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Background: Significant improvement in skin tone was reported after topical application of a facial cream (CALECIM® Professional Multi-Action Cream, CALECIM Cosmeceuticals, Singapore) containing conditioned media (CM) derived from Red Deer Umbilical Cord Lining Mesenchymal Stem Cell (RD-CLMSC) culture. This study investigates the paracrine effects of RD-CLMSC-CM on human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) to understand how it may increase skin turgor and elasticity. Skin aging is associated with lower levels of extracellular matrix components such as hyaluronic acid (HA) and elastin, resulting in poor skin turgor and elasticity. Histochemical staining followed by photocolorimetry demonstrated that RD-CLMSC-CM upregulated HDF expression of elastin by 56% and HA by 83% compared with DMEM/10% Fetal Calf Serum (FCS).To further quantify the effects of CM, a proliferation assay was used to assess HDF response to RD-CLMSC-CM exposure. Exposure to RD-CLMSC-CM resulted in the highest increase in HDF proliferation over DMEM/10% FCS (113%) followed by Human (H)-CLMSC-CM (112%), then Human Foreskin Fibroblast (FSF)-CM (16%).These experimental results demonstrate both the cross-species efficacy and lack of toxicity of RD-CLMSC-CM on HDF. These pre-clinical studies also suggest the clinical effects of RD-CLMSC-CM on skin turgor may be related to increased HA and elastin production by HDF, as well as enhanced proliferation. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;21(1):82-89. doi:10.36849/JDD.6906.

To determine the therapeutic efficacy of human umbilical cord lining mesenchymal stromal cells (CL-MSCs) (US Patent number 9,737,568) in lupus-prone MRL/lpr (Fas lpr ) mice and elucidate its working mechanisms. A total of 4 doses of (20-25) × 10 6 cells/kg of CL-MSCs was given to 16-week-old female Fas lpr mice by intraperitoneal injection. Three subsequent doses were given on 17 weeks, 18 weeks, and 22 weeks, respectively. Six-week-old Fas lpr mice were used as disease pre-onset controls. Mice were monitored for 10 weeks. Mouse kidney function was evaluated by examining complement component 3 (C3) deposition, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), and lupus nephritis (LN) activity and chronicity. Working mechanisms were elucidated by flow cytometry, Luminex/ELISA (detection of anti-dsDNA and isotype antibodies), and RNA sequencing. CL-MSCs improved mice survival and kidney function by reducing LN activity and chronicity and lymphocyte infiltration over 10 weeks. CL-MSCs also reduced urinary ACR, renal complement C3 deposition, anti-dsDNA, and isotype antibodies that include IgA, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgM. Immune and cytokine profiling demonstrated that CL-MSCs dampened inflammation by suppressing splenic neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages, reducing plasma IL-6, IL-12, and CXCL1 and stabilizing plasma interferon-γ and TNF-α. RNA sequencing further showed that CL-MSCs mediated immunomodulation via concerted action of pro-proinflammatory cytokine-induced chemokines and production of nitric oxide in macrophages. CL-MSCs may provide a novel myeloid (neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages)-targeting therapy for SLE.

Background: Cosmetics manufacturers are focused on cosmetic delivery systems into the skin, but the level of diffusion of the systems in the skin tissues is not well understood. The current methods, such as Franz diffusion, assess analyte diffusion in the whole skin or artificial membranes, which has limitations for understanding skin delivery systems., Aims: Our study aimed to create a transdermal delivery method which is based on dermal-epidermal separation of human skin, allowing us to assess each layer of skin separately for its efficacy., Materials and Methods: During the experiment, resveratrol was used as the target analyte by applying it to the skin and then separating it into dermis and epidermis. Each layer is treated individually and subjected to a high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis to detect resveratrol levels. As a result, the efficiency of resveratrol diffusion in the dermal and epidermal layers of the skin can be evaluated., Results: We found that resveratrol was detected in both the dermal and epidermal layers using our method., Conclusions: Hence, we developed a sensitive method for transdermal delivery testing that can be used to evaluate skin delivery systems for cosmetic or pharmaceutical purposes., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Human umbilical cord lining epithelial cells [CLECs) are naïve in nature and can be ethically recovered from cords that are routinely discarded. The success of using oral mucosal epithelial cells for cornea defects hints at the feasibility of treating cutaneous wounds using non-native CLECs. Herein, we characterized CLECs using flow cytometry (FC) and skin organotypic cultures in direct comparison with skin keratinocytes (KCs). This was followed by wound healing study to compare the effects of CLEC application and the traditional use of human skin allografts (HSGs) in a porcine wound model. While CLECs were found to express all the epidermal cell markers probed, the major difference between CLECs and KCs lies in the level of expression (in FC analysis) as well as in the location of expression (of the epithelium in organotypic cultures) of some of the basal cell markers probed. On the pig wounds, CLEC application promoted accelerated healing with no adverse reaction compared to HSG use. Though CLECs, like HSGs, elicited high levels of local and systemic immune responses in the animals during the first week, these effects were tapered off more quickly in the CLEC-treated group. Overall, the in vivo porcine data point to the potential of CLECs as a non-native and safe source of cells to treat cutaneous wounds.

We investigated the safety of using umbilical cord-lining stem cells for liver regeneration and tested a novel method for stem cell delivery. Stem cells are known by their ability to repair damaged tissues and have the potential to be used as regenerative therapies. The umbilical cord's outer lining membrane is known to be a promising source of multipotent stem cells and can be cultivated in an epithelial cell growth medium to produce cell populations which possess the properties of both epithelial cells and embryonic stem cells-termed cord-lining epithelial cells (CLEC). Hepatocytes are epithelial cells of the liver and their proliferation upon injury is the main mechanism in restoring the liver. Earlier studies conducted showed CLEC can be differentiated into functioning hepatocyte-like cells (HLC) and can survive in immunologically competent specimens. In this study, we chose a porcine model to investigate CLEC as a treatment modality for liver failure. We selected 16 immune competent Yorkshire-Dutch Landrace pigs, with a mean weight of 40.5 kg, for this study. We performed a 50% hepatectomy to simulate the liver insufficient disease model. After the surgery, four pigs were transplanted with a saline scaffold while seven pigs were transplanted with a HLC scaffold. Five pigs died on the surgical table and were omitted from the study analysis. This study addressed the safety of transplanting human CLEC in a large animal model. The transplant interfaces were evaluated and no signs of cellular rejection were observed in both groups.

Costly coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) replacement therapy is a barrier to optimal clinical management of hemophilia A. Therapy using FVIII-secreting autologous primary cells is potentially efficacious and more affordable. Zinc finger nucleases (ZFN) mediate transgene integration into the AAVS1 locus but comprehensive evaluation of off-target genome effects is currently lacking. In light of serious adverse effects in clinical trials which employed genome-integrating viral vectors, this study evaluated potential genotoxicity of ZFN-mediated transgenesis using different techniques. We employed deep sequencing of predicted off-target sites, copy number analysis, whole-genome sequencing, and RNA-seq in primary human umbilical cord-lining epithelial cells (CLECs) with AAVS1 ZFN-mediated FVIII transgene integration. We combined molecular features to enhance the accuracy and activity of ZFN-mediated transgenesis. Our data showed a low frequency of ZFN-associated indels, no detectable off-target transgene integrations or chromosomal rearrangements. ZFN-modified CLECs had very few dysregulated transcripts and no evidence of activated oncogenic pathways. We also showed AAVS1 ZFN activity and durable FVIII transgene secretion in primary human dermal fibroblasts, bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived stromal cells. Our study suggests that, with close attention to the molecular design of genome-modifying constructs, AAVS1 ZFN-mediated FVIII integration in several primary human cell types may be safe and efficacious.

Objective: Nanofibers for tissue scaffolding and wound dressings hold great potential in realizing enhanced healing of wounds in comparison with conventional counterparts. Previously, we demonstrated good fibroblast adherence and growth on a newly developed scaffold, Tegaderm™-Nanofiber (TG-NF), made from poly ɛ-caprolactone (PCL)/gelatin nanofibers electrospun onto Tegaderm (TG). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance and safety of TG-NF dressings in partial-thickness wound in a pig healing model. Approach: To evaluate the rate of reepithelialization, control TG, human dermal fibroblast-seeded TG-NF(+) and -unseeded TG-NF(-) were randomly dressed onto 80 partial-thickness burns created on four female and four male pigs. Wound inspections and dressings were done after burns on day 7, 14, 21, and 28. On day 28, full-thickness biopsies were taken for histopathological evaluation by Masson-Trichrome staining for collagen and hematoxylin-eosin staining for cell counting. Results: No infection and severe inflammation were recorded. Wounds treated with TG-NF(+) reepithelialized significantly faster than TG-NF(-) and control. Wound site inflammatory responses to study groups were similar as total cell counts on granulation tissues show no significant differences. Most of the wounds completely reepithelialized by day 28, except for two wounds in control and TG-NF(-). A higher collagen coverage was also recorded in the granulation tissues treated with TG-NF(+). Innovation and Conclusion: With better reepithelialization achieved by TG-NF(+) and similar rates of wound closure by TG-NF(-) and control, and the absence of elevated inflammatory responses to TG-NF constructs, TG-NF constructs are safe and demonstrated good healing potentials that are comparable to Tegaderm.

The primary hepatocyte is the best benchmark for drug biotransformation studies. However, due to the severe shortage of primary hepatocytes, there is a need for alternative reliable cell source. This study aims to isolate multipotent epithelial cells from the umbilical cord, differentiate these cells into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs), and investigate the potential of using the differentiated cells for in vitro drug metabolism model. Human umbilical cord lining epithelial cells (UCLECs) were subjected to hepatic induction over a period of 28 days. HepG2 and cryopreserved human hepatocytes were used as control. Immunohistological staining was carried out for α-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin, cytokeratin 18 (CK18), and 19 (CK19). Glycogen storage ability was assessed through periodic acid-Schiff stain. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to examine gene expression of hepatic nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) and cytochrome P450 isozymes 1A2, 2C9, 2D6, and 3A4. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) was utilized to analyze functional metabolic ability of the HLCs, where CYP3A4 was chosen as the study focus and testosterone as the drug substrate. After 28 days of induction, the fibroblastic phenotype of UCLECs changed to rotund polygonal shape resembling that of hepatocytes. Protein expression of AFP and CK19 was negative, while albumin and CK18 expression was upregulated. Gene expression of HNF4α, CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 was observed but not for CYP2C9. After 4 h of incubation with testosterone, UPLC/MS/MS detected 2α-, 6β-, 15β-, and 16β-hydroxytestosterone. UCLECs are able to differentiate into HLCs that express liver-specific markers, and have functional metabolic capabilities.

In this study we describe the derivation and immunological characterization of a primary epithelial cell type from the human umbilical cord membrane. These cord lining epithelial cells (CLECs) expressed and/or secreted isoforms of the nonclassical human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-1b) glycoproteins, HLA-G and E. Conditioned media from CLECs inhibited mitogen-stimulated T-lymphocyte responses, and in a mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) assay, cocultured CLECs inhibited allogeneic responses with a concomitant reduction in proinflammatory cytokines. Using a transwell coculture system, it was demonstrated that these immunoregulatory effects were mediated by soluble factors secreted by CLECs, in a dose-dependent manner. Functional studies using HLA-G blocking antibody showed that the effects of CLEC-secreted products could be inhibited, thus demonstrating a significant and important role for soluble HLA-G. In vivo, we show that transplanted CLECs could be maintained for extended periods in immunocompetent mice where xenorejection rapidly destroyed primary keratinocytes, a control human epithelial cell type. Additionally, CLECs delayed the rejection of keratinocytes and extended their survival when cotransplanted, indicating an ability to protect adjacent human cell types that would otherwise be rejected if transplanted alone. We also show that CLECs transduced with a modified human proinsulin gene were transplanted intraperitoneally into streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, resulting in significantly lower levels of serum glucose compared to control mice. This study has characterized the immunological properties of CLECs and tested a potential therapeutic application in the treatment of a type 1 diabetes mouse model.