Stem Cell and Biomaterials

Advancing cellular age is associated with derailed cell function and repair. Cellular senescence has been implicated strongly in failure of autologous stem cell transplantation. Cellular aging has been linked to several cell intrinsic molecular pathways. The events that are associated with senescence and aging include DNA damage, telomere shortening, accumulation of ROS, increase in cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16INK4, and epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation. One of these changes, the accrual of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is the foremost factor which accelerates the processes of cellular senescence and cell death. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ultimately the oxidative stress is increased during the process of aging. The capacity of self-renewal of stem cells is associated with the control of oxidative stress. Current studies give strength to the hypothesis that cell behavior and consequently tissue regeneration and repair is affected by pretreatment of stem cells with pro- or antioxidants agents. Preconditioning the cells with antioxidants might improve the regeneration potential of these cells and prevent the process of aging in the stem cells.

The present study demonstrates that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) particularly oMSCs can be preconditioned with compounds potentially possessing antioxidant activity resulting in the decrease in the ROS content of the cells, thus can improve the regenerative potential of these cells for cell-based therapeutics for various diseases. These compounds can be further developed into drugs to complement the cell-based therapies by increasing the regenerative potential of autologous stem cells via maintenance of cellular oxidative balance.