To investigate the supplement of lost nerve cells in rats with traumatic brain injury by intravenous administration of allogenic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, this study established a Wistar rat model of traumatic brain injury by weight drop impact acceleration method and administered 3 × 10 ⁶ rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via the lateral tail vein. At 14 days after cell transplantation, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells differentiated into neurons and astrocytes in injured rat cerebral cortex and rat neurological function was improved significantly. These findings suggest that intravenously administered bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can promote nerve cell regeneration in injured cerebral cortex, which supplement the lost nerve cells.

Khalili MA, et al. Exp Neurobiol. 2014 Mar;23(1):77-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.5607/en.2014.23.1.77

Background: Etiology of more than half of Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion. The etiology of more than 50 percent of Recurrent Spontaneous Abortions (RSA) cases has been remained unexplained. It is supposed that RSA may have "paternal effect" due to supply 50% of embryonic genomic content by male gamete. Objective: The aim ...

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumor, which has a poor prognosis despite the advent of different therapeutic strategies. There are numerous molecular biomarkers to contribute diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of response to the current therapy in GBM. One of the most important markers that are potentially valuable is immortalization-specific or immortalization-associated marker named “hTERT messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)” the key subunit of telomerase enzyme, which is expressed in more than 85% of cancer cells, in spite of the majority of normal somatic cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of resveratrol (RSV) on this mRNA marker level, leading to cancer progression. Materials and Methods: U-87MG cell line was obtained from Pasteur Institute of Iran and treated with various concentrations of 0–160 μg/mL of RSV and at different time points (24, 48, and 72 h). To evaluate viability of U-87MG cells, standard 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was performed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for comparative and quantitative assessment of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA copy number versus control–untreated group. Results: The results of our investigation suggested that RSV effectively inhibited cell growth and caused cell death in dose-dependent (P < 0.05) and not in time-dependent manner (P > 0.05), in vitro. Interestingly, quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that at half inhibition concentration, RSV dramatically decreased mRNA expression of hTERT, the catalytic subunit of telomerase enzyme, which leads to prevention of cell division and tumor progression. Conclusion: With regard to downregulation of this immortalization-associated marker, RSV may potentially be used as a therapeutic agent against GBM.

Background: Cell banking initial outgrowths from newly derived human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) requires an efficient freezing method. Vitrification is used for the preservation of gametes and early embryos in assisted reproduction techniques (ART). Moreover, vitrification was applied for cryopreservation of hESCs using open pulled straws. Objective: To derive and characterize new hESC lines and then use Cryotech and Cryowin tools for their vitrification. Materials and Methods: Human ESC lines were generated in a microdrop culture system using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) as the feeder layer; this was later scaled up using both MEFs and Yazd human foreskin fibroblasts batch 8 (YhFF#8). To bank the cell lines, master cell banks of 100 Cryotech and Cryowin tools were produced for each individual cell line using the vitrification method; flasks of hESC lines were also cryopreserved using a conventional slow-freezing method. Results: The pluripotency of cell lines was assessed by their expression of pluripotency-associated genes (OCT4/POU5F1, NANOG, and SOX2) and markers such as SSEA4, TRA-1-60, and TRA-2-49. Their in vitro capacity to differentiate into germ layers and germ cells using embryoid body (EB) formation and monolayer culture was assessed by screening the expression of differentiation-associated genes. The chromosomal constitution of each hESC line was assessed by G-banding karyotyping. Conclusion: Cryotech and Cryowin tools used to vitrify new hESCs at an early stage of derivation is an efficient means of preserving hESCs. Key words: Derivation, Human embryonic stem cells, Human foreskin fibroblast, Microdrop, Vitrification.

Regenerative Medicine is a developing and multidisciplinary field of science that uses tissue engineering, biology, and cell or cell-free therapy to regenerate cells, tissues, and organs to restore their impaired or lost function. Regenerative medicine uses a new element linked to stem cells, which call exosomes, introduces it to the healthcare market. Exosomes are present in almost all body fluids, such as synovial fluid and blood. Exosomes and microvesicles are very efficient mediators of cell-to-cell communication by transferring their specific cargo to recipient cells. Furthermore, the modification of extracellular vesicles is possible that can become an excellent choice for drug delivery systems and vaccines. Isolation of exosomes for their use as therapeutic, research, or diagnostic agents for a specific type of disease is of particular importance. Five techniques have been used to isolate exosomes from different sources, including ultracentrifugation-based, size-based, immunoassay, exosome sedimentation, and microfluidic techniques. The use of exosomes in medicine has many applications, including in Bone and cartilage, dental, immune system, liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, nervous, heart systems, skin and wound, microbial and infectious, and also in cancers. This chapter focuses on stem cells, especially exosomes, as novel approaches in disease treatment and regenerative medicine.