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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    In vitro model of metastasis to bone marrow mediates prostate cancer castration resistant growth through paracrine and extracellular matrix factors
    (San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science, 2012) Lescarbeau, R.M.; Seib, F.P.; Prewitz, M.; Werner, C.; Kaplan, D.L.
    The spread of prostate cancer cells to the bone marrow microenvironment and castration resistant growth are key steps in disease progression and significant sources of morbidity. However, the biological significance of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and bone marrow derived extracellular matrix (BM-ECM) in this process is not fully understood. We therefore established an in vitro engineered bone marrow tissue model that incorporates hMSCs and BM-ECM to facilitate mechanistic studies of prostate cancer cell survival in androgen-depleted media in response to paracrine factors and BM-ECM. hMSC-derived paracrine factors increased LNCaP cell survival, which was in part attributed to IGFR and IL6 signaling. In addition, BM-ECM increased LNCaP and MDA-PCa-2b cell survival in androgen-depleted conditions, and induced chemoresistance and morphological changes in LNCaPs. To determine the effect of BM-ECM on cell signaling, the phosphorylation status of 46 kinases was examined. Increases in the phosphorylation of MAPK pathway-related proteins as well as sustained Akt phosphorylation were observed in BM-ECM cultures when compared to cultures grown on plasma-treated polystyrene. Blocking MEK1/2 or the PI3K pathway led to a significant reduction in LNCaP survival when cultured on BM-ECM in androgen-depleted conditions. The clinical relevance of these observations was determined by analyzing Erk phosphorylation in human bone metastatic prostate cancer versus non-metastatic prostate cancer, and increased phosphorylation was seen in the metastatic samples. Here we describe an engineered bone marrow model that mimics many features observed in patients and provides a platform for mechanistic in vitro studies.
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    Cytoskeletal transition in patterned cells correlates with interfacial energy model
    (London [u.a.] : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014) Müller, A.; Meyer, J.; Paumer, T.; Pompe, T.
    A cell's morphology is intricately regulated by microenvironmental cues and intracellular feedback signals. Besides biochemical factors, cell fate can be influenced by the mechanics and geometry of the surrounding matrix. The latter point was addressed herein, by studying cell adhesion on two-dimensional micropatterns. Endothelial cells were grown on maleic acid copolymer surfaces structured with stripes of fibronectin by microcontact printing. Experiments showed a biphasic behaviour of actin stress fibre spacing in dependence on the stripe width with a critical size of approx. 15 μm. In a concurrent modelling effort, cells on stripes were simulated as droplet-like structures, including variations of interfacial energy, total volume and dimensions of the nucleus. A biphasic behaviour with regard to cell morphology and area was found, triggered by the minimum of interfacial energy, with the phase transition occurring at a critical stripe width close to the critical stripe width found in the cell experiment. The correlation of experiment and simulation suggests a possible mechanism of the cytoskeletal rearrangements based on interfacial energy arguments.
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    Differential influence of components resulting from atmospheric-pressure plasma on integrin expression of human HaCaT keratinocytes
    (New York, NY : Hindawi, 2013) Haertel, B.; Straßenburg, S.; Oehmigen, K.; Wende, K.; Von Woedtke, T.; Lindequist, U.
    Adequate chronic wound healing is a major problem in medicine. A new solution might be non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma effectively inactivating microorganisms and influencing cells in wound healing. Plasma components as, for example, radicals can affect cells differently. HaCaT keratinocytes were treated with Dielectric Barrier Discharge plasma (DBD/air, DBD/argon), ozone or hydrogen peroxide to find the components responsible for changes in integrin expression, intracellular ROS formation or apoptosis induction. Dependent on plasma treatment time reduction of recovered cells was observed with no increase of apoptotic cells, but breakdown of mitochondrial membrane potential. DBD/air plasma increased integrins and intracellular ROS. DBD/argon caused minor changes. About 100 ppm ozone did not influence integrins. Hydrogen peroxide caused similar effects compared to DBD/air plasma. In conclusion, effects depended on working gas and exposure time to plasma. Short treatment cycles did neither change integrins nor induce apoptosis or ROS. Longer treatments changed integrins as important for influencing wound healing. Plasma effects on integrins are rather attributed to induction of other ROS than to generation of ozone. Changes of integrins by plasma may provide new solutions of improving wound healing, however, conditions are needed which allow initiating the relevant influence on integrins without being cytotoxic to cells.
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    Atmospheric pressure plasma: A high-performance tool for the efficient removal of biofilms
    (San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science, 2012) Fricke, K.; Koban, I.; Tresp, H.; Jablonowski, L.; Schröder, K.; Kramer, A.; Weltmann, K.-D.; von Woedtke, T.; Kocher, T.
    Introduction: The medical use of non-thermal physical plasmas is intensively investigated for sterilization and surface modification of biomedical materials. A further promising application is the removal or etching of organic substances, e.g., biofilms, from surfaces, because remnants of biofilms after conventional cleaning procedures are capable to entertain inflammatory processes in the adjacent tissues. In general, contamination of surfaces by micro-organisms is a major source of problems in health care. Especially biofilms are the most common type of microbial growth in the human body and therefore, the complete removal of pathogens is mandatory for the prevention of inflammatory infiltrate. Physical plasmas offer a huge potential to inactivate micro-organisms and to remove organic materials through plasma-generated highly reactive agents. Method: In this study a Candida albicans biofilm, formed on polystyrene (PS) wafers, as a prototypic biofilm was used to verify the etching capability of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet operating with two different process gases (argon and argon/oxygen mixture). The capability of plasma-assisted biofilm removal was assessed by microscopic imaging. Results: The Candida albicans biofilm, with a thickness of 10 to 20 μm, was removed within 300 s plasma treatment when oxygen was added to the argon gas discharge, whereas argon plasma alone was practically not sufficient in biofilm removal. The impact of plasma etching on biofilms is localized due to the limited presence of reactive plasma species validated by optical emission spectroscopy.