| 1. |
- Dietrich-Zagonel, Franciele, et al.
(author)
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Stimulation of Tendon Healing With Delayed Dexamethasone Treatment Is Modified by the Microbiome
- 2018
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In: American Journal of Sports Medicine. - : Sage Publications. - 0363-5465 .- 1552-3365. ; 46:13, s. 3281-3287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background:The immune system reflects the microbiome (microbiota). Modulation of the immune system during early tendon remodeling by dexamethasone treatment can improve rat Achilles tendon healing. The authors tested whether changes in the microbiota could influence the effect of dexamethasone treatment.Hypothesis:A change in microbiome would influence the response to dexamethasone on regenerate remodeling, specifically tendon material properties (peak stress).Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Specific opportunist and pathogen-free female rats were housed separately (n = 41) or together with specific pathogen-free rats carrying opportunistic microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus (n = 41). After 6 weeks, all co-housed rats appeared healthy but now carried S aureus. Changes in the gut bacterial flora were tested by API and RapID biochemical tests. All rats (clean and contaminated) underwent Achilles tendon transection under aseptic conditions. Flow cytometry was performed 8 days postoperatively on tendon tissue. Sixty rats received subcutaneous dexamethasone or saline injections on days 5 through 9 after transection. The tendons were tested mechanically on day 12. The predetermined primary outcome was the interaction between contamination and dexamethasone regarding peak stress, tested by 2-way analysis of variance.Results:Dexamethasone increased peak stress in all groups but more in contaminated rats (105%) than in clean rats (53%) (interaction, P = .018). A similar interaction was found for an estimate of elastic modulus (P = .021). Furthermore, dexamethasone treatment reduced transverse area but had small effects on peak force and stiffness. In rats treated with saline only, contamination reduced peak stress by 16% (P = .04) and elastic modulus by 35% (P = .004). Contamination led to changes in the gut bacterial flora and higher levels of T cells (CD3+CD4+) in the healing tendon (P < .05).Conclusion:Changes in the microbiome influence tendon healing and enhance the positive effects of dexamethasone treatment during the early remodeling phase of tendon healing.Clinical Relevance:The positive effect of dexamethasone on early tendon remodeling in rats is strikingly strong. If similar effects could be shown in humans, immune modulation by a few days of systemic corticosteroids, or more specific compounds, could open new approaches to rehabilitation after tendon injury.
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| 3. |
- Gelmi, Amy, et al.
(author)
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Influence of conductive polymer doping on the viability of cardiac progenitor cells
- 2014
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In: Journal of materials chemistry. B. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-750X .- 2050-7518. ; 2:24, s. 3860-3867
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cardiac tissue engineering via the use of stem cells is the future for repairing impaired heart function that results from a myocardial infarction. Developing an optimised platform to support the stem cells is vital to realising this, and through utilising new smart materials such as conductive polymers we can provide a multi-pronged approach to supporting and stimulating the stem cells via engineered surface properties, electrical, and electromechanical stimulation. Here we present a fundamental study on the viability of cardiac progenitor cells on conductive polymer surfaces, focusing on the impact of surface properties such as roughness, surface energy, and surface chemistry with variation of the polymer dopant molecules. The conductive polymer materials were shown to provide a viable support for both endothelial and cardiac progenitor cells, while the surface energy and roughness were observed to influence viability for both progenitor cell types. Characterising the interaction between the cardiac progenitor cells and the conductive polymer surface is a critical step towards optimising these materials for cardiac tissue regeneration, and this study will advance the limited knowledge on biomaterial surface interactions with cardiac cells.
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| 5. |
- Haagdorens, Michel, et al.
(author)
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Plant Recombinant Human Collagen Type I Hydrogels for Corneal Regeneration
- 2022
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In: REGENERATIVE ENGINEERING AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE. - : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 2364-4133 .- 2364-4141. ; 8:2, s. 269-283
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose To determine feasibility of plant-derived recombinant human collagen type I (RHCI) for use in corneal regenerative implantsMethods RHCI was crosslinked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) to form hydrogels. Application of shear force to liquid crystalline RHCI aligned the collagen fibrils. Both aligned and random hydrogels were evaluated for mechanical and optical properties, as well as in vitro biocompatibility. Further evaluation was performed in vivo by subcutaneous implantation in rats and corneal implantation in Gottingen minipigs.Results Spontaneous crosslinking of randomly aligned RHCI (rRHCI) formed robust, transparent hydrogels that were sufficient for implantation. Aligning the RHCI (aRHCI) resulted in thicker collagen fibrils forming an opaque hydrogel with insufficient transverse mechanical strength for surgical manipulation. rRHCI showed minimal inflammation when implanted subcutaneously in rats. The corneal implants in minipigs showed that rRHCI hydrogels promoted regeneration of corneal epithelium, stroma, and nerves; some myofibroblasts were seen in the regenerated neo-corneas.Conclusion Plant-derived RHCI was used to fabricate a hydrogel that is transparent, mechanically stable, and biocompatible when grafted as corneal implants in minipigs. Plant-derived collagen is determined to be a safe alternative to allografts, animal collagens, or yeast-derived recombinant human collagen for tissue engineering applications. The main advantage is that unlike donor corneas or yeast-produced collagen, the RHCI supply is potentially unlimited due to the high yields of this production method. Lay Summary A severe shortage of human-donor corneas for transplantation has led scientists to develop synthetic alternatives. Here, recombinant human collagen type I made of tobacco plants through genetic engineering was tested for use in making corneal implants. We made strong, transparent hydrogels that were tested by implanting subcutaneously in rats and in the corneas of minipigs. We showed that the plant collagen was biocompatible and was able to stably regenerate the corneas of minipigs comparable to yeast-produced recombinant collagen that we previously tested in clinical trials. The advantage of the plant collagen is that the supply is potentially limitless.
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| 6. |
- Henningsson, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Low risk of seroconversion or clinical disease in humans after a bite by an Anaplasma phagocytophilum-infected tick
- 2015
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In: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 6:6, s. 787-792
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The risk of contracting human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) after a tick bite is mainly unknown. In this study we investigated the clinical and serological response in 30 humans bitten by ticks positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Group A), 30 humans bitten by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.)-positive ticks (Group B), and 30 humans bitten by ticks negative for both A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. (Group C). Ticks, blood samples and questionnaires were collected from tick-bitten humans at 34 primary healthcare centres in Sweden and in the Åland Islands, Finland, at the time of the tick bite and after three months. A total of 2553 ticks detached from humans in 2007-2009 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and 31 (1.2%) were positive for A. phagocytophilum, 556 (21.8%) were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l., and eight (0.3%) were co-infected by A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. The overall prevalence of Anaplasma IgG antibodies in the included participants (n=90) was 17%, and there was no significant difference between the groups A-C. Only one of the participants (in Group C) showed a four-fold increase of IgG antibodies against A. phagocytophilum at the three-month follow-up, but reported no symptoms. The frequency of reported symptoms did not differ between groups A-C, and was unrelated to the findings of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. in the detached ticks. We conclude that the risk for HGA or asymptomatic seroconversion after a tick bite in Sweden or in the Åland Islands is low, even if the tick is infected by A. phagocytophilum.
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| 7. |
- Islam, Mohammad Mirazul, et al.
(author)
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Self-assembled collagen-like-peptide implants as alternatives to human donor corneal transplantation
- 2016
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In: RSC Advances. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2046-2069. ; 6:61, s. 55745-55749
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Extracellular matrix proteins like collagen promote regeneration as implants in clinical studies. However, collagens are large and unwieldy proteins, making small functional peptide analogs potentially ideal substitutes. Self-assembling collagen-like-peptides conjugated with PEG-maleimide were assembled into hydrogels. When tested pre-clinically as corneal implants in mini-pigs, they promoted cell and nerve regeneration, forming neo-corneas structurally and functionally similar to natural corneas.
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| 9. |
- Jangamreddy, Jaganmohan, et al.
(author)
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Short peptide analogs as alternatives to collagen in pro-regenerative corneal implants
- 2018
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In: Acta Biomaterialia. - : Elsevier. - 1742-7061 .- 1878-7568. ; 69, s. 120-130
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Short collagen-like peptides (CLPs) are being proposed as alternatives to full-length collagen for use in tissue engineering, on their own as soft hydrogels, or conjugated to synthetic polymer for mechanical strength. However, despite intended clinical use, little is known about their safety and efficacy, mechanism of action or degree of similarity to the full-length counterparts they mimic. Here, we show the functional equivalence of a CLP conjugated to polyethylene glycol (CLP-PEG) to full-length recombinant human collagen in vitro and in promoting stable regeneration of corneal tissue and nerves in a preclinical mini-pig model. We also show that these peptide analogs exerted their pro-regeneration effects through stimulating extracellular vesicle production by host cells. Our results support future use of CLP-PEG implants for corneal regeneration, suggesting the feasibility of these or similar peptide analogs in clinical application in the eye and other tissues.
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| 10. |
- Kesik-Brodacka, Malgorzata, et al.
(author)
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Immune response of rats vaccinated orally with various plant-expressed recombinant cysteine proteinase constructs when challenged with Fasciola hepatica metacercariae
- 2017
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In: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. - : PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. - 1935-2727 .- 1935-2735. ; 11:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Cysteine proteinases of Fasciola hepatica are important candidates for vaccine antigens because of their role in fluke biology and host-parasite relationships. In our previous experiments, we found that a recombinant cysteine proteinase cloned from adult F. hepatica ( CPFhW) can protect rats against liver fluke infections when it is administered intramuscularly or intranasally in the form of cDNA. We also observed considerable protection upon challenge following mucosal vaccination with inclusion bodies containing recombinant CPFhW produced in Escherichia coli. In this study, we explore oral vaccination, which may be the desired method of delivery and is potentially capable of preventing infections at the site of helminth entry. To provide antigen encapsulation and to protect the vaccine antigen from degradation in the intestinal tract, transgenic plant-based systems are used. Methodology Conclusions We obtained substantial protection after oral administration of the plant-produced hybrids of CPFhW and HBcAg. The highest level of protection (65.4%)was observed in animals immunised with transgenic plants expressing the mature CPFhW enzyme flanked by Gly-rich linkers and inserted into c/e1 epitope of truncated HBcAg. The immunised rats showed clear IgG1 and IgM responsesIn the present study, we aimed to evaluate the protective ability of mucosal vaccinations of 12-week- old rats with CPFhW produced in a transgenic-plant-based system. To avoid inducing tolerance and to maximise the immune response induced by oral immunisation, we used the hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein ( HBcAg) as a carrier. Animals were immunised with two doses of the antigen and challenged with 25 or 30 metacercariae of F. hepatica. Conclusions We obtained substantial protection after oral administration of the plant-produced hybrids of CPFhW and HBcAg. The highest level of protection (65.4%) was observed in animals immunised with transgenic plants expressing the mature CPFhW enzyme flanked by Gly- rich linkers and inserted into c/e1 epitope of truncated HBcAg. The immunised rats showed clear IgG1 and IgM responses to CPFhW for 4 consecutive weeks after the challenge.
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