Pericytes, as perivascular cells, are present in all vascularized organs and tissues, and they actively interact with endothelial cells in capillaries and microvessels. Their involvement includes functions like blood pressure regulation, tissue regeneration, and scarring. Studies have confirmed that pericytes play a crucial role in bone tissue regeneration through direct osteodifferentiation processes, paracrine actions, and vascularization. Recent preclinical and clinical experiments have shown that combining perivascular cells with osteogenic factors and tissue-engineered scaffolds can be therapeutically effective in restoring bone defects. This approach holds promise for addressing bone-related medical conditions. In this review, we have emphasized the characteristics of pericytes and their involvement in angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Furthermore, we have explored recent advancements in the use of pericytes in preclinical and clinical investigations, indicating their potential as a therapeutic resource in clinical applications.

The repair of critical-sized calvarial defects is a challenging problem for orthopedic surgery. One of the promising strategies of bone bioengineering to enhance the efficacy of large bone defect regeneration is the combined delivery of stem cells with osteoinductive factors within polymer carriers. The purpose of the research was to study the regenerative effects of heparin-conjugated fibrin (HCF) hydrogel containing bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and adipose-derived pericytes (ADPs) in a rat critical-sized calvarial defect model. In vitro analysis revealed that the HCF hydrogel was able to control the BMP-2 release and induce alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in neonatal rat osteoblasts. In addition, it was found that eluted BMP-2 significantly induced the osteogenic differentiation of ADPs. It was characterized by the increased ALP activity, osteocalcin expression and calcium deposits in ADPs. In vivo studies have shown that both HCF hydrogel with BMP-2 and HCF hydrogel with pericytes are able to significantly increase the regeneration of critical-sized calvarial defects in comparison with the control group. Nevertheless, the greatest regenerative effect was found after the co-delivery of ADPs and BMP-2 into a critical-sized calvarial defect. Thus, our findings suggest that the combined delivery of ADPs and BMP-2 in HCF hydrogel holds promise to be applied as an alternative biopolymer for the critical-sized bone defect restoration.

Pericytes, as perivascular cells, are present in all vascularized organs and tissues, and they actively interact with endothelial cells in capillaries and microvessels. Their involvement includes functions like blood pressure regulation, tissue regeneration, and scarring. Studies have confirmed that pericytes play a crucial role in bone tissue regeneration through direct osteodifferentiation processes, paracrine actions, and vascularization. Recent pre-clinical and clinical experiments have shown that combining perivascular cells with osteogenic factors and tissue-engineered scaffolds can be therapeutically effective in restoring bone defects. This approach holds promise for addressing bone-related medical conditions. In this review, we have emphasized the characteristics of pericytes and their involvement in angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Furthermore, we have explored recent advancements in the use of pericytes in preclinical and clinical investigations, indicating their potential as a therapeutic resource in clinical applications.

The regeneration of massive bone defects poses a significant challenge in traumatology and orthopedics, often requiring bone grafting procedures following tumor resection, surgery, or severe injury. Current treatment methods include autologous and allogeneic bone grafts, as well as bone substitutes. While autologous transplantation is considered the standard, it is limited by donor site morbidity and availability. Allogeneic transplantation presents risks such as graft rejection and disease transmission. Bone substitutes may not fully restore bone defects. Tissue-engineered biomaterials offer promise for effective regeneration, utilizing stem cells, growth factors, and scaffolds. Adipose tissue, rich in mesenchymal stem cells and perivascular stem cells (pericytes), is a promising cell source for tissue engineering. This thesis explores the therapeutic potential of pericytes combined with various biological carriers and stimulating factors to enhance bone tissue regeneration. Pericytes, contractile cells surrounding small blood vessels, are crucial for vessel integrity and blood flow regulation. They express markers like α-SMA and PDGFR-β and participate in angiogenesis, immune function, and tissue repair. Interactions with endothelial cells via signaling pathways involving molecules like VEGF and TGF-β are vital for vessel formation and stability. With their multipotent nature, pericytes show promise for regenerative medicine. Ongoing research is essential to address challenges in pericyte biology, including identification and understanding their roles in tissue regeneration. Studies highlight the potential of adipose tissue-derived pericytes in bone regeneration, particularly CD146+ pericytes, showing efficacy in spinal fusion and nonunion fracture treatment when combined with DBM. Preclinical studies confirm their effectiveness, especially when incorporated into various scaffold materials. Clinical studies using adipose-derived stem cells and autologous microfragmented adipose tissue have shown promise, with pericyte-enriched fractions holding potential for improved outcomes. Future research into pericyte application, combined with growth factors and scaffolds, could significantly advance bone tissue regeneration and regenerative medicine. Human pericytes show promise for bone tissue regeneration due to their mesenchymal stem cell properties and role in vascular stabilization. Injectable hydrogels are crucial for bone tissue engineering, with various biomaterials developed for this purpose. Studies using injectable hydrogels with pericytes have demonstrated their efficacy in accelerating bone regeneration in different models. Further advancements in injectable hydrogel technology incorporating stem cells and osteoinductive factors are needed for more efficient bone tissue restoration.

Listeriosis is an infectious disease that affects both humans and animals and is caused by Listeria monocytogenes. It is characterized by multiple sources of pathogen entry, a wide range of transmission routes and factors, polymorphic clinical manifestations, and high mortality rates. L. monocytogenes is considered a unique foodborne pathogen due to its intracellular lifecycle and remarkable adaptive capabilities. The pathogenesis of listeriosis is largely driven by the virulence factors of L. monocytogenes, which enable incomplete phagocytosis, intracellular parasitism, rapid host cell invasion, and the development of antibiotic resistance. These virulence determinants act at various stages of the host infection cycle, enhancing the pathogen’s ability to evade immune responses and establish persistent infections. Given the pronounced polymorphism of clinical manifestations and the unique biology of the pathogen, improving laboratory diagnostic methods and developing targeted immunoprophylactic strategies are of paramount importance. This article reviews recent advances in the epizootiology, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of listeriosis. It also highlights key pathogenicity and virulence factors of L. monocytogenes as critical targets for the development of rapid identification techniques in food products. The implementation of modern rapid detection methods significantly reduces analysis time and increases the accuracy of results, even when the pathogen is present in low concentrations within the tested samples.

Listeria monocytogenes is a significant foodborne pathogen characterized by an intracellular life cycle, pronounced adaptive mechanisms, and a broad spectrum of virulence factors. The aim of this study was to obtain the recombinant p60 antigen of L. monocytogenes from isolates circulating in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Using recombinant DNA technology, a producer strain Escherichia coli ArcticExpress(DE3)/Lmp60 was generated, enabling the expression of the protein with a molecular mass of 50.3 kDa. The specificity of the recombinant p60 antigen was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting. The obtained results highlight the diagnostic value of the p60 protein of L. monocytogenes as a target antigen for the development of highly specific ELISA-based test systems aimed at the rapid identification of L. monocytogenes in food products.