Journal: Stem Cells Translational Medicine

Article Title: Addressing bioenergetic deficits and restoring mitochondrial health in transplanted islets using mesenchymal stem cells

doi: 10.1093/stcltm/szag038

Figure Lengend Snippet: Effects of hMSCs on Islet Survival and Function Under in Response to Pro-inflammatory Cytokines. (A) Representative confocal images and (B) relative quantification (15 islets analyzed per acquired image) depicting Live/Dead staining. Dead cells are stained red with propidium iodide (PI), while live cells are stained green with fluorescein diacetate (FDA) (scale bar = 100 μm). (C) Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion shown as stimulation index (ratio of glucose-stimulated release to basal release) after 48 h of incubation of islets cultured alone or co-cultured with AD-hMSCs (islets + AD), BM-hMSCs (islets + BM), and UC-hMSCs (islets + UC) under inflammatory conditions. Results are expressed as mean ± SD ( n = 15 for A, B; and n = 5 for C). Statistical significance was determined by one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post hoc test to evaluate pairwise comparisons between the groups. ** P ≤ .01, and **** P ≤ .0001. Details of the statistical analysis are reported in the Supporting Information .

Article Snippet: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) used in this study were obtained from StemBioSys, USA ( https://www.stembiosys.com/ ), at passage (P)1 and characterized by the minimal criteria defined by the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT).

Techniques: Quantitative Proteomics, Staining, Incubation, Cell Culture

Journal: Stem Cells Translational Medicine

Article Title: Addressing bioenergetic deficits and restoring mitochondrial health in transplanted islets using mesenchymal stem cells

doi: 10.1093/stcltm/szag038

Figure Lengend Snippet: The ability of hMSCs to correct the bioenergetic deficiencies in islets exposed to pro-inflammatory cytokines. (A) ROS production, (B) Nitrite production, and (C) ATP levels in islets cultured alone or cocultured with AD-hMSCs (islets + AD), BM-hMSCs (islets + BM), and UC-hMSCs (islets + UC) after 48 h under inflammatory conditions, expressed as fold over control (healthy islets). (D) Pearson correlation between ATP and ROS/nitrite. (E) Mitochondrial Membrane Potential detection using the JC-1 assay. Results are expressed as mean ± SD ( n = 5). Statistical significance was determined by one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test to evaluate pairwise comparisons between the groups. * P ≤ .05, ** P ≤ .01, *** P ≤ .001 and **** P ≤ .0001. Details of the statistical analysis are reported in the Supporting Information .

Article Snippet: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) used in this study were obtained from StemBioSys, USA ( https://www.stembiosys.com/ ), at passage (P)1 and characterized by the minimal criteria defined by the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT).

Techniques: Cell Culture, Control, Membrane

Journal: Stem Cells Translational Medicine

Article Title: Addressing bioenergetic deficits and restoring mitochondrial health in transplanted islets using mesenchymal stem cells

doi: 10.1093/stcltm/szag038

Figure Lengend Snippet: hMSCs Facilitate the Restoration of Blood Glucose Homeostasis following Syngeneic Islet Transplantation in Diabetic Mice. (A) Experimental outline for our in vivo experiments [Created in https://BioRender.com ]. (B) Representative photographs of the transplanted kidneys using islets only, and islets with hMSCs at the time of graftectomy (90 days). (C-F) Individual animal data of daily non-fasting BGLs monitoring for 90 days post-transplantation of mice transplanted with islets alone (islets only, C) or transplanted with AD-hMSCs (islets + AD, D), BM-hMSCs (islets + BM, E), and UC-hMSCs (islets + UC, F). (G) Non-fasting BGLs monitoring over 90 days. (H) Normoglycemia percentage over 13 weeks. (I) Body weight of mice over 90 days. (J) Fasting Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test (IPGTT) at 90 days posttransplant. (K) Area Under the IPGTT Curve (AUC0-120min) at 90 days post-transplant. Results are expressed as mean ± SD ( n = 5). (G, H, I, J). Statistical analysis was determined by mixed-effect model. A one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test employed to evaluate pairwise comparisons between the groups (K). * P ≤ .05, ** P ≤ .01, and *** P ≤ .001. Details of the statistical analysis were reported in Supporting Information .

Article Snippet: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) used in this study were obtained from StemBioSys, USA ( https://www.stembiosys.com/ ), at passage (P)1 and characterized by the minimal criteria defined by the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT).

Techniques: Transplantation Assay, In Vivo

Journal: Stem Cells Translational Medicine

Article Title: Addressing bioenergetic deficits and restoring mitochondrial health in transplanted islets using mesenchymal stem cells

doi: 10.1093/stcltm/szag038

Figure Lengend Snippet: Histological and molecular analyses of explanted kidney capsule tissues following the sacrifice of diabetic mice. (A) Representative histological images (hematoxylin & eosin) and immunohistochemical images (insulin staining, brown) of kidney capsule tissue with transplants of islets only or islets co-transplanted with hMSCs at 7, and 90 days post-transplantation. Red arrows indicate islets. Scale bar: 100 μm. (B-D) Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of Ppargc1a transcriptional coactivator expression in explanted tissue at 2 days (B), 7 days (C) and 90 days (D) post-transplantation. (B-D) Results are expressed as mean ± SD ( n = 3). Statistical significance was determined by a one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test to evaluate pairwise comparisons between the groups. * P ≤ .05, ** P ≤ .01, *** P ≤ .001 and **** P ≤ .0001. Details of the statistical analysis were reported in Supporting Information .

Article Snippet: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) used in this study were obtained from StemBioSys, USA ( https://www.stembiosys.com/ ), at passage (P)1 and characterized by the minimal criteria defined by the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT).

Techniques: Immunohistochemical staining, Staining, Transplantation Assay, Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Expressing

Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: Dynamic modelling of liver–bone axis: A microphysiological approach to hepatic osteodystrophy

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.12.011

Figure Lengend Snippet: Perfusion micro-physiological devices (MPDs) support long-term bone culture. (A) Schematics elucidating the 3D bone co-culture in HAP containing scaffolds in a perfusion-based single MPDs for addressing challenges during long-term bone co-cultures, (B) Schematics for single organ perfusion-based MPD construction having a single well volume of 2.26 cm 3 for housing a cylindrical 3D scaffold (0.16 cm 3 ) and connected with microchannels (500 μm in diameter) for maintaining the flow, (C – D) Flow velocity and pressure simulations within the single chambered compartment, (E) Quantification of metabolic activity (resazurin assay) of hMSCs and THP-1 co-cultured cells on 3D scaffolds/cryogels within the perfusion-based MPDs (n = 3), ( F ) Live (CAM-green)/dead (PI- red) staining of bone co-culture 3D scaffolds/cryogels revealed the efficiency of perfusion systems over static system over a period of 21-day culture (green = live cells; red = dead cells) (n = 6), ( G ) cell apoptosis (lactate dehydrogenase assay- LDH) (n = 3), ( H ) Osteoblastic activity (alkaline phosphatase assay- ALP) (n = 3) and ( I ) osteoclastic activity (tartarate resistant acid phosphatase assay-TRAP) (n = 3) of bone co-culture scaffolds revealed significant improvement in the day 14 and 21 functional activity. All data presented as Mean ± S.D., where ∗p ≤ 0.05, ∗∗p ≤ 0.01, ∗∗∗p ≤ 0.001 were considered as significant and ns: as non-significant.

Article Snippet: Hepatic osteodystrophy (HOD), chronic liver disease (CLD), micro-physiological devices (MPDs), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), bone mineral density (BMD), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), Hepatocyte nuclear factor-α (HNF-α), organ-on-chip (OoC), Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), Bisacrylamide (BAA), phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), nano-hydroxyapatite (HAP), ammonium persulphate (APS), N,N,N′,N′-Tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED), hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), paraformaldehyde (PFA), diclofenac sodium salt, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), bovine serum albumin (BSA), Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E), Picrosirius Red (PSR), Alizarin Red S (ARS) and Massons's Trichrome (MT) stain, Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), RPMI 1640 media, Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), Human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, Phosphate buffer saline (PBS), solvent uptake (SU), swelling ratio (SR), degree of degradation (DD), human hepatic progenitor cells (HepaRG) and/or carcinoma cell line (Huh-7), human hepatic stellate cells (LX-2), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Deoxy ribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), micro-physiological device (MPD), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor (TGF-β), tumour necrosis Factor (TNF-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), tartrate-Resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), interleukins (IL), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), osteocalcin (OCN), lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), apolipoprotein E (APOE), Reverse Cholesterol Transport (RCT).

Techniques: Co-Culture Assay, Activity Assay, Resazurin Assay, Cell Culture, Staining, Lactate Dehydrogenase Assay, ALP Assay, Acid Phosphatase Assay, Functional Assay