Osteochondral defects are prone to induce osteoarthritic degenerative changes. Many tissue-engineering approaches that aim to generate osteochondral implants suffer from poor tissue formation and compromised integration. This illustrates the need for further improvement of heterogeneous tissue constructs. Engineering of these structures is expected to profit from strategies addressing the complexity of tissue organization and the simultaneous use of multiple cell types. Moreover, this enables the investigation of the effects of three-dimensional (3D) organization and architecture on tissue function. In the present study, we characterize the use of a 3D fiber deposition (3DF) technique for the fabrication of cell-laden, heterogeneous hydrogel constructs for potential use as osteochondral grafts. Changing fiber spacing or angle of fiber deposition yielded scaffolds of varying porosity and elastic modulus. We encapsulated and printed fluorescently labeled human chondrocytes and osteogenic progenitors in alginate hydrogel yielding scaffolds of 1×2 cm with different parts for both cell types. Cell viability remained high throughout the printing process, and cells remained in their compartment of the printed scaffold for the whole culture period. Moreover, distinctive tissue formation was observed, both in vitro after 3 weeks and in vivo (6 weeks subcutaneously in immunodeficient mice), at different locations within one construct. These results demonstrate the possibility of manufacturing viable centimeter-scaled structured tissues by the 3DF technique, which could potentially be used for the repair of osteochondral defects.

The organ- or tissue-printing approach, based on layered deposition of cell-laden hydrogels, is a new technique in regenerative medicine suitable to investigate whether mimicking the anatomical organization of cells, matrix, and bioactive molecules is necessary for obtaining or improving functional engineered tissues. Currently, data on performance of multicellular printed constructs in vivo are limited. In this study we illustrate the ability of the system to print intricate porous constructs containing two different cell types--endothelial progenitors and multipotent stromal cells--and show that these grafts retain heterogeneous cell organization after subcutaneous implantation in immunodeficient mice. We demonstrate that cell differentiation leading to the expected tissue formation occurs at the site of the deposited progenitor cell type. While perfused blood vessels are formed in the endothelial progenitor cell-laden part of the constructs, bone formation is taking place in the multipotent stromal cell-laden part of the printed grafts.

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expression profile in flow-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension with neointimal lesions. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 298: L483-L491, 2010. First published December 18, 2009 doi:10.1152/ajplung.00106.2009.-Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a pulmonary angioproliferative disease with high morbidity and mortality, characterized by a typical pattern of pulmonary vascular remodeling including neointimal lesions. In congenital heart disease, increased pulmonary blood flow has appeared to be a key mediator in the development of these characteristic lesions, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the pulmonary vascular lesions are largely unknown. We employed a rat model of flow-associated PAH, which induced specific pulmonary neointimal lesions. We identified gene expression profiles in rats specifically related to the addition of increased pulmonary blood flow to monocrotaline and the associated occurrence of neointimal lesions. Increased pulmonary blood flow induced the expression of the transcription factors activating transcription factor-3 (ATF3) and early growth response factor-1 (EGR-1), for which presence was confirmed in neointimal lesions. Monocrotaline alone induced increased numbers of activated mast cells and their products. We further identified molecular pathways that may be involved in treatment with the prostacyclin analog iloprost, a vasoactive compound with clinically beneficial effects in patients with PAH, which were similar to pathways described in samples from patient studies. These pathways, associated with the development of angioproliferative lesions as well as with the response to therapy in PAH, may provide new therapeutic targets.remodeling; congenital heart defects PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (PAH) is a progressive angioproliferative disease with high morbidity and mortality (4), associated with a characteristic pattern of vascular remodeling of the small pulmonary arteries. This vascular remodeling consists of proliferation of endothelial and smooth muscle cells, fibrosis, and inflammation, leading to formation of concentric neointimal lesions and plexiform lesions (37). These latter vascular lesions can be regarded as pathognomonic for PAH (37). Although the histopathology is well-described, the pathogenesis of the disease and its typical vascular lesions is largely unknown (28). In patients with congenital heart diseases that develop PAH, increased pulmonary blood flow has been clinically identified as a key mediator in the development of the pathognomonic vascular lesions of PAH (10, 33, 37) and through unknown mechanisms.Prostacyclin, a vascular endothelium-derived vasoactive compound with vasodilatory and antiproliferative properties, is believed to interfere with the pathogenesis, since prostacyclin analogs have been demonstrated to have beneficial clinical effects in patients with PAH (3, 30). These analogs have been suggested to be able to reverse the pulmonary vascular remodeling process of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in experimental settings (31), altho...

BackgroundPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a pulmonary vascular disease with a high mortality, characterized by typical angio-proliferative lesions. Erythropoietin (EPO) attenuates pulmonary vascular remodeling in PAH. We postulated that EPO acts through mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and activation of the cytoprotective enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).MethodsRats with flow-associated PAH, resembling pediatric PAH, were treated with HO-1 inducer EPO in the presence or absence of the selective HO-activity inhibitor tin-mesoporphyrin (SnMP). HO activity, circulating EPCs and pulmonary vascular lesions were assessed after 3 weeks.ResultsIn PAH rats, circulating EPCs were decreased and HO activity was increased compared to control. EPO treatment restored circulating EPCs and improved pulmonary vascular remodeling, as shown by a reduced wall thickness and occlusion rate of the intra-acinar vessels. Inhibition of HO activity with SnMP aggravated PAH. Moreover, SnMP treatment abrogated EPO-induced amelioration of pulmonary vascular remodeling, while surprisingly further increasing circulating EPCs as compared with EPO alone.ConclusionIn experimental PAH, EPO treatment restored the number of circulating EPCs to control level, improved pulmonary vascular remodeling, and showed important interplay with HO activity. Inhibition of increased HO activity in PAH rats exacerbated progression of pulmonary vascular remodeling, despite the presence of restored number of circulating EPCs. We suggest that both EPO-induced HO-1 and EPCs are promising targets to ameliorate the pulmonary vasculature in PAH.