rada16-i and Ischemia

Localized and long-term delivery of growth factors has been a long-standing challenge for stem cell-based tissue engineering. In the current study, a polymeric drug depot-anchoring hydrogel scaffold was developed for the sustained release of macromolecules to enhance the differentiation of stem cells. Self-assembling peptide (RADA16)-modified drug depots (RDDs) were prepared and anchored to a RADA16 hydrogel. The anchoring effect of RADA16 modification on the RDDs was tested both in vitro and in vivo. It was shown that the in vitro leakage of RDDs from the RADA16 hydrogel was significantly less than that of the unmodified drug depots (DDs). In addition, the in vivo retention of injected hydrogel-incorporated RDDs was significantly longer than that of hydrogel-incorporated unmodified DDs. A model drug, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), was encapsulated in RDDs (V-RDDs) as drug depot that was then anchored to the hydrogel. The release of VEGF could be sustained for 4weeks. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were cultured on the V-RDDs-anchoring scaffold and enhanced cell proliferation and differentiation were observed, compared with a VEGF-loaded scaffold. Furthermore, this scaffold laden with EPCs promoted neovascularization in an animal model of hind limb ischemia. These results demonstrate that self-assembling hydrogel-anchored drug-loaded RDDs are promising for localized and sustained drug release, and can effectively enhance the proliferation and differentiation of resident stem cells, thus lead to successful tissue regeneration.

Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; Delayed-Action Preparations; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug Liberation; Endothelial Progenitor Cells; Female; Hindlimb; Humans; Hydrogels; Ischemia; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Peptides; Tissue Engineering; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

We developed an in vivo vascularization model in which human endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) and human mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) form blood vessel networks when co-injected (ECFC + MPC) into nude mice in rat tail type I collagen, bovine fibrin or synthetic peptide PuraMatrix matrices. We used three approaches to determine the onset of functional vascularization when ECFC + MPC suspended in these matrices were implanted in vivo. The first was immunohistochemistry to detect vessels lined by human endothelial cells and filled with red blood cells. The second was in vivo vascular staining by tail vein injection of a mixture of Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA-I), a lectin specific for human endothelium, and Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin B4 (GS-IB4 ), a lectin specific for rodent endothelium. The third approach employed contrast-enhanced ultrasound to measure the perfusion volumes of implants in individual animals over time. Human endothelial-lined tubular structures were detected in vivo on days 1 and 2 after implantation, with perfused human vessels detected on days 3 and 4. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound revealed significant perfusion of ECFC + MPC/collagen implants on days 1-4, at up to 14% perfused vascular volume. ECFC + MPC implanted in fibrin and PuraMatrix matrices also supported perfusion at day 1, as assessed by ultrasound (at 12% and 23% perfused vascular volume, respectively). This model demonstrates that ECFC + MPC suspended in any of the three matrices initiated a rapid onset of vascularization. We propose that ECFC + MPC delivered in vivo provide a means to achieve rapid perfusion of tissue-engineered organs or for in situ tissue repair.

Topics: Animals; Blood Vessels; Capillaries; Cattle; Cell Proliferation; Collagen Type I; Contrast Media; Endothelial Cells; Fibrin; Humans; Ischemia; Lectins; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Mice; Mice, Nude; Peptides; Perfusion; Rats; Stem Cells; Tissue Engineering