Skeletal muscle regeneration through the application of cellular therapies and biomaterials -  Translation to the veterinary practicealterado para:Cell-based Therapies in Regenerative Medicine – Thetherapeuthic potential of Umbilical Cord and Dental Pulp derived Stem/ Stromal Cells

Publications

Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Biomaterials Systems – Perspectives for Skeletal Muscle Tissue Repair and Regeneration

Publication . Caseiro, A.R.; Pereira, T.; Bártolo, P. J.; Santos, J.D.; Luís, A.L.; Maurício, A.C.

Skeletal muscle is essential in voluntary movement and other major vital functions. Muscle injuries are important in clinical practice and, despite skeletal muscle's good regenerative ability, severe tissue loss impairs complete myofibre regeneration, limiting structural and functional recovery of the affected muscle, eventually leading to the development of non-contractile fibrous scar. The intrinsic healing mechanisms rely in great extent on the residing progenitor population but significant drawbacks to their practical application in regenerative strategies boosted the search for alternative cell sources, such as extra-fetal mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs have demonstrated to positively influence the regeneration of different disease models. When severe volumetric muscle tissue loss occurs, the body is seldom capable of replacing the lost portions with fully functional tissue. A rational strategy to aid the healing of such situations is the application of biomaterial implants that provide a structural matrix for the ingrowth of regenerating muscle fibres. Both synthetic and natural biomaterials have been hypothesized for this purpose and some have reached as far clinical cases applications. Obvious improvements are observed in most cases, but reaction to some biomaterials and functional recovery are still a challenge. The addition of MSCs to the biomaterials seems to improve the systems' performance in the overall regenerative milieu. This strategies promote scaffold's vascularization and integration, as well as accelerated tissue ingrowth and reduces scar formation, resulting in improved recovery rates at both structural and functional levels.

2015Journal article

Open access

Neuro-muscular Regeneration Using Scaffolds with Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Isolated from Human Umbilical Cord Wharton's Jelly: Functional and Morphological Analysis Using Rat Sciatic Nerve Neurotmesis Injury Model

Publication . Caseiro, Ana Rita; Pereira, Tiago; Ribeiro, Jorge; Amorim, Irina; Faria, Fátima; Bártolo, Paulo Jorge; Armada, Paulo; Luís, Ana Lúcia; Maurício, Ana Colette

Peripheral nerves possess the capacity of self-regeneration after traumatic injury but the extent of regeneration is often poor and may benefit from exogenous factors that enhance growth. Neonatal tissues are routinely discarded at parturition so little ethical controversy attends the harvest of the Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) which may play an important therapeutic role through the secretion of soluble trophic factors which enhance and assist in repair by paracrine activation of surrounding cells. The use of cellular systems is a rational approach for delivering neurotrophic factors at the nerve lesion site, and in our recent research work we have been evaluating the therapeutic value of MSCs isolated from the Wharton jelly (WJ) in nerve repair associated to different tube-guides made of biodegradable and biocompatible biomaterials. The WJ MSCs in vitro studies included cell characterization by immunocytochemistry, karyotype analysis, tri-lineage differentiation capacity and flow cytometry and also citocompatibility by measuring the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the presence of different tube-guides.

2015Journal article

Open access