人体干细胞繁殖生长能力增强超音速火焰喷涂纳米氧化钛-羟基磷灰石涂层

超音速火焰(HVOF)喷涂纳米氧化钛加10%羟基磷灰石(HA)(n-TiO2-10%HA)粉末制备的生物医学涂层有望取代大气等离子喷涂的HA涂层。选用这种方法的原因为TiO2在人体内的稳定性很高(即没有溶解),另外,在Ti-6Al-4V的基板上的结合强度超过APS-HA涂层2倍。为了探索这些新材料和涂层的生物表现,在超音速火焰喷涂的n-TiO2和n-TiO2-10%HA的涂层表面上进行了从1到21天的人体间质干细胞(hMSCs)培养,APS的HA涂层和未涂层的Ti-6Al-4V合金基体作为对照。对hMSCs的活性特征进行了以下分析:阿拉莫尔艾迪布尔细胞的繁殖;生化碱性磷酸酶(ALP)活性的分析;细胞骨架组织(通过荧光/共聚焦显微镜)及细胞/基体的互动(通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM))。细胞繁殖和生化分析表明,在n-TiO2-10%HA涂层上培养的hMSCs表现出了类似的或优于APS-HA涂层上的hMSCs生物活性。细胞骨架组织在超音速火焰喷涂n-TiO2-10%HA涂层表面上具有更高的细胞繁殖和附着程度。这些结果对下一代高性能长寿命热喷涂生物涂层具有重要意义。     

Morphometric and Nanomechanical Features of Platelets from Women with Early Pregnancy Loss Provide New Evidence of the Impact of Inherited Thrombophilia

Pregnancy is associated with hypercoagulation states and increased thrombotic risk, especially in women with thrombophilia. We combine atomic force microscopy (AFM) and flow cytometry to examine the morphology and nanomechanics of platelets derived from women with early pregnancy loss (EPL) and control pregnant (CP) and non-pregnant (CNP) women. Both control groups exhibit similar morphometric parameters (height and surface roughness) and membrane stiffness of platelets. EPL patients’ platelets, on the other hand, are more activated than the control groups, with prominent cytoskeletal rearrangement. In particular, reduced membrane roughness (22.9 ± 6 nm vs. 39.1 ± 8 nm) (p < 0.05) and height (692 ± 128 nm vs. 1090 ± 131 nm) (p < 0.05), strong alteration in the membrane Young modulus, increased production of platelets’ microparticles, and higher expression of procoagulant surface markers, as well as increased occurrence of thrombophilia (FVL, FII20210A, PLA1/A2, MTHFR C677T or 4G/5G PAI-1) polymorphisms were found. We suggest that the carriage of thrombophilic mutations triggers structural and nanomechanical abnormalities in platelets, resulting in their increased activation. The activation state of platelets can be well characterized by AFM, and the morphometric and nanomechanical characteristics might serve as a new criterion for evaluation of the cause of miscarriage and offer the prospect of an innovative approach serving for diagnostic purposes.     

Altered Thermal Behavior of Blood Plasma Proteome Related to Inflammatory Cytokines in Early Pregnancy Loss

Early pregnancy loss (EPL) is a relatively common pathology of which almost 50% of cases remain idiopathic. In the search for novel biomarkers, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is intensively used to characterize the thermodynamic behavior of blood plasma/serum proteome in health and disease. Herein, for the first time, we investigate the DSC denaturation profiles of blood plasma derived from patients suffering EPL compared to healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women. Data analysis reveals that 58% of the EPL thermograms differ significantly from those of healthy pregnant women. Thermal stabilization of a fraction of albumin-assigned transition with concomitant suppression of the major and enhancement of the globulin-assigned transition are characteristic features of EPL calorimetric profiles that could be used as a new indicator of a risk pregnancy. The presented results suggest an altered composition or intermolecular interactions of the plasma proteome of women with EPL. In addition, the alterations of the EPL thermograms correlate with the increased blood levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and a higher prevalence of the polymorphism in the plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) gene, suggesting an expression of an overall enhanced immune response. The concomitant changes in plasma thermograms confirm the potential of the DSC approach for distinguishing changes in the pathological state of the blood plasma proteome.