Baculovirus-transduced, VEGF-expressing adipose-derived stem cell sheet for the treatment of myocardium infarction.

Cell sheet technology has been widely employed for the treatment of myocardial infarction (MI), but cell sheet fabrication generally requires the use of thermo-responsive dishes. Here we developed a method for the preparation of adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) sheet that obviated the need of thermo-responsive dishes. This method only required the seeding of rabbit ASC onto 6-well plates at an appropriate cell density and culture in appropriate medium, and the cells were able to develop into ASC sheet in 2 days. The ASC sheet allowed for transduction with the hybrid baculovirus at efficiencies >97%, conferring robust and prolonged (>35 days) overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The ASC sheet was easily detached by brief (10 s) trypsinization and saline wash, while retaining the extracellular matrix and desired physical properties. The ASC sheet formation and VEGF expression promoted cell survival under hypoxia in vitro. Epicardial implantation of the VEGF-expressing ASC sheet to rabbit MI models reduced the infarct size and improved cardiac functions to non-diseased levels, as judged from the left ventrical ejection fraction/myocardial perfusion. The VEGF-expressing ASC sheet also effectively prevented myocardial wall thinning, suppressed myocardium fibrosis and enhanced blood vessel formation. These data implicated the potential of this method for the preparation of genetically engineered ASC sheet and future MI treatment.

Regenerating cartilages by engineered ASCs: prolonged TGF-ß3/BMP-6 expression improved articular cartilage formation and restored zonal structure.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) hold promise for cartilage regeneration but their chondrogenesis potential is inferior. Here, we used a baculovirus (BV) system that exploited FLPo/Frt-mediated transgene recombination and episomal minicircle formation to genetically engineer rabbit ASCs (rASCs). The BV system conferred prolonged and robust TGF-ß3/BMP-6 expression in rASCs cultured in porous scaffolds, which critically augmented rASCs chondrogenesis and suppressed osteogenesis/hypertrophy, leading to the formation of cartilaginous constructs with improved maturity and mechanical properties in 2-week culture. Twelve weeks after implantation into full-thickness articular cartilage defects in rabbits, these engineered constructs regenerated neocartilages that resembled native hyaline cartilages in cell morphology, matrix composition and mechanical properties. The neocartilages also displayed cartilage-specific zonal structures without signs of hypertrophy and degeneration, and eventually integrated with host cartilages. In contrast, rASCs that transiently expressed TGF-ß3/BMP-6 underwent osteogenesis/hypertrophy and resulted in the formation of inferior cartilaginous constructs, which after implantation regenerated fibrocartilages. These data underscored the crucial role of TGF-ß3/BMP-6 expression level and duration in rASCs in the cell differentiation, constructs properties and in vivo repair. The BV-engineered rASCs that persistently express TGF-ß3/BMP-6 improved the chondrogenesis, in vitro cartilaginous constructs production and in vivo hyaline cartilage regeneration, thus representing a remarkable advance in cartilage engineering.