Despite being a complex degenerative joint disease, studies on osteoarthritis (OA) suggest that its progression can be reduced by the use of hyaluronic acid (HA) or mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The present study thus aims to examine the effects of MSC, HA and the combination of HA-MSC in treating OA in rat model. The histological observations using O'Driscoll score indicate that it is the use of HA and MSC independently and not their combination that delays the progression of OA. In conclusion, the preliminary study suggest that the use of either HA or MSCs effectively reduces OA progression better than their combined use.
In the bis-chalcone mol-ecule of the title compound, C24H18O4·2C3H7NO, the central benzene and terminal hy-droxy-phenyl rings form a dihedral angle of 14.28 (11)° and the central C=C double bond adopts a trans configuration. In the crystal, the bis-chalcone and solvate mol-ecules are inter-connected via O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which were investigated by Hirshfeld surface analysis. Solid-state fluorescence was measured at λex = 4400 Å. The emission wavelength appeared at 5510 Å, which corresponds to yellow light and the solid-state fluorescence quantum yield (Ff) is 0.18.
In the title chalcone-thio-phene derivative, C13H6Cl3FOS, the aromatic rings are inclined to one another by 12.9 (2)°, and the thio-phene ring is affected by π-conjugation. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯F hydrogen bonds, forming an R22(8) ring motif. A Hirshfeld surface analysis was conducted to verify the contribution of the different inter-molecular inter-actions. The shape-index surface clearly shows that the two sides of the mol-ecules are involved in the same contacts with neighbouring mol-ecules and the curvedness plots show flat surface patches characteristic of planar stacking.
In the title chalcone derivative, C15H9BrCl2O, the aryl rings are inclined to each by 14.49 (17)°, and the configuration about the C=C bond is E. There is a short intra-molecular C-H⋯Cl contact present resulting in the formation of an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, the shortest inter-molecular contacts are Cl⋯O contacts [3.173 (3) Å] that link the mol-ecules to form a 21 helix propagating along the b-axis direction. The helices stack up the short crystallographic a axis, and are linked by offset π-π inter-actions [inter-centroid distance = 3.983 (1) Å], forming layers lying parallel to the ab plane. A qu-anti-fication of the inter-molecular contacts in the crystal were estimated using Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots.
A comparative study on the in vitro osteogenic potential of electrospun poly-L-lactide/hydroxyapatite/collagen (PLLA/HA/Col, PLLA/HA, and PLLA/Col) scaffolds was conducted. The morphology, chemical composition, and surface roughness of the fibrous scaffolds were examined. Furthermore, cell attachment, distribution, morphology, mineralization, extracellular matrix protein localization, and gene expression of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) differentiated on the fibrous scaffolds PLLA/Col/HA, PLLA/Col, and PLLA/HA were also analyzed. The electrospun scaffolds with a diameter of 200-950 nm demonstrated well-formed interconnected fibrous network structure, which supported the growth of hMSCs. When compared with PLLA/H%A and PLLA/Col scaffolds, PLLA/Col/HA scaffolds presented a higher density of viable cells and significant upregulation of genes associated with osteogenic lineage, which were achieved without the use of specific medium or growth factors. These results were supported by the elevated levels of calcium, osteocalcin, and mineralization (P<0.05) observed at different time points (0, 7, 14, and 21 days). Furthermore, electron microscopic observations and fibronectin localization revealed that PLLA/Col/HA scaffolds exhibited superior osteoinductivity, when compared with PLLA/Col or PLLA/HA scaffolds. These findings indicated that the fibrous structure and synergistic action of Col and nano-HA with high-molecular-weight PLLA played a vital role in inducing osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. The data obtained in this study demonstrated that the developed fibrous PLLA/Col/HA biocomposite scaffold may be supportive for stem cell based therapies for bone repair, when compared with the other two scaffolds.
We have determined the protective effects of Thymus serpyllum (TS) extract and nanoparticle-loaded TS on hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in vitro. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy confirmed the spectrum of active components in the extract. Out of the three different extracts, the hexane extract showed significant free radical scavenging activity. Treatment of MSCs with H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) significantly increased intracellular cell death; however, pretreatment with TS extract and nanoparticle-loaded TS (200 μg/ml) suppressed H2O2-induced elevation of Cyt-c and MMP13 and increased the survival rates of MSCs. H2O2-induced (0.1 mM) changes in cytokines were attenuated in the extract and nanoparticles by pretreatment and cotreatment at two time points (p < 0.05). H2O2 increased cell apoptosis. In contrast, treatment with nanoparticle-loaded TS suppressed the percentage of apoptosis considerably (p < 0.05). Therefore, TS may be considered as a potential candidate for enhancing the effectiveness of MSC transplantation in cell therapy.
The compounds 2-(1-benzo-furan-2-yl)-2-oxoethyl 2-nitro-benzoate, C17H11NO6 (I), and 2-(1-benzo-furan-2-yl)-2-oxoethyl 2-amino-benzoate, C17H13NO4 (II), were synthesized under mild conditions. Their mol-ecular structures were characterized by both spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The mol-ecular conformations of both title compounds are generally similar. However, different ortho-substituted moieties at the phenyl ring of the two compounds cause deviations in the torsion angles between the carbonyl group and the attached phenyl ring. In compound (I), the ortho-nitro-phenyl ring is twisted away from the adjacent carbonyl group whereas in compound (II), the ortho-amino-phenyl ring is almost co-planar with the carbonyl group. In the crystal of compound (I), two C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into chains propagating along the c-axis direction and the chains are inter-digitated, forming sheets parallel to [20-1]. Conversely, pairs of N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds in compound (II) link inversion-related mol-ecules into dimers, which are further extended by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into dimer chains. These chains are inter-connected by π-π inter-actions involving the furan rings, forming sheets parallel to the ac plane.
In the title compounds, (2E,2'E)-3,3'-(1,4-phenyl-ene)bis-[1-(2-meth-oxy-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one], C26H22O4 (I), (2E,2'E)-3,3'-(1,4-phenyl-ene)bis-[1-(3-meth-oxy-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one], C26H22O4 (II) and (2E,2'E)-3,3'-(1,4-phenyl-ene)bis-[1-(3,4-di-meth-oxy-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one], C28H26O6 (III), the asymmetric unit consists of a half-mol-ecule, completed by crystallographic inversion symmetry. The dihedral angles between the central and terminal benzene rings are 56.98 (8), 7.74 (7) and 7.73 (7)° for (I), (II) and (III), respectively. In the crystal of (I), mol-ecules are linked by pairs of C-H⋯π inter-actions into chains running parallel to [101]. The packing for (II) and (III), features inversion dimers linked by pairs of C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming R2(2)(16) and R2(2)(14) ring motifs, respectively, as parts of [201] and [101] chains, respectively.
The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C24H14F4O2, comprises of one and a half mol-ecules; the half-mol-ecule is completed by crystallographic inversion symmetry. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into a three-dimensional network by C-H⋯F and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Some of the C-H⋯F links are unusually short (< 2.20 Å). Hirshfeld surface analyses (dnorm surfaces and two-dimensional fingerprint plots) for the title compound are presented and discussed.
2-(Benzo-furan-2-yl)-2-oxoethyl 2-chloro-benzoate, C17H11ClO4 (I), and 2-(benzo-furan-2-yl)-2-oxoethyl 2-meth-oxy-benzoate, C18H14O5 (II), were synthesized under mild conditions. Their chemical and mol-ecular structures were analyzed by spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, respectively. These compounds possess different ortho-substituted functional groups on their phenyl rings, thus experiencing extra steric repulsion force within their mol-ecules as the substituent changes from 2-chloro (I) to 2-meth-oxy (II). The crystal packing of compound (I) depends on weak inter-molecular hydrogen bonds and π-π inter-actions. Mol-ecules are related by inversion into centrosymmetric dimers via C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, and further strengthened by π-π inter-actions between furan rings. Conversely, mol-ecules in compound (II) are linked into alternating dimeric chains propagating along the [101] direction, which develop into a two-dimensional plate through extensive inter-molecular hydrogen bonds. These plates are further stabilized by π-π and C-H⋯π inter-actions.
The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C15H15N3O3·0.5H2O, comprises two 2-{[(4-iminiumyl-3-methyl-1,4-di-hydro-pyridin-1-yl)meth-yl]carbamo-yl}benzoate zwitterions (A and B) and a water mol-ecule. The dihedral angles between the pyridine and phenyl rings in the zwitterions are 53.69 (10) and 73.56 (11)° in A and B, respectively. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O, O-H⋯O, C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π(ring) hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. The crystal structure also features π-π inter-actions involving the centroids of the pyridine and phenyl rings [centroid-centroid distances = 3.5618 (12) Å in A and 3.8182 (14) Å in B].