[Stem cell-based cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction]. / Stammzellbasierte kardiale Regeneration nach Infarkt.

Myocardial infarction leads to an irreversible loss of vital myocardial cells. The transplantation of new cardiomyocytes into the heart was first described over 20 years ago and represents a straightforward approach to remuscularize a damaged heart. Due to the lack of human cells a clinical application seemed ambitious; however, dramatic progress in stem cell biology over the last two decades has paved the way towards a clinical application. This is especially important as the prognosis for patients with terminal heart failure is still poor. The transplantation of either cardiomyocytes or engineered heart tissue derived from pluripotent stem cells (either embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells) might represent a new regenerative approach. Transplantation of either cells or tissue constructs has now been evaluated in several preclinical models, which have demonstrated that an injured heart can be (partially) remuscularized; however, major hurdles towards a clinical application are the transplantation-related occurrence of arrhythmia, the potential tumorigenicity of pluripotent cells and the required immunosuppression. Several groups are working hard to solve these problems and we are optimistic that the first clinical studies will take place within the next few years.

Dimethylsulphopropionate (DMSP) and proline from the surface of the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus inhibit bacterial attachment.

It was demonstrated previously that polar and non-polar surface extracts of the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus collected during winter from the Kiel Bight (Germany) inhibited bacterial attachment at natural concentrations. The present study describes the bioassay-guided identification of the active metabolites from the polar fraction. Chromatographic separation on a size-exclusion liquid chromatography column and bioassays identified an active fraction that was further investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. This fraction contained the metabolites dimethylsulphopropionate (DMSP), proline and alanine. DMSP and proline caused the anti-attachment activity. The metabolites were further quantified on the algal surface together with its associated boundary layer. DMSP and proline were detected in the range 0.12-1.08 ng cm(-2) and 0.09-0.59 ng cm(-2), respectively. These metabolites were tested in the concentration range from 0.1 to 1000 ng cm(-2) against the attachment of five bacterial strains isolated from algae and sediment co-occurring with F. vesiculosus. The surface concentrations for 50% inhibition of attachment of these strains were always <0.38 ng cm(-2) for DMSP and in four cases <0.1 ng cm(-2) for proline, while one strain required 1.66 ng cm(-2) of proline for 50% inhibition. Two further bacterial strains that had been directly isolated from F. vesiculosus were also tested, but proved to be the least sensitive. This study shows that DMSP and proline have an ecologically relevant role as surface inhibitors against bacterial attachment on F. vesiculosus.

Surface-associated fucoxanthin mediates settlement of bacterial epiphytes on the rockweed Fucus vesiculosus.

The chemical defence against microfouling in the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus was investigated and an inhibitor of bacterial settlement was isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation of non-polar surface extracts. UV-vis and mass spectrometry were used to identify the compound as the carotenoid fucoxanthin. The metabolite was tested at the natural concentration (in a surface volume based assay) against the settlement of four bacterial strains isolated from F. vesiculosus and 11 strains isolated from co-occurring algae and marine sediment. Surface concentrations between 1.4 and 6 µg cm(-2) resulted in 50% inhibition of four of these isolates, which were studied in more detail using a surface area-based assay, while a fifth isolate proved to be less sensitive. The presence of fucoxanthin on the surface of F. vesiculosus was demonstrated with two different surface extraction methods. Fucoxanthin was detected at concentrations between 0.7 and 9 µg cm(-2) on the algal surface. Fucoxanthin was still present at the algal surface after removal of associated diatoms through mechanical cleaning and germanium dioxide treatment and was thus mainly produced by F. vesiculosus rather than by diatoms. Thus, the photosynthetic pigment fucoxanthin appears to be ecologically relevant as a surface-associated antimicrobial agent, acting against the settlement of bacteria on the surface of the macroalga F. vesiculosus.