ABSTRACT
The effect of magnetic fields on the living systems is studied in vivo or in vitro in very broad spectrum of organisms, cells and tissues. The mechanism of their acting is not known until now. We studied low-frequency magnetic field effect on cytoskeleton and on the structure of chromatin in human cells. We used cell line of small lung carcinoma (A549) and the effects of magnetic field on cytoskeleton and higher-order chromatin structure were analyzed 96 h of magnetic field exposure. Magnetic field generated by the cylindrical soil was homogenous and the cells were cultivated at 37 degrees C in humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO(2). Magnetic field induction was B(m)=2 mT and the net frequency f=50 Hz. In such affected and control cells the F-actin was estimated using FITC-conjugated Phalloidin and mitochondria were studied using MitoTracker (Molecular Probes). Images of cytoskeleton and genetic loci were acquired using confocal microscopy and analysis was performed by FISH 2.0 software. Slight morphological changes of F-actin filaments and mitochondria were observed in affected cells and nuclear condensation was found. These effects could be related to the process of cell death apoptosis probably induced by magnetic field. The studies aimed at centromeric heterochromatin (9cen) did not show statistically significant changes. Therefore, we suggest that magnetic field has no influence on higher order chromatin structure but certain changes could be observed on the level of cytoskeleton. However, these statements need a thorough verification. Our preliminary experiments will be extended and the effect of magnetic field on another structures of cytoskeleton and cell nuclei will be further studied.
Subject(s)
Chromatin/metabolism , Cytoskeleton/metabolism , Electromagnetic Fields , Cell Line, Tumor , Centromere , Chromatin/chemistry , Chromatin/genetics , Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8/genetics , Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8/metabolism , HumansABSTRACT
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells with the ability to differentiate among all embryonic and adult cell lineages. Derivation of human ES cells opened up the way for treatment of many serious disorders by stem cell-based transplantation therapy. One of the most exciting challenges in development of transplantation therapies is to repair the damaged part of the organ or tissue by transplantation of undifferentiated ES cells or their differentiated derivatives within three-dimensional polymer scaffold. This method allows both renewal of structure and restoration of function of the organ. To address this issue, new polymer hydrogels were synthesized and tested. Cationic hydrogel slabs were synthesized by bulk radical copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) or 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) with N,N'-divinylethyleneurea (DVEU) or EDMA in the presence of saccharose or NaCl as a porogen. Swelling studies of the synthesized copolymers showed a high water content in the swollen state. Biocompatibility was studied with the use of feeder-independent mouse ES cell line D3. Cells grown either on the surface or inside synthesized polymer slabs suggest that the tested slabs are not toxic. The ability of ES cells to proliferate was only partially limited in PHEMA slabs crosslinked with EDMA compared with standard culture conditions. When cultured for a limited period of time, ES cells retained their undifferentiated state independently of properties of the hydrogel slabs, presence or absence of surface charges, type of crosslinking agent and matrix (PHEMA or PVP). Notably, prolonged culture in superporous hydrogel slabs initiated ES cell differentiation. Compared with unmodified PHEMA, the number of proliferating ES cells was still lower in the presence of cationic polymers.
Subject(s)
Biocompatible Materials/chemistry , Cell Culture Techniques , Hydrogels/chemistry , Polymers/chemistry , Stem Cells/physiology , Tissue Engineering/methods , Animals , Biocompatible Materials/metabolism , Biomarkers/metabolism , Cell Differentiation , Cell Lineage , Cell Shape , Cells, Cultured , Humans , Mice , Molecular Structure , Stem Cells/cytologyABSTRACT
Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) crosslinked with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) or N,O-dimethacryloylhydroxylamine (DMHA) was obtained in the form of slabs by bulk radical polymerization. Two porosity-inducing methods were investigated, phase separation using a low-molecular-weight porogen and a salt-leaching technique using NaCl and saccharose. Compared with the phase separation, the salt-leaching created open porous structures with voids of the size and shape of crystallites. To address its potentials in the context of stem cell therapies, undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells D3 (ES D3 cells) were seeded on the slabs and analyzed for the ability to grow on different types of non-degradable and/or degradable porous PHEMA hydrogels. The cells were able to proliferate only on PHEMA crosslinked with EDMA or 2 wt% DMHA. In order to assess the effect of gelatin, which is routinely used for ES cell cultures, PHEMA slabs were soaked in gelatin solutions and compared the number of cells on gelatin-treated and untreated slabs 4 days after cell seeding. Surprisingly, the number of cells was only slightly higher on gelatin-treated slabs.
Subject(s)
Biocompatible Materials/chemistry , Cell Culture Techniques/methods , Embryo, Mammalian/cytology , Hydroxylamines/chemistry , Methacrylates/chemistry , Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate/chemistry , Stem Cells/cytology , Animals , Biodegradation, Environmental , Cells, Cultured , Cross-Linking Reagents/pharmacology , Cyclohexanols/chemistry , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Hydrolysis , Indicators and Reagents , Mice , Microscopy, Electron , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Nitrogen/chemistry , Polymers/chemistry , Polymethacrylic Acids/chemistry , Sodium Chloride/chemistry , Sucrose/chemistry , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provides a noninvasive method for studying the fate of transplanted cells in vivo. We studied, in animals with a cortical photochemical lesion or with a balloon-induced spinal cord compression lesion, the fate of implanted rat bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Endorem). MSCs were colabeled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), and ESCs were transfected with pEGFP-C1 (eGFP ESCs). Cells were either grafted intracerebrally into the contralateral hemisphere of the adult rat brain or injected intravenously. In vivo MR imaging was used to track their fate; Prussian blue staining and electron microscopy confirmed the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles inside the cells. During the first week postimplantation, grafted cells migrated to the lesion site and populated the border zone of the lesion. Less than 3% of MSCs differentiated into neurons and none into astrocytes; 5% of eGFP ESCs differentiated into neurons, whereas 70% of eGFP ESCs became astrocytes. The implanted cells were visible on MR images as a hypointense area at the injection site, in the corpus callosum and in the lesion. The hypointense signal persisted for more than 50 days. The presence of GFP-positive or BrdU-positive and nanoparticle-labeled cells was confirmed by histological staining. Our study demonstrates that both grafted MSCs and eGFP ESCs labeled with a contrast agent based on iron oxide nanoparticles migrate into the injured CNS. Iron oxide nanoparticles can therefore be used as a marker for the long-term noninvasive MR tracking of implanted stem cells.
