Deep-supercooling preservation of stem cell spheroids for chondral defect repairment.

Versatile mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an important role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs in 3D spheroid have shown higher secretion and differentiation functions than suspended counterparts, and, thus, in vitro cryopreservation of MSC spheroids is an indispensable technology to bridge the spatiotemporal gaps between spheroid generation and application. Traditional cryopreservation methods are inapplicable for spheroid due to severe thermal stress, toxic cryoprotectants, and ice formation. Here, we constructed and preserved human MSC (hMSC) spheroids via deep supercooling (DSC). Spheroids were DSC preserved at -12°C without ice formation for 7 days, with higher cell viability, energy level, and chondrogenic differentiation capacity than suspended hMSCs. hMSCs embedded in spheroids have close cell-cell interactions via N-cadherin to activate the AKT-cytochrome c-caspase anti-apoptotic cascade during DSC preservation. Finally, preserved hMSC spheroids were capable of chondrogenic differentiation and can be co-delivered with collagen to treat rat cartilage defects in vivo.

Qiu J ，Yu B ，Ren C ，Wang T ，Zhang G ，Jian Z ，Ding J ，Xu F ，Huang H ... -  《Stem Cell Reports》

Erratum: Eyestalk Ablation to Increase Ovarian Maturation in Mud Crabs.

《Jove-Journal of Visualized Experiments》

Small spheroids for head and neck cartilage tissue engineering.

Reutter S ，Kern J ，Jakob Y ，Rotter N ，Gvaramia D ... -  《Scientific Reports》

MTS, WST-8, and ATP viability assays in 2D and 3D cultures: Comparison of methodologically different assays in primary human chondrocytes.

Martin F ，Neubert A ，Lutter AH ，Scholka J ，Hentschel E ，Richter H ，Anderer U ... -  《-》

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids: A Promising Tool for Vascularized Tissue Regeneration.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are undifferentiated cells that can differentiate into specific cell lineages when exposed to the right conditions. The ability of MSCs to differentiate into particular cells is considered very important in biological research and clinical applications. MSC spheroids are clusters of MSCs cultured in three dimensions, which play an important role in enhancing the proliferation and differentiation of MSCs. MSCs can also participate in vascular formation by differentiating into endothelial cells and secreting paracrine factors. Vascularization ability is essential in impaired tissue repair and function recovery. Therefore, the vascularization ability of MSCs, which enhances angiogenesis and accelerates tissue healing has made MSCs a promising tool for tissue regeneration. However, MSC spheroids are a relatively new research field, and more research is needed to understand their full potential. In this review, we highlight the importance of MSC spheroids' vascularization ability in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine while providing the current status of studies on the MSC spheroids' vascularization and suggesting potential future research directions for MSC spheroids. Studies both in vivo and in vitro have demonstrated MSC spheroids' capacity to develop into endothelial cells and stimulate vasculogenesis. MSC spheroids show potential to enhance vascularization ability in tissue regeneration. Yet, further research is required to comprehensively understand the relationship between MSC spheroids and vascularization mechanisms.

Kang Y ，Na J ，Karima G ，Amirthalingam S ，Hwang NS ，Kim HD ... -  《-》