The object of this research was to determine how effectively the actions of a clinostat and a fluid-filled, slow-turning lateral vessel (STLV) mimic the ultrastructural effects of microgravity in plant cells. We accomplished this by qualitatively and quantitatively comparing the ultrastructures of cells grown on clinostats and in an STLV with those of cells grown at 1 g and in microgravity aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Columella cells of Brassica perviridis seedlings grown in microgravity a

Mammalian cells cultured in simulated weightlessness take advantage of a favorable environment, experiencing low shear stress and reduced turbulence. NMR spectroscopy allows the on-line noninvasive monitoring of cell growth and metabolism. With this in mind, we developed a novel bioreactor that fits into a NMR instrument and in which the simulated weightlessness conditions are obtained by a suitable medium and a flow-lift suspension. In detail, the gravitational vector acting on cells is counter

Rotating-wall vessels (RWVs) allow for the growth of cells under conditions of simulated microgravity. Information about the replication of viruses in simulated microgravity using RWVs has not been reported. Cells grown in RWVs are subjected to low shear motion, and the replication of certain viruses such as rhinoviruses has been reported to be enhanced by motion.

High-density, three-dimensional cell cultures are difficult to grow in vitro. The rotating-wall vessel (RWV) described here has cultured BHK-21 cells to a density of 1.1 × 107 cells/ml. Cells on microcarriers were observed to grow with enhanced bridging in this batch culture system. The RWV is a horizontally rotated tissue culture vessel with silicon membrane oxygenation. This design results in a low-turbulence, low-shear cell culture environment with abundant oxygenation. 

Green fluorescent protein transgenic rat pups (3–5 days) were used as donors of intestinal organoids. Harvested intestine was exposed to enzymatic digestion to release intestinal stem cellcontaining organoids. Organoids were purified, concentrated, and seeded onto tubular polyglycolic acid scaffolds.Seeded scaffolds were implanted in each of five locations in recipient female nude rats: wrapped with omentum, wrapped with intestinal mesentery, wrapped with uterine horn membrane, attached to the a

Wound-healing factors secreted from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) modulate the immuneresponse and facilitate proliferation of neighboring cells. Although in vitro three-dimensional(3D) culture techniques have improved the therapeutic potential of MSCs, no studies havefocused on the effects of cell aggregation alone. In this study, the effect of cell aggregation onthe up-regulation of wound-healing proteins secretions was investigated by constructing smallspheroids of human adipose-derived stem c

Although in vitro cultivation, be it axenic or in the presence ofhost cells, is feasible with species from all major groups of parasites,there are species of medical and/or veterinary importancewhich are refractory to such attempts. An example isCryptosporidium spp. which are intracellular, intestinal parasiteswith a broad host range. Their sexual stages (oocysts) haveto be produced in very young animals (neonatal mice, calves,lambs, piglets). Such infections, which raise serious concernsfrom th

Tissue-engineered liver using primary hepatocytes has been considered a valuable new therapeuticmodality as an alternative to whole organ liver transplantation for different liver diseases. The development of clinically feasible liver tissue engineering approaches, however, has been hampered by the poor engraftment efficiency of hepatocytes. We developed a three-dimensional (3D) culture system using a microgravity bioreactor (MB), biodegradable scaffolds and growth-factor-reducedMatrigel to cons

Three-dimensional (3D) culture of hepatocytes leads to improved and prolonged synthetic andmetabolic functions, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. In order toinvestigate the role of 3D cell-cell interactions in maintaining hepatocyte differentiated functionsex vivo, primary mouse hepatocytes were cultured either as monolayers on tissue culture dishes(TCD) or as 3D aggregates in rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactors. Global gene expressionanalyses revealed that genes upregulate

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are considered a potentially advantageous source of hepatocytes for bothtransplantation and the development of bioartificial livers. However, the efficient large-scale generation of functional hepatocytes from ES cells remains a major challenge, especially for those  methods compatible with clinical applications.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are primary candidates in cell therapy and tissue engineering and are beingtested in clinical trials for a wide range of diseases. Originally isolated and expanded as plastic adherent cells,MSCs have intriguing properties of in vitro self-assembly into three-dimensional (3D) aggregates reminiscent ofskeletal condensation in vivo. Recent studies have shown that MSC 3D aggregation improved a range of biologicalproperties, including multilineage potential, secretion of

Background: Exosomes derived from stem cells have been demonstrated to be good candidates for the treatment ofosteochondral injury. Our previous studies have demonstrated that mechanical stimulation could be crucial forthe secretion of exosomes derived from umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (U-MSCs). Therefore, we explorewhether mechanical stimulation caused by a rotary cell culture system (RCCS) has a beneficial effect on exosomeyield and biological function.

Surface modification of biodegradable vascular grafts is an important strategy to improve the in situendothelialization of tissue engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) and prevent major complications associated with current synthetic grafts. Important strategies for improving endothelialization include increasing endothelial cell mobilization and increased endothelial cell capture through biofunctionalization of TEVGs. The objective of this study was to assess two biofunctionalization strategies fo

As a serious malignant tumour disease, lung cancer is usually accompaniedwith strong clinical manifestation.1,2 The average survival time oflung cancer patients lasts only for several months, even withspecialized treatment combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiationtherapy.3 One of the important causes for this extremely highmortality is the drug resistance in chemotherapy procedure.4 Therefore,in order to gain better results of lung cancer therapy, it is crucialto find effective ways to

Cancer cells undergo comprehensive metabolic reprogramming to meet the increasedrequirements of energy and building blocks for proliferation. Lipin-1,a phosphatidic acid phosphatase converting phosphatidic acid (PA) to diacylglycerol(DAG), is upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cell lines andtumor tissues. In this study, we reveal high lipin-1expression is correlated withpoor prognosis of patients with LUAD. Knockdown of lipin-1decreases cellviability and proliferation in LUAD cells, where