The limitation of self-repair and proliferation capacity of chondrocytes in cartilage reconstruction lead to alternative
search of cell source that can improve the auricular regeneration. Human adipose-derived stem cells (HADSC) are an
alternative cell source that have unique characteristics to self-renew and differentiate into various tissues making it
suitable for cell therapy and tissue engineering. This study aimed to examine the chondrogenic differentiation potential of
(HADSC) in monolayer culture by the presence of different transforming growth factor beta’s, TFG-β1, -β2 and -β3. HADSC
at passage 3 (1.5 × 105 cell/mL) were cultured in chondrogenic medium containing 5 ng/mL of different transforming
growth factor beta’s, TFG-β1, -β2 and -β3 for 7, 14 and 21 days. Data analysis was evaluated based on the growth
rate of cells, cells morphological changed, production of collagen type II and glycosaminoglycan sulphate (sGAG). The
quantitative RT-PCR was carried out to determine the chondrogenic, fibrogenic and hypertrophic gene expression levels.
Differentiation of HADSC into chondrocytes using TFG-β indicates the occurrence of the chondrogenesis process. The best
chondrogenic differentiation was observed in HADSC induced by TFG-β3 through the chondrocytes-like cells morphology
with cells aggregation and high production of proteoglycan matrices compared to other TGF-βs groups. Additionally,
the expression of chondrocytes-specific genes such as Type II collagen, Aggrecan core protein, Elastin and Sox 9 was
high. In conclusion, this study has showed that TGF-β3 is the potential growth factor in producing chondrogenic cells
for auricular cartilage tissue engineering.
Okra peel exhibits numerous therapeutic effects. This study explores the potential ameliorative effects of okra peel powder on high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced hypercholesterolemia and cognitive deficits. Thirty-six C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into six groups (n = 6 per group): (i) control, mice fed with a normal diet; (ii) HFD, mice fed with HFD; (iii) HFD-SIM, mice fed with HFD and given simvastatin (20 mg/kg/day); (iv) HFD-OP1; (v) HFD-OP2; (vi) HFD-OP3, mice fed with HFD and okra peel (200, 400, or 800 mg/kg/day, respectively). Following 10 weeks of treatments, the mice were subjected to the Morris water maze (MWM). Parameters such as weekly average body weight, food intake, and blood lipid profiles were also recorded. The HFD group showed a profound increase in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein concentration compared to the control group. All okra-treated and HFD-SIM groups performed better than the HFD group during acquisition trials, whereas only the HFD-OP1 produced a significantly higher number of entries into the platform zone during the probe trial. In sum, all three okra doses improved the learning ability of the mice. However, only the lowest dose of okra significantly improved the spatial reference memory retention.