Using a developed co-culture device to evaluate the proliferation of bone marrow stem cells by stimulation with platelet-rich plasma and electromagnetic field.

BACKGROUNDS: Bone marrow stem cell can differentiate to osteoblast by growth factors, pulsed low-intensity ultrasound and electric magnetic field. In the research, bone marrow stem cells were cultured; bone marrow stem cells in culture can be stimulated by platelet-rich plasma and electric field. METHODS: The culture well of the co-cultivation device has a radius of 7.5 mm and a depth of 7 mm. It is divided into two sub-chambers separated by a 3 mm high and 1 mm wide barrier. The bone marrow stem cells were seeded at a density of 2 × 104 cells and the medium volume was 120µl. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or platelet-poor plasma (PPP) was added to the other sub-chamber at a volume of 10µl. The bone marrow stem cells were subjected to different electric fields (0 ~ 1 V/cm) at a frequency of 70 kHz for 60 min. RESULTS: The highest osteogenic capacity of bone marrow stem cells was achieved by addition of PRP to electric field stimulation (0.25 V/cm) resulted in a proliferation rate of 599.78%. In electric field stimulation (0.75 V/cm) with PPP, the proliferation rate was only 10.46%. CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow stem cell with PRP in the co-culture device combined with electric field at 0.25 V/cm strength significantly promoted the growth of bone marrow stem cells.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase modulates immune responses in activated astrocytes involving regulation of STAT3 activity.

BACKGROUND: Astrocyte activation is a common pathological feature in many brain diseases with neuroinflammation, and revealing the underlying mechanisms might shed light on the regulatory processes of the diseases. Recently, soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) has been proposed to affect neuroinflammation in brain injuries. However, the roles of astrocytic sEH in brains with neurodegeneration remain unclear. METHODS: The expression of astrocytic sEH in the brains of APPswe/PSEN1dE9 (APP/PS1) mice developing Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology was evaluated by confocal imaging. LPS-activated primary astrocytes with mRNA silencing or overexpression of sEH were used to investigate its regulatory roles in astrocyte activation and the induction of pro-inflammatory markers. Primary astrocytes isolated from a sEH knockout (sEH-/-) background were also applied. RESULTS: The immunoreactivity of sEH was increased in activated astrocytes in parallel with the progression of AD in APP/PS1 mice. Our data from primary astrocyte cultures further demonstrate that the overexpression of sEH ameliorated, while the silencing of sEH mRNA enhanced, the lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced expression of pro-inflammatory markers, such as inducible nitric oxide, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), and pro-inflammatory cytokines. These findings suggest that sEH negatively regulates astrocyte immune responses. Enhanced immune responses found in LPS-activated sEH-/- astrocytes also support the notion that the expression of sEH could suppress the immune responses during astrocyte activation. Similarly, sEH-/- mice that received intraperitoneal injection of LPS showed exacerbated astrocyte activation in the brain, as observed by the elevated expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and pro-inflammatory markers. Moreover, our data show that the phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was upregulated in activated astrocytes from sEH mouse brains, and the pharmacological blockade of STAT3 activity alleviated the pro-inflammatory effects of sEH deletion in LPS-activated primary astrocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence, for the first time, showing that sEH negatively regulates astrocytic immune responses and GFAP expression, while the underlying mechanism at least partly involves the downregulation of STAT3 phosphorylation. The discovery of a novel function for sEH in the negative control of astrocytic immune responses involving STAT3 activation confers further insights into the regulatory machinery of astrocyte activation during the development of neurodegeneration.

Stimulatory actions of a novel thiourea derivative on large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels.

In this study, we examine whether an anti-inflammatory thiourea derivative, compound #326, actions on ion channels. The effects of compound #326 on Ca2+ -activated K+ channels were evaluated by patch-clamp recordings obtained in cell-attached, inside-out or whole-cell configuration. In pituitary GH3 cells, compound #326 increased the amplitude of Ca2+ -activated K+ currents (IK(Ca) ) with an EC50 value of 11.6 µM, which was reversed by verruculogen, but not tolbutamide or TRAM-34. Under inside-out configuration, a bath application of compound #326 raised the probability of large-conductance Ca2+ -activated K+ (BKCa ) channels. The activation curve of BKCa channels was shifted to less depolarised potential with no modification of the gating charge of the curve; consequently, the difference of free energy was reduced in the presence of this compound. Compound #326-stimulated activity of BKCa channels is explained by a shortening of mean closed time, despite its inability to alter single-channel conductance. Neither delayed-rectifier nor erg-mediated K+ currents was modified. Compound #326 decreased the peak amplitude of voltage-gated Na+ current with no clear change in the overall current-voltage relationship of this current. In HEK293T cells expressing α-hSlo, compound #326 enhanced BKCa channels effectively. Intriguingly, the inhibitory actions of compound #326 on interleukin 1ß in lipopolysaccharide-activated microglia were significantly reversed by verruculogen, whereas BKCa channel inhibitors suppressed the expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase. The BKCa channels could be an important target for compound #326 if similar in vivo results occur, and the multi-functionality of BKCa channels in modulating microglial immunity merit further investigation.