Study uncovers mechanism by which the influence bioscaffolds - cell behavior
A study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine identifies a mechanism by which bioscaffolds used in regenerative medicine cell behavior influence, a question that has remained unanswered since the technology was developed several decades ago. The results were recently published online in Science Advances .
Bioscaffolds composed of the extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from pig tissue to promote tissue repair and reconstruction. At present, these bioscaffolds are used to treat a variety of diseases such hernias and esophageal cancer, and to regrow muscle tissue lost in the wounds of the battlefield and other serious injuries.
"Bioscaffolds fill an unmet medical need, and have already changed millions of lives," said lead study investigator Stephen Badylak, DVM, MD, Ph.D., professor of surgery at Pitt and deputy director of the McGowan Institute, a joint effort of Pitt and UPMC.
researchers know that the ECM is able to load the human body to replace the injured tissue or missing, but exactly how the ECM material influences the cells to cause regrowth of functional fabrics remained an unanswered fundamental response in the field of regenerative medicine.
in the new study, Dr. Badylak and his team have shown that cellular communication occurs using nanovesicles, extremely tiny fluid-filled sacs which bud off from the outer surface of a cell and allow cells to communicate by transferring proteins, DNA and other "cargo" of one cell to another.
exosomes are present in biological fluids such as blood, saliva and urine, as they affect a variety of cellular behaviors, but researchers have yet to identify them in solid tissues.
"We always thought exosomes are floating freely, but recently wondered if they are also present in the solid and could facilitate cellular communication ECM is essential for the regeneration process," said the Dr Badylak.
to explore this possibility, the researchers used specialized proteins to break ECM, similar to the process that occurs when a bioscaffold is incorporated into the recipient tissue
the research team then outlined two different cell types. - immune cells and neural stem cells - isolated linked matrix vesicles, finding that they caused the two cell types to mimic their behavior normal regrowth
"Indeed, we found that the vesicles are integrated within the ECM .. in fact, these bioscaffolds are responsible for these vesicles," said Dr. Badylak. "This study has shown that the matrix vesicles linked are clearly active, can influence cell behavior and may be the primary mechanism by which bioscaffolds cause regrowth of tissues in the body. "
The researchers also found that the isolated vesicles from different original tissues have distinct molecular signatures, and they are now focusing on the operation of this new information for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.
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