Tracheal Repair with Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Differentiated in Chondrocytes Grown on an Acellular Amniotic Membrane: A Pre-Clinical Approach.

Acellular amniotic membrane (AM) has been studied, with promising results on the reconstruction of lesioned tissues, and has become an attractive approach for tracheal repair. This study aimed to evaluate the repair of the trachea with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) differentiated in chondrocytes, grown on an experimental model. Tracheal defects were induced by surgical tracheostomy in 30 New Zealand rabbits, and the acellular amniotic membrane, with or without cells, was covering the defect. The hucMSCs were isolated and cultivated with chondrogenic differentiation over the culture of 14 days, and then grown on the AM. In this study, the AM was biocompatible and hucMSCs differentiated into chondrocytes. Our results demonstrated an important role for AM with cultured cells in the promotion of immature collagen, known to produce tissue regeneration. In addition, cartilaginous tissue was found at the tracheal defects, demonstrated by immunohistology results. This study suggests that this biomaterial implantation can be an effective future therapeutic alternative for patients with tracheal injury.

Stem cell therapy in heart diseases: a review of selected new perspectives, practical considerations and clinical applications.

Degeneration of cardiac tissues is considered a major cause of mortality in the western world and is expected to be a greater problem in the forthcoming decades. Cardiac damage is associated with dysfunction and irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes. Stem cell therapy for ischemic heart failure is very promising approach in cardiovascular medicine. Initial trials have indicated the ability of cardiomyocytes to regenerate after myocardial injury. These preliminary trials aim to translate cardiac regeneration strategies into clinical practice. In spite of advances, current therapeutic strategies to ischemic heart failure remain very limited. Moreover, major obstacles still need to be solved before stem cell therapy can be fully applied. This review addresses the current state of research and experimental data regarding embryonic stem cells (ESCs), myoblast transplantation, histological and functional analysis of transplantation of co-cultured myoblasts and mesenchymal stem cells, as well as comparison between mononuclear and mesenchymal stem cells in a model of myocardium infarction. We also discuss how research with stem cell transplantation could translate to improvement of cardiac function.