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Objective: Bone marrow cell extract (BMCE) was previously reported to restore salivary gland hypofunction caused by irradiation injury. Proteins were shown to be the main active factors in BMCE. However, BMCE therapy requires multiple injections and protein denaturation is a concern during BMCE storage. This study aimed to preserve, by lyophilization (freeze‐drying), the bioactive factors in BMCE. Methods: We developed a method to freeze‐dry BMCE and then to analyze its ingredients and functions in vivo. Freeze‐dried (FD) BMCE, freshly prepared BMCE (positive control), or saline (vehicle control) was injected into the tail vein of mice that had received irradiation to damage their salivary glands. Results: Results demonstrated that the presence of angiogenesis‐related factors and cytokines in FD‐BMCE remained comparable to those found in fresh BMCE. Both fresh and FD‐BMCE restored comparably saliva secretion, increased cell proliferation, upregulated regenerative/repair genes, protected salivary acinar cells, parasympathetic nerves, and blood vessels from irradiation‐damaged salivary glands. Conclusion: Lyophilization of BMCE maintained its bioactivity and therapeutic effect on irradiation‐injured salivary glands. The advantages of freeze‐drying BMCE are its storage and transport at ambient temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective A challenge in studying human salivary glands is to maintain the cells ex vivo in their three-dimensional (3D) morphology with an intact native extracellular matrix ( ECM) environment. This paper established a human salivary 3D organotypic slice culture model that could maintain its physiological functions as well as allowing a direct visualization of the cells. Methods Human salivary biopsies from six patients were embedded in agarose and submerged in cold buffer for thin (50 μm) sectioning using a vibratome. 'Salivary slices' were mechanically supported by a porous membrane insert that allowed an air-liquid interface and cultured in serum-free culture media. Cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, physiological functions, and gene expression were assessed during 14 days of culture. Results Human salivary slices maintained cell survival (70-40%) and proliferation (6-17%) for 14 days ex vivo. The protein secretory (amylase) function decreased, but fluid (intracellular calcium mobilization) function was maintained. Acinar, ductal, and myoepithelial cell populations survived and maintained their 3D organization within the slice culture model. Conclusion The human salivary slice culture model kept cells alive ex vivo for 14 days as well as maintaining their 3D morphology and physiological functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black shank, caused by the soilborne pathogen Phytophthora nicotianae, is one of the most devastating diseases affecting tobacco production in China. The most effective strategy for reducing economic loss from this pathogen is development and use of resistant tobacco varieties. Multiple sources and systems of resistance have been developed in the Western Hemisphere; however, populations of P. nicotianae are variable around the world, including the predominance of different races. Different P. nicotianae isolates may react differently on tobacco plants with different systems of resistance, a possibility that could complicate the breeding of cultivars with resistance that is effective in different tobacco production regions worldwide. The objective of this research was to evaluate an array of tobacco germplasm possessing different systems of genetic resistance to black shank disease in tobacco‐growing regions of Yunnan, China. Resistance types included simply inherited resistance mechanisms introgressed from wild Nicotiana relatives and polygenic partial resistance systems of N. tabacum origin. The loci of Wz exhibited high level resistance to black shank in the five diverse disease environments in Yunnan, China. K326 Php/−Wz/− genotype and Beinhart 1000 exhibited the greatest levels of resistance in both 2015 and 2016. Field observed results for 13 tobacco genotypes were highly correlated with those tested in growth chamber evaluation. These findings suggest that both Wz− and Beinhart 1000‐mediated resistance have important commercial value in flue‐cured tobacco breeding programmes in China. Cultivars developed for black shank resistance in China may also have utility in other tobacco‐growing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Postradical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction (pRP‐ED) is a major health issue. There has been a shortage of an effective treatment method until now. In this study, a total of 48 adult male Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were randomly equally divided into four groups, including group 1—sham surgery with cavernous nerve exposure plus vehicle, group 2—bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI) plus vehicle, group 3—BCNI plus adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs)‐derived exosomes (ADSC‐Exo), and group 4—BCNI plus bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSCs)‐derived exosomes (BMSC‐Exo). Twenty‐one days following surgery, erectile function was measured before tissue harvest. Histologic and Western blot analyses were then performed. Exosomes were capable of internalization into human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro and could be detected in the corpus cavernosum in vivo. The nNOS expression in the penile dorsal nerves (DN) and major pelvic ganglion (MPG), protein level of neurofilament in the DN, endothelial markers vWF, alpha smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), the ratio of smooth muscle to collagen content were obviously lower in BCNI group compared with the sham group, while ADSC‐Exo and BMSC‐Exo groups resulted in significant restoration of the above histopathological changes. Moreover, BCNI treated with ADSC‐Exo or BMSC‐Exo had significantly higher mean intracavernous pressure/mean arterial pressure ratio compared with BCNI group. The results demonstrated that both ADSC‐Exo and BMSC‐Exo treatment could significantly alleviate pathological changes and improve the erectile function in BCNI‐related rats. Exosomes derived from ADSCs and BMSCs may be a potential agent for pRP‐ED treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]