Shanying Han, Xiaolong Zhao, Lin Cheng, Jiangang Fan
{"title":"Recent progresses in neural tissue engineering using topographic scaffolds.","authors":"Shanying Han, Xiaolong Zhao, Lin Cheng, Jiangang Fan","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neural tissue engineering as alternatives to recover damaged tissues and organs is getting more and more attention due to the lack of regeneration ability of natural tissue nervous system after injury. Particularly, topographic scaffolds are one of the critical elements to guide nerve orientation and reconnection with characteristics of mimic the natural extracellular matrix. This review focuses on scaffolds preparation technologies, topographical features, scaffolds-based encapsulations delivery strategies for neural tissue regeneration, biological functions on nerve cell guidance and regeneration, and applications of topographic scaffolds in vivo and in vitro. Here, the recent developments in topographic scaffolds for neural tissue engineering by simulating neural cell topographic orientation and differentiation are presented. We also explore the challenges and future perspectives of topographical scaffolds in clinical trials and practical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"13 1","pages":"1-26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944707/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140179123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Waleed Ak Tareen, Evelyn Saba, Usman Rashid, Adeel Sarfraz, Muhammad S Yousaf, Habib-Ur-Rehman, Hafiz F Rehman, Mansur Abdullah Sandhu
{"title":"Impact of multiple isolation procedures on the differentiation potential of adipose derived canine mesenchymal stem cells.","authors":"Waleed Ak Tareen, Evelyn Saba, Usman Rashid, Adeel Sarfraz, Muhammad S Yousaf, Habib-Ur-Rehman, Hafiz F Rehman, Mansur Abdullah Sandhu","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>In regenerative biology, the most commonly used cells are adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs). This is due to the abundance and easy accessibility of AD-MSCs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, canine AD-MSCs were harvested from different anatomical locations, i.e., subcutaneous (SC), omental (OM), and perirenal (PR). Various isolation techniques namely explants (TRT-I), collagenase-digestion (TRT-II), collagenase-digested explants (TRT-III), and trypsin-digested explants (TRT-IV) were used to segregate the MSCs to evaluate cell doubling time, viability, and adipogenic/osteogenic lineage differentiation potential.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study showed that the SC stem cells had superior growth kinetics compared to other tissues, while the cells isolated through TRT-II performed better than the other cell isolation procedures. The metabolic status of cells isolated from dog adipose tissue indicated that all cells had adequate metabolic rates. However, SC-MSCs derived from TRT-III and TRT-IV outperformed those derived from TRT-I and TRT-II. The differentiation analysis revealed that cells differentiate into adipogenic and osteogenic lineage regardless of treatment, as demonstrated by positive oil red O (ORO) and Alizarin Red S (ALZ) stain. It is worth mentioning that cells derived from TRT-III had larger and more intracellular droplets compared to the other treatments. The TRT-I, -II, and -III showed greater osteogenic differentiation in cells isolated from PR and OM regions compared to SC-derived cells. However, the TRT-IV resulted in better osteogenic differentiation in cells from SC, followed by the OM and PR-derived cells.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>It is concluded that all methods of MSCs isolation from adipose tissues are successful; however, the TRT-II had the highest rate of cell re-assortment from the SC, while, TRT-II and -IV are most suitable for isolating cells from PR and OM adipose tissue.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"13 1","pages":"27-36"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944708/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140179122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shasha Zheng, Hao Wei, Hong Cheng, Yanru Qi, Yajun Gu, Xiaofeng Ma, Jiaqiang Sun, Fanglei Ye, Fangfang Guo, Cheng Cheng
{"title":"Advances in nerve guidance conduits for peripheral nerve repair and regeneration.","authors":"Shasha Zheng, Hao Wei, Hong Cheng, Yanru Qi, Yajun Gu, Xiaofeng Ma, Jiaqiang Sun, Fanglei Ye, Fangfang Guo, Cheng Cheng","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) can cause partial or total motor and sensory nerve function, leading to physical disability and nerve pain that severely affects patients' quality of life. Autologous nerve transplantation is currently the clinically recognized gold standard, but due to its inherent limitations, researchers have been searching for alternative treatments. Nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) have attracted much attention as a favorable alternative to promote the repair and regeneration of damaged peripheral nerves. In this review, we provide an overview of the anatomy of peripheral nerves, peripheral nerve injury and repair, and current treatment methods. Importantly, different design strategies of NGCs used for the treatment of PNI and their applications in PNI repair are highlighted. Finally, an outlook on the future development and challenges of NGCs is presented.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 5","pages":"112-123"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10776341/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139428830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ronald Mbiine, Misaki Wayengera, Noah Kiwanuka, Ian Munabi, Haruna Muwonge, Cephas Nakanwagi, Moses Joloba, Moses Galukande
{"title":"Autologous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) in scar treatment among patients with keloids and hypertrophic scars: a systematic review and meta-analysis of current practices and outcomes.","authors":"Ronald Mbiine, Misaki Wayengera, Noah Kiwanuka, Ian Munabi, Haruna Muwonge, Cephas Nakanwagi, Moses Joloba, Moses Galukande","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Keloids and hypertrophic scars are some of the most common skin conditions globally, associated with poor treatment response and high recurrence rates. Autologous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is increasingly recognized as an emerging therapy albeit limited literature on its outcome in scar treatment. This review aimed to describe the current practices and outcomes of adipose-derived stromal Vascular Fraction in scar treatment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This systematic review assessed articles describing the use of SVF in scar treatment published between 2000 and 2023. Article searches of Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases using Mesh terms and the Boolean operators (\"AND\", \"OR\") by two independent researchers were done whilst following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Clinical studies assessing SVF in scar treatment with a primary outcome measure being an improvement in scar characteristics including the thickness, scar assessment scores were included.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 1425 studies identified in the search, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 493 patients included. Eight of these were clinical trials with the rest being observational studies. Follow-up ranged from 3 months to 24 months. In all studies, there was an improvement in scar characteristics following single-dose treatment with SVF or its equivalent. All studies reported SVF to be safe.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The review found that autologous adipose-derived SVF is a clinically effective therapy for keloids and scar treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 5","pages":"98-111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10776342/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139428833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Junjiang Liu, Zhiping Hu, Yan Huang, Yidan Zhang, Dezhen Peng
{"title":"Study on the protective effect of OM-MSCs on Golgi apparatus after intracerebral hemorrhage in Sprague-Dawley rats.","authors":"Junjiang Liu, Zhiping Hu, Yan Huang, Yidan Zhang, Dezhen Peng","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The present study aimed to assess alterations in apoptosis rate, Golgi morphology and GOLPH3 expression following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) both before and after intervention with OM-MSCs. The objective was to investigate the impact of ICH on Golgi apparatus (GA) stress and to explore the potential protective effects of OM-MSCs on GA following ICH.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>A total of 54 Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated into three experimental groups: sham operation group, ICH group and OM-MSCs group. ICH models were established by collagenase method while OM-MSCs were cultured in vitro. In OM-MSCs intervention group, one million OM-MSCs were stereotactically injected into unilateral striatum of rats 48 hours after ICH modeling while other two groups received an equivalent volume of PBS. Brain tissues were collected at 1 day, 3 day and 7 day post intervention and subsequently assessed for cellular apoptosis, morphological change of GA and expression of GOLPH3. The obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis by SPSS 21.0.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>1. Apoptosis rate in the 1 d and 3 d ICH groups was significantly higher compared to sham operation group (P < 0.05), but significantly lower compared to OM-MSCs intervention group (P < 0.05). 2. While no noticeable morphological changes were observed in sham operation group, GA in ICH group exhibited a significant increase fragmentation. After OM-MSCs intervention, the fragmentation of GA decreased significantly. 3. On 3 d, expression of GOLPH3 in ICH group was significantly higher than that in sham operation group (P < 0.05) but significantly lower than that of OM-MSCs intervention group (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The rate of apoptosis, fragmentation of GA, and expression of GOLPH3 exhibited significant increases following ICH in SD rats. Conversely, all of these factors demonstrated significant decreases subsequent to early intervention with OM-MSCs, thereby exerting neuroprotective effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 5","pages":"124-137"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10776343/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139428839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haitao Jiang, Qiuyu Tang, Dexin Zheng, Yunkai Gu, Cheng Man
{"title":"Parathyroid hormone enhances the therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cells on temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in rats.","authors":"Haitao Jiang, Qiuyu Tang, Dexin Zheng, Yunkai Gu, Cheng Man","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is a degenerative disease affecting the joint, which is characterized by injury to the articular cartilage, as well as changes in the synovial and subchondral bone. TMJOA has a high incidence rate, without any effective treatment. Despite the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in various diseases, their efficacy in treating TMJOA is constrained by the local hypoxic conditions and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) environment within the damaged temporomandibular joint. In recent years, many studies have reported that parathyroid hormone (PTH) can effectively treat TMJOA, and has an important impact on MSC differentiation. Therefore, we hypothesized that PTH may influence the potential of MSCs, thereby improving their therapeutic effect on TMJOA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>First, we isolated and cultured rat bone marrow MSCs, and evaluated their proliferation and differentiation after adding PTH. Next, the <i>in vitro</i> environment of hypoxia and high ROS was established by hypoxia condition and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> treatment, and the resistance of PTH-treated MSCs to hypoxia and ROS was subsequently investigated. Finally, PTH-treated MSCs were used to treat TMJOA in a rat model to evaluate the efficacy of PTH.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PTH enhanced the proliferation ability of MSCs, promoted the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, and improved the tolerance of MSCs to hypoxia and ROS. Finally, the therapeutic effect of PTH-treated MSCs on TMJOA was significantly improved.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>PTH enhances the therapeutic effect of MSCs on TMJOA in rats.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 4","pages":"73-82"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10658131/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138457229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria C Canencio Salgado, Omar Amado Pico, Claudia L Sossa, Martha Ligia Arango-Rodríguez
{"title":"Treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head with multiple drilling and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells expanded <i>ex vivo</i> plus biomolecules derived from platelet-rich plasma: a case report.","authors":"Maria C Canencio Salgado, Omar Amado Pico, Claudia L Sossa, Martha Ligia Arango-Rodríguez","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a debilitating condition that predominantly affects young individuals, resulting in disability and involving significant healthcare costs. Therefore, it is crucial to develop an effective therapeutic strategy to treat this debilitating disease. In this context, autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (auto-BM-MSCs) have emerged as a promising approach for treating ONFH. In this case report, we applied this therapy to a patient with ONFH and evaluated both its safety and therapeutic benefits. The treatment consisted of the administration of a single dose of 4×10<sup>7</sup> <i>ex vivo</i>-expanded auto-BM-MSCs combined with biomolecules derived from platelet-rich plasma. These therapeutic agents were injected into the necrotic zone after accessing it through the technique of multiple small drillings. Subsequently, the progression of ONFH was assessed after 18 months of the auto-BM-MSC administration. Radiographic evaluation showed that the initial femoral head flattening persisted, but no further progression or coxofemoral arthritic changes were observed. Nevertheless, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a significant improvement in the affected femoral head's area, resulting in a Kerboull angle of 80°, without evidence of flattening or a notable collapse compared to the preoperative condition. Furthermore, the patient exhibited a remarkable functional improvement, as evidenced by a modified Harris hip score of 90 points. The absence of any additional surgery reinforces the positive outcomes achieved through this therapeutic intervention. In conclusion, our case study provides evidence for using the <i>ex vivo</i>-expanded auto-BM-MSCs in combination with platelet-rich plasma-derived biomolecules as a viable and safe treatment for ONFH. However, further research and clinical trials are necessary to validate these promising findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 4","pages":"92-97"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10658132/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138457231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roberto G Carbone, Simone Negrini, Giuseppe Murdaca, Vincenzo Fontana, Francesco Puppo
{"title":"Stem cells treatment in chronic ischemic heart disease: a narrative review.","authors":"Roberto G Carbone, Simone Negrini, Giuseppe Murdaca, Vincenzo Fontana, Francesco Puppo","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chronic ischemic heart disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several trials have been performed to evaluate benefit of stem cells transplantation to restore cardiac function in short- and long-term period after myocardial infarction. This narrative review analyzes 24 clinical trials between 2005 and 2023 comprising 1824 patients with chronic heart disease without heart failure. Percent increase in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and decrease in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class at 6/12 months after stem cells transplantation are reported. Thirteen trials showed a statistically significant percent LVEF increase between 4% to 19% at 6/12 months after stem cells transplantation (<i>p</i> values from 0.05 to 0.0001). No significant differences in LVEF were observed between patients who underwent intracoronary or intramyocardial transplantation. NYHA class decrease from severe to mild/moderate was demonstrated in 10 trials reporting a significant LVEF increase. Patients transplanted with bone marrow and peripheral blood CD133+ stem cells showed a doubling of percentage LVEF increase in comparison to patients transplanted with CD133- cells. This narrative review reports the conflicting results on this topic. Multicenter randomized clinical trials should be performed to define the efficacy of stem cells transplantation in chronic ischemic heart disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 4","pages":"65-72"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10658134/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138457230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluation of osteoconductive effect of polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold treated with <i>Aloe vera</i> on adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs).","authors":"Maryam Teymori, Ehsan Karimi, Ehsan Saburi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) hold promise for bone tissue engineering because of their ability to differentiate into a variety of cell lineages. In tissue engineering, composite scaffolds made of natural and synthetic polymers have also attracted interest. Modification of scaffolds with various substances, including Aloe Vera, is expected to play a useful role in the repair of damaged tissues, including bone.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>ADSCs were isolated and seeded in three groups on an Aloe Vera-modified PCL scaffold: 1. Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold group, 2. PCL/Aloe Vera scaffold group, and 3. TCPS (Tissue Culture Polystyrene) group. Subsequently, staining with Oil red and Alizarin Red was performed to assess the ability of ADSCs to differentiate into fat and bone cells. Cell viability was determined by the resazurin assay on days 1, 3, and 5. Calcium content and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) were determined with kits on days 7, 14, and 21. RNA was extracted, and cDNA was synthesized. Finally, the expression of marker genes for bone differentiation like osteogenic markers such as Osteonectin (ON), Osteocalcin (OC), RUNX Family Transcription Factor 2 (RUNX2), Collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1) was evaluated by real-time PCR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Aloe vera-treated PCL scaffolds showed improved biocompatibility compared with untreated scaffolds (P<0.05). In addition, treated scaffolds promoted osteogenic differentiation of ADSCs, as evidenced by increased expression of osteogenic markers such <i>ON, OC, RUNX2, COL1</i> compared with PCL scaffold and TCPS (P<0.05). Furthermore, ALP and calcium content assay confirmed improved mineral deposition on PCL scaffolds treated with Aloe vera, indicating enhanced osteoconductivity (P<0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our data suggest that a PCL scaffold mixed with Aloe Vera gel has promising osteoconductive potential, which can be used as a natural polymer for tissue engineering of bone and promote bone regeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 4","pages":"83-91"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10658133/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138457228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohammad Kamalabadi-Farahani, Vahid Kia, Shaghayegh Doodi, Sadegh Dylami
{"title":"Upregulation of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) in the breast cancer stem like cells.","authors":"Mohammad Kamalabadi-Farahani, Vahid Kia, Shaghayegh Doodi, Sadegh Dylami","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Breast cancer stem like cells (CSCs) as a subset of cancer cells exhibit similar properties with normal stem cells. These cells are responsible for cancer metastasis and recurrence. Pivotal roles of CXCR4 in metastasis, chemoresistance and stemness of tumor cells have been showed previously. Here, we aim to explore the relationship between CXCR4 and CSCs in primary and metastatic breast tumor cells.</p><p><strong>Methods and results: </strong>Primary and highly metastatic breast tumor cells were isolated in our laboratory. Spheroid formation was used to confirm the presence of CSCs and their self-renewal capability. CXCR4 expression was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction in monolayer culture and multicellular spheroids. Our data showed that in all tested cells, CXCR4 expression was significantly increased in CSCs. In parallel, compared with primary tumor cells, downregulation of CXCR4 in metastatic tumor cells was confirmed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results provided new insights related to significant alteration of CXCR4 expression in multicellular spheroids. Analysis of molecular properties of spheroids could be used to detect molecular and genetic aspects of CSCs and also created a targeted therapeutic strategy against breast CSCs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7657,"journal":{"name":"American journal of stem cells","volume":"12 3","pages":"60-64"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10509503/pdf/ajsc0012-0060.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41095163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}