Cartilage has a limited inherent healing capacity after injury, due to a lack of direct blood supply and low cell density. Tissue engineering in conjunction with biomaterials holds promise for generating cartilage substitutes that withstand stress in joints. A major challenge of tissue substitution is creating a functional framework to support cartilage tissue formation. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA), by varying the mole ratios of GA/PVA in the presence of different amounts of plant-derived carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Porous scaffolds were created by the freeze-drying technique. The goal of this study was to investigate how CMC incorporation and crosslinking density might affect scaffold pore formation, swelling behaviors, mechanical properties, and potential use for engineered cartilage. The peak at 1599 cm⁻¹ of the C=O group in ATR–FTIR indicates the incorporation of CMC into the scaffold. The glass transition temperature (T_g) and Young’s modulus were lower in the PVA/CMC scaffold, as compared to the PVA control scaffold. The addition of CMC modulates the pore architecture and increases the swelling ratio of scaffolds. The toxicity of the scaffolds and cell attachment were tested. The results suggest that PVA/CMC scaffolding material can be tailored in terms of its physical and swelling properties to potentially support cartilage formation.

Kidney fibrosis and inflammation are significant contributors to the decline in renal function associated with aging. These processes are characterized by structural changes, such as glomerular sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis, which exacerbate kidney injury and inflammation in aged individuals. Probiotics have gained increasing attention for their potential health-promoting effects. However, further investigation is required to fully understand the mechanisms underlying these benefits. We hypothesize that probiotics could ameliorate fibrosis through the immunomodulatory effects of probiotics and by improving kidney tissue inflammation. Sixteen-month-old aging mice were administered Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MSMC39-1 for four months compared to young mice (six-month-old) and aged mice (twenty-month-old). The research found that following the administration of probiotic MSMC39-1, there were significant improvements in kidney inflammation, as evidenced by reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines, fibrosis, and inflammatory cells within the tissue. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that probiotic MSMC39-1 significantly normalized levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), and rescued antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) in kidney tissue which was consistent with a low mitochondria biogenesis. Further investigations revealed that conditioned medium from MSMC39-1 rescued epithelial kidney cells with damage induced by high glucose. This research provides information and insights into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial health effects of probiotics, offering a deeper understanding of how these probiotics contribute to anti-aging processes in the kidney.

Kidney fibrosis and inflammation are significant contributors to the decline in renal function associated with aging. These processes are characterized by structural changes such as glomerular sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis, which exacerbate kidney injury and inflammation in aged individuals. Probiotics have gained increasing attention for their potential health-promoting effects. However, further investigation is required to fully understand the mechanisms underlying these benefits. We hypothesize probiotics could ameliorate fibrosis by immunomodulatory effects of probiotics and improving kidney tissue inflammation. Sixteen-month-old aging mice were administered Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MSMC39-1 for four months compared to young mice (6-month-old) and aged mice (20-month-old). The research found that following the administration of probiotic MSMC39-1, there were significant improvements in kidney inflammation, as evidenced by reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines, fibrosis and inflammatory cells within the tissue. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that probiotic MSMC39-1 significantly normalized levels of MDA, and rescued antioxidant SOD and GPx in kidney tissue which was consistent with a low mitochondria biogenesis. More investigations revealed that conditioned medium from MSMC39-1 rescued epithelial kidney cell being damaged induced by high glucose. This research provides information and insights into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial health effects of probiotics, offering a deeper understanding of how these probiotics contribute to anti-aging processes in kidney.