Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have desirable characteristics for use in therapy in animal models and veterinary medicine, due to their capacity of inducing tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences between canine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) extracted from subcutaneous (Sc) and visceral (Vs) sites. Surface antigenic markers, in vitro differentiation, and mineralized matrix quantification of AD-MSCs at different passages (P4, P6, and P8) were studied. Immunophenotypic analysis showed that AD-MSCs from both sites were CD44+, CD90+, and CD45−. Moreover, they were able, in vitro, to differentiate into fat, cartilage, and bone. Sc-AD-MSCs preserve in vitro multipotentiality up to P8, but Vs-AD-MSCs only tri-differentiated up to P4. In addition, compared to Vs-AD-MSCs, Sc-AD-MSCs had greater capacity for in vitro mineralized matrix synthesis. In conclusion, Sc-AD-MSCs have advantages over Vs-AD-MSCs, as Sc AD-MSCs preserve multipotentiality during a greater number of passages, have more osteogenic potential, and require less invasive extraction.

The recent microcephaly outbreak in Brazil has been associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. The current understanding of damage caused by ZIKV infection is still unclear, since it has been implicated in other neurodegenerative and developmental complications. Here, the differential proteome analysis of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) infected with a Brazilian strain of *

Cell therapy has been linked to an unexplained return of ovarian function and fertility in some cancer survivors. Studies modeling this in mice have shown that cells transplantation generates donor-derived oocytes in chemotherapy-treated recipients. This study was conducted to further clarify the impact of cell transplantation from different sources on female reproductive function after chemotherapy using a preclinical mouse model. Methods. Female mice were administered 7.5 mg/kg cisplatin followed by cell transplantation (one week later) using GFP+ female cell donors. For cell tracking, adipose derived stem cell GFP+ (ADSC), female germline stem cell GFP+/MVH+ (FGSC), or ovary cell suspension GFP+ mice were transplanted into cisplatin-treated wild-type recipients. After 7 or 14 days animals were killed and histological analysis, IHQ for GFP cells, and ELISA for estradiol were performed. Results. Histological examinations showed that ADSC, ovary cell suspension, and FGSC transplant increase the number of follicles with apparent normal structure in the cells recipient group euthanized on day 7. Cell tracking showed GFP+ samples 7 days after transplant. Conclusion. These data suggest that intraovarian injection of ADSCs and FGSC into mice with chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure diminished the damage caused by cisplatin.

Betacellulin (BTC), a ligand of the epidermal growth factor receptor, has been shown to promote growth and differentiation of pancreatic b-cells and to improve glucose metabolism in experimental diabetic rodent models. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been already proved to be multipotent. Recent work has attributed to rat and human MSCs the potential to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells. Our goal was to transfect rat MSCs with a plasmid containing BTC cDNA to guide MSC differentiation into insulin-producing cells. Prior to induction of cell MSC transfection, MSCs were characterized by flow cytometry and the ability to in vitro differentiate into mesoderm cell types was evaluated. After rat MSC characterization, these cells were electroporated with a plasmid containing BTC cDNA. Transfected cells were cultivated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium high glucose (H-DMEM) with 10 mM nicotinamide. Then, the capability of MSC-BTC to produce insulin in vitro and in vivo was evaluated. It was possible to demonstrate by radioimmunoassay analysis that 10 4 MSC-BTC cells produced up to 0.4 ng=mL of insulin, whereas MSCs transfected with the empty vector (negative control) produced no detectable insulin levels. Moreover, MSC-BTC were positive for insulin in immunohistochemistry assay. In parallel, the expression of pancreatic marker genes was demonstrated by molecular analysis of MSC-BTC. Further, when MSC-BTC were transplanted to streptozotocin diabetic rats, BTC-transfected cells ameliorated hyperglycemia from over 500 to about 200 mg=dL at 35 days post-cell transplantation. In this way, our results clearly demonstrate that BTC overabundance enhances glucose-induced insulin secretion in MSCs in vitro as well as in vivo.