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Cells
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Stem Cells and Degenerative Diseases 2020
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Stem Cells and Degenerative Diseases 2020

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Stem Cells".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 19751

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Alfredo Gorio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Milan, Polo H. San Paolo, via A di Rudinì 8, 20142 Milan, Italy
Interests: development of new drug therapies; Parkinson's disease; stem cells; tuberous sclerosis; neuronal degeneration and regeneration; proliferation and differentiation of pulmonary cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Stephana Carelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "L. Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy
2. Pediatric Research Center "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Interests: cell therapies for neurodegenerative disease (spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease); molecular mechanisms of neuronal degeneration and regeneration (epigenetic and non-coding RNA); organoids; 3D culture systems; neural stem cells; mesenchymal stem cells, neurodevelopmental disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in the progressive degeneration and/or death of neural cells. Examples of neurodegenerative diseases include spinal cord injuries, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Research in the area of regenerative medicine is focused on the development of cells, tissues, and organs to restore function through transplantation. Stem cells represent frontiers of regenerative medicine because of their indefinite self-renewal and potential to differentiate into other types of cells. Several strategies are currently being developed and include cell therapies derived from autologous primary cell isolates, cell therapies derived from established cell lines, and cell therapies derived from a variety of stem cells, including bone marrow/mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, iPSCs, and cells, tissues, and organs from genetically modified animals. Moreover, recent advancements in gene editing and tissue engineering technology have endorsed the ex vivo remodeling of stem cells to develop three-dimensional (3D) organoids and tissue structures. The potential for organoids to provide more dynamic and physiologically relevant models for developmental processes, drug toxicity screening, disease modeling, and personalized medicine has generated much interest in the scientific community.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to publish research on and key advancements in stem cells and their usage in cell repair, regeneration, and therapy.

Prof. Alfredo Gorio
Dr. Stefana Carelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • stem cells
  • cell therapy
  • regenerative medicine
  • neurodegenerative disease
  • 3D organoids
  • transplantation
  • regeneration
  • 3D organoids

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5382 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Priming Efficiency of Forskolin in Tissue-Specific Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Dopaminergic Neurons: An In Vitro Comparative Study
by Manisha Singh, Pardeep Kumar Vaishnav, Amit Kumar Dinda and Sujata Mohanty
Cells 2020, 9(9), 2058; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9092058 - 09 Sep 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3564
Abstract
Background: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) can be derived from various tissue sources and differentiated into dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons using various types of inducers. There are several strategies that have been reported to generate functional dopaminergic neuronal cells from hMSCs in the most [...] Read more.
Background: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) can be derived from various tissue sources and differentiated into dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons using various types of inducers. There are several strategies that have been reported to generate functional dopaminergic neuronal cells from hMSCs in the most efficient manner possible. However, this area is still under extensive research. In this study, we aim to compare hMSCs derived from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AD) and dental pulp (DP) to generate functional dopaminergic neurons, using FGF2 and forskolin. Post-differentiation, multiple factors were used to characterize the cells at morphological, morphometric, ultra-structural, mRNA and protein levels for various markers (Nestin, NF, MAP2, Tuj1, TH, DAT, PitX3, Ngn2, Kv4.2, SCN5A). Cells’ functionality was studied by calcium ion imaging, along with the amount of dopamine secreted by the cells in the culture medium. Results: Data analysis revealed that forskolin has comparable effect on BM- and AD-derived MSC (28.43% and 29.46% DAergic neurons, respectively), whereas DP-MSC (42.78 ± 1.248% DAergic neurons) show better outcome in terms of efficient generation of DAergic neuronal cells, expression of neuronal associated markers, dopamine release and calcium ion efflux. Ultra-structural studies by SEM and TEM also revealed a substantial change in both cellular morphology and composition of cellular organelles. It was observed that AD-MSCs showed the best neuronal features, at morphological, gene, and protein levels upon induction with the above-mentioned induction cocktail. Conclusion: It may be concluded that a combination of FGF2 and forskolin yields functionally active dopaminergic neuronal cells in vitro, with highest percentage of the same from AD-MSCs, as compared to that in BM-MSCs and DP-MSCs. The outcomes and comparative evaluation provide a substantial platform for further studies on molecular pathways involved in the process of DAergic neurogenesis in individual cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Degenerative Diseases 2020)
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15 pages, 2617 KiB  
Article
Muscle Progenitors Derived from Extraocular Muscles Express Higher Levels of Neurotrophins and their Receptors than other Cranial and Limb Muscles
by Génova Carrero-Rojas, Beatriz Benítez-Temiño, Angel M. Pastor and Mª América Davis López de Carrizosa
Cells 2020, 9(3), 747; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9030747 - 18 Mar 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3049
Abstract
Extraocular muscles (EOMs) show resistance to muscle dystrophies and sarcopenia. It has been recently demonstrated that they are endowed with different types of myogenic cells, all of which present an outstanding regenerative potential. Neurotrophins are important modulators of myogenic regeneration and act promoting [...] Read more.
Extraocular muscles (EOMs) show resistance to muscle dystrophies and sarcopenia. It has been recently demonstrated that they are endowed with different types of myogenic cells, all of which present an outstanding regenerative potential. Neurotrophins are important modulators of myogenic regeneration and act promoting myoblast proliferation, enhancing myogenic fusion rates and protecting myotubes from inflammatory stimuli. Here, we adapted the pre-plate cell isolation technique to obtain myogenic progenitors from the rat EOMs, and quantified their in vitro expression of neurotrophins and their receptors by RT–qPCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The results were compared with the expression on progenitors isolated from buccinator, tongue and limb muscles. Our quantitative analysis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) transcripts showed, for the first time, that EOMs-derived cells express more of these factors and that they expressed TrkA, but not TrkB and TrkC receptors. On the contrary, the immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated high expression of p75NTR on all myogenic progenitors, with the EOMs-derived cells showing higher expression. Taken together, these results suggest that the intrinsic trophic differences between EOMs-derived myogenic progenitors and their counterparts from other muscles could explain why those cells show higher proliferative and fusion rates, as well as better regenerative properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Degenerative Diseases 2020)
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Review

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35 pages, 1940 KiB  
Review
Advances in Tissue Engineering and Innovative Fabrication Techniques for 3-D-Structures: Translational Applications in Neurodegenerative Diseases
by Federica Rey, Bianca Barzaghini, Alessandra Nardini, Matteo Bordoni, Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti, Cristina Cereda, Manuela Teresa Raimondi and Stephana Carelli
Cells 2020, 9(7), 1636; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9071636 - 07 Jul 2020
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5744
Abstract
In the field of regenerative medicine applied to neurodegenerative diseases, one of the most important challenges is the obtainment of innovative scaffolds aimed at improving the development of new frontiers in stem-cell therapy. In recent years, additive manufacturing techniques have gained more and [...] Read more.
In the field of regenerative medicine applied to neurodegenerative diseases, one of the most important challenges is the obtainment of innovative scaffolds aimed at improving the development of new frontiers in stem-cell therapy. In recent years, additive manufacturing techniques have gained more and more relevance proving the great potential of the fabrication of precision 3-D scaffolds. In this review, recent advances in additive manufacturing techniques are presented and discussed, with an overview on stimulus-triggered approaches, such as 3-D Printing and laser-based techniques, and deposition-based approaches. Innovative 3-D bioprinting techniques, which allow the production of cell/molecule-laden scaffolds, are becoming a promising frontier in disease modelling and therapy. In this context, the specific biomaterial, stiffness, precise geometrical patterns, and structural properties are to be considered of great relevance for their subsequent translational applications. Moreover, this work reports numerous recent advances in neural diseases modelling and specifically focuses on pre-clinical and clinical translation for scaffolding technology in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Degenerative Diseases 2020)
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21 pages, 1890 KiB  
Review
Revisiting the Regenerative Therapeutic Advances Towards Erectile Dysfunction
by Ming-Che Liu, Meng-Lin Chang, Ya-Chun Wang, Wei-Hung Chen, Chien-Chih Wu and Shauh-Der Yeh
Cells 2020, 9(5), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9051250 - 19 May 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6850
Abstract
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an inability to attain or maintain adequate penile erection for successful vaginal intercourse, leading to sexual and relationship dissatisfaction. To combat ED, various surgical and non-surgical approaches have been developed in the past to restore erectile functions. These therapeutic [...] Read more.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an inability to attain or maintain adequate penile erection for successful vaginal intercourse, leading to sexual and relationship dissatisfaction. To combat ED, various surgical and non-surgical approaches have been developed in the past to restore erectile functions. These therapeutic interventions exhibit significant impact in providing relief to patients; however, due to their associated adverse effects and lack of long-term efficacy, newer modalities such as regenerative therapeutics have gained attention due to their safe and prolonged efficacy. Stem cells and platelet-derived biomaterials contained in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are thriving as some of the major therapeutic regenerative agents. In recent years, various preclinical and clinical studies have evaluated the individual, as well as combined of stem cells and PRP to restore erectile function. Being rich in growth factors, chemokines, and angiogenic factors, both stem cells and PRP play a crucial role in regenerating nerve cells, myelination of axons, homing and migration of progenitor cells, and anti-fibrosis and anti-apoptosis of damaged cavernous nerve in corporal tissues. Further, platelet-derived biomaterials have been proven to be a biological supplement for enhancing the proliferative and differentiation potential of stem cells towards neurogenic fate. Therefore, this article comprehensively analyzes the progresses of these regenerative therapies for ED. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells and Degenerative Diseases 2020)
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