids in which PrPSc has been detected in animals and humans are being reviewed, especially those in which cell-free prion propagation systems have been used with diagnostic purposes.