@phdthesis{Hoefner2020,
  author    = {H{\"o}fner, Christiane},
  title     = {Human Adipose-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a 3D Spheroid Culture System - Extracellular Matrix Development, Adipogenic Differentiation, and Secretory Properties},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-20424},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-204249},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {The ability to differentiate into mesenchymal lineages, as well as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and angiogenic properties give ASCs great therapeutic potential. Through their culture as multicellular, three-dimensional spheroids this potential can even be enhanced. Accordingly, 3D spheroids are not only promising candidates for the application in regenerative medicine and inflammatory disease therapy, but also for the use as building blocks in tissue engineering approaches. Due to the resemblance to physiological cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, 3D spheroids gain higher similarity to real tissues, what makes them a valuable tool in the development of bioactive constructs equivalent to native tissues in terms of its cellular and extracellular structure. Especially, to overcome the still tremendous clinical need for adequate implants to repair soft tissue defects, 3D spheroids consisting of ASCs are a promising approach in adipose tissue engineering. Nevertheless, studies on the use of ASC-based spheroids as building blocks for fat tissue reconstruction have so far been very rare. In order to optimally exploit their therapeutic potential to further their use in regenerative medicine, including adipose tissue engineering approaches, a 3D spheroid model consisting of ASCs was characterized extensively in this work. This included not only the elucidation of the structural features, but also the differentiation capacity, gene expression, and secretory properties. In addition, the elucidation of underlying mechanisms contributing to the improved therapeutic efficiency was addressed.},
  subject      = {adipose},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Ruoff2020,
  author    = {Ruoff, Heike},
  title     = {Wirkung von WISP-3 auf dedifferenzierte Chondrozyten und mesenchymale Stammzellen},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-20292},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-202925},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Wirkung von WISP-3 auf dedifferenzierte Chondrozyten und mesenchymale Stammzellen Degenerative Gelenkerkrankungen (Arthrosen) sind einige der h{\"a}ufigsten Ursachen f{\"u}r eine Vorstellung und Beratung in der allgemeinmedizinischen Praxis. Der Großteil der {\"u}ber 65-j{\"a}hrigen ist davon betroffen, wenn auch die Symptome in ihrer Auspr{\"a}gung stark variieren k{\"o}nnen. Eine urs{\"a}chliche Therapie ist bisher nicht bekannt. Es wird symptomatisch behandelt und versucht, die Symptome zu lindern und den Progress der Erkrankung zu verlangsamen. Dabei entstehen dem Gesundheitssystem durch die hohe Pr{\"a}valenz nicht unerhebliche Kosten f{\"u}r Medikamente, Physiotherapie, Operationen und Reha-Aufenthalte. Arthrosen beruhen auf Knorpelsch{\"a}digungen, die ohne Therapie immer weiter fortschreiten k{\"o}nnen und zu Schmerzen, Bewegungseinschr{\"a}nkung und Verformung des Gelenks f{\"u}hren k{\"o}nnen. Diese Knorpelsch{\"a}digungen k{\"o}nnen auf verschiedenen Ursachen beruhen wie z.B. zu hoher Belastung (bei Adipositas), Traumata oder Erkrankungen des Skelettsystems. Neue Behandlungsans{\"a}tze werden mit zunehmendem Durchschnittsalter der Bev{\"o}lkerung immer wichtiger werden. Ein Ansatzpunkt ist die weitere Erforschung von Proteinen wie z.B. WISP-3, die einen positiven Effekt auf die Knorpelhom{\"o}ostase bewirken. Die Bedeutung von WISP-3 fiel bei der Erforschung der Progressiven Pseudorheumatoiden Dysplasie auf, einer seltenen Gelenkerkrankung, die v.a. bei Kindern auftritt. Dabei treten auf Grund von Mutationen von WISP-3 St{\"o}rungen in der Knorpelhom{\"o}ostase und Gelenkarchitektur auf, die sogar eine Therapie mittels Gelenkersatz notwendig machen k{\"o}nnen. In unseren Versuchen zeigte sich, dass WISP-3 in Verbindung mit Wachstumsfaktoren eine positive Wirkung auf das Wachstum und die Differenzierung von dedifferenzierten Chondrozyten aufweist. Somit werden neue Forschungsans{\"a}tze in der Arthrosetherapie aufgezeigt. F{\"u}r die weitere Forschung kann auch auf mesenchymale Stammzellen zur{\"u}ckgegriffen werden, die vielversprechende Aussichten besonders im Tissue Engineering bieten. F{\"u}r die gesamte CCN-Familie ergeben sich noch weitere vielf{\"a}ltige Forschungsm{\"o}glichkeiten, wie z.B. in der Therapie von Mamma-, Geb{\"a}rmutter- oder Nierenzellkarzinomen.},
  subject      = {Knorpel},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Boeck2018,
  author    = {B{\"o}ck, Thomas},
  title     = {Multifunctional Hyaluronic Acid / Poly(glycidol) Hydrogels for Cartilage Regeneration Using Mesenchymal Stromal Cells},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-155345},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Improved treatment options for the degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis (OA) are of major interest, since OA is one of the main sources of disability, pain, and socioeconomic burden worldwide [202]. According to epidemiological data, already 27 million people suffer from OA in the US [23]. Moreover, the WHO expects OA to be the fourth most common cause of disability in 2020 [203], illustrating the need for effective and long-lasting therapy options of severe cartilage defects. Despite numerous clinically available products for the treatment of cartilage defects [62], the development of more cartilage-specific materials is still at the beginning. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major component of the cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) and inherently creates a cell-friendly niche by providing cell attachment and migration sites. Furthermore, it is known that the functional groups of HA are well suited for chemical modification. These characteristics render HA an attractive material for hydrogel-based tissue engineering approaches. Poly(glycidol) (PG) as chemical crosslinker basically features similar chemical characteristics as the widely used poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), but provides additional side groups at each repeating unit that can be further chemically functionalized. With the introduction of PG as multifunctional crosslinker for HA gels, a higher cross-linking density and, accordingly, a greater potential for biomimetic functionalization may be achieved. However, despite the mentioned potential benefits, PG has not been used for cartilage regeneration approaches so far. The initial aim of the study was to set up and optimize a HA-based hydrogel for the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), using different amounts and variations of cross-linkers. Therefore, the hydrogel composition was optimized by the utilization of different PEG diacrylate (PEGDA) concentrations to cross-link thiol-modified HA (Glycosil, HA-SH) via Michael addition. We aimed to generate volumestable scaffolds that simultaneously enable a maximum of ECM deposition. Histological and biochemical analysis showed 0.4\% PEGDA as the most suitable concentration for these requirements (Section 5.1.2). In order to evaluate the impact of a differently designed cross-linker on MSC chondrogenesis, HA-SH was cross-linked with PEGTA (0.6\%) and compared to PEGDA (0.4\%) in a next step. Following this, acrylated PG (PG-Acr) as multifunctional cross-linker alternative to acrylated PEG was evaluated. It provides around five times more functional groups when utilized in PG-Acr (0.6\%) HA-SH hydrogels compared to PEGTA (0.6\%) HA-SH hydrogels, thus enabling higher degrees of biomimetic functionalization. Determination of cartilage-specific ECM components showed no substantial differences between both cross-linkers while the deposition of cartilaginous matrix appeared more homogeneous in HA-SH PG-Acr gels. Taken together, we were able to successfully increase the possibilities for biomimetic functionalization in the developed HA-SH hydrogel system by the introduction of PG-Acr as cross-linker without negatively affecting MSC chondrogenesis (Section 5.1.3). The next part of this thesis focused extensively on the biomimetic functionalization of PG-Acr (0.6\%) cross-linked HA-SH hydrogels. Here, either biomimetic peptides or a chondrogenic growth factor were covalently bound into the hydrogels. Interestingly, the incorporation of a N-cadherin mimetic (HAV), a collagen type II binding (KLER), or a cell adhesion-mediating peptide (RGD) yielded no improvement of MSC chondrogenesis. For instance, the covalent binding of 2.5mM HAV changed morphology of cell nuclei and reduced GAG production while the incorporation of 1.0mM RGD impaired collagen production. These findings may be attributed to the already supportive conditions of the employed HA-based hydrogels for chondrogenic differentiation. Most of the previous studies reporting positive peptide effects on chondrogenesis have been carried out in less supportive PEG hydrogels or in significantly stiffer MeHA-based hydrogels [99, 101, 160]. Thus, the incorporation of peptides may be more important under unfavorable conditions while inert gel systems may be useful for studying single peptide effects (Section 5.2.1). The chondrogenic factor transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-b1) served as an example for growth factor binding to PG-Acr. The utilization of covalently bound TGF-b1 may thereby help overcome the need for repeated administration of TGF-b1 in in vivo applications, which may be an advantage for potential clinical application. Thus, the effect of covalently incorporated TGF-b1 was compared to the effect of the same amount of TGF-b1 without covalent binding (100nM TGF-b1) on MSC chondrogenesis. It was successfully demonstrated that covalent incorporation of TGF-b1 had a significant positive effect in a dose-dependent manner. Chondrogenesis of MSCs in hydrogels with covalently bound TGF-b1 showed enhanced levels of chondrogenesis compared to hydrogels into which TGF-b1 was merely mixed, as shown by stronger staining for GAGs, total collagen, aggrecan and collagen type II. Biochemical evaluation of GAG and collagen amounts, as well as Western blot analysis confirmed the histological results. Furthermore, the positive effect of covalently bound TGF-b1 was shown by increased expression of chondrogenic marker genes COL2A1, ACAN and SOX9. In summary, covalent growth factor incorporation utilizing PG-Acr as cross-linker demonstrated significant positive effects on chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs (Section 5.2.2). In general, PG-Acr cross-linked HA hydrogels generated by Michael addition represent a versatile hydrogel platform due to their high degree of acrylate functionality. These hydrogels may further offer the opportunity to combine several biological modifications, such as the incorporation of biomimetic peptides together with growth factors, within one cell carrier. A proof-of-principle experiment demonstrated the suitability of pure PG gels for studying single peptide effects. Here, the hydrogels were generated by the utilization of thiol-ene-click reaction. In this setting, without the supportive background of hyaluronic acid, MSCs showed enhanced chondrogenic differentiation in response to the incorporation of 1.0mM HAV. This was demonstrated by staining for GAGs, the cartilage-specific ECM molecules aggrecan and type II collagen, and by increased GAG and total collagen amounts shown by biochemical analysis. Thus, pure PG gels exhibit the potential to study the effects and interplay of peptides and growth factors in a highly modifiable, bioinert hydrogel environment. The last section of the thesis was carried out as part of the EU project HydroZONES that aims to develop and generate zonal constructs. The importance of zonal organization has attracted increased attention in the last years [127, 128], however, it is still underrepresented in tissue engineering approaches so far. Thus, the feasibility of zonal distribution of cells in a scaffold combining two differently composed hydrogels was investigated. A HA-SH(FMZ) containing bottom layer was generated and a pure PG top layer was subsequently cast on top of it, utilizing both times thiol-ene-click reaction. Indeed, stable, hierarchical constructs were generated that allowed encapsulated MSCs to differentiate chondrogenically in both zones as shown by staining for GAGs and collagen type II, and by quantification of GAG amount. Thus, the feasibility of differently composed zonal hydrogels utilizing PG as a main component was successfully demonstrated (Section 5.4). With the first-time utilization and evaluation of PG-Acr as versatile multifunctional cross-linker for the preparation of Michael addition-generated HA-SH hydrogels in the context of cartilage tissue engineering, a highly modifiable HA-based hydrogel system was introduced. It may be used in future studies as an easily applicable and versatile toolbox for the generation of biomimetically functionalized hydrogels for cell-based cartilage regeneration. The introduction of reinforcement structures to enhance mechanical resistance may thereby further increase the potential of this system for clinical applications. Additionally, it was also demonstrated that thiol-ene clickable hydrogels can be used for the generation of cell-laden, pure PG gels or for the generation of more complex, coherent zonal constructs. Furthermore, thiol-ene clickable PG hydrogels have already been further modified and successfully been used in 3D bioprinting experiments [204]. 3D bioprinting, as part of the evolving biofabrication field [205], offers the possibilities to generate complex and hierarchical structures, and to exactly position defined layers, yet at the same time alters the requirements for the utilized hydrogels [159, 206-209]. Since a robust chondrogenesis of MSCs was demonstrated in the thiol-ene clickable hydrogel systems, they may serve as a basis for the development of hydrogels as so called bioinks which may be utilized in more sophisticated biofabrication processes.},
  subject      = {Hyalurons{\"a}ure},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{LeBlancSoto2017,
  author    = {Le Blanc Soto, Solange},
  title     = {Role of FGF signaling in the adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells in a three-dimensional \(in\) \(vitro\) model},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-147659},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Adult human skeletal stem cells are considered to give rise to the bone marrow stromal compartment, including bone-forming osteoblasts and marrow adipocytes. Reduced osteogenesis and enhanced adipogenesis of these skeletal progenitors may contribute to the bone loss and marrow fat accumulation observed during aging and osteoporosis, the main disorder of bone remodeling. Concordantly, in vitro evidence indicates that adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) display an inverse relationship under numerous conditions. Hence, the identification of factors modulating inversely both differentiation pathways is of great therapeutic interest. Based on mRNA expression analysis of inversely regulated genes after switching differentiation conditions, our group had previously proposed that fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) might play such a modulator role in hBMSC differentiation. The main aim of this work was, therefore, to investigate the role of FGF1 signaling in the adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs using a three-dimensional (3D) culture system based on collagen type I hydrogels in order to better mimic the natural microenvironment. Adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs embedded in collagen gels was successfully established. Treatment with recombinant human FGF1 (rhFGF1), as well as rhFGF2, throughout differentiation induction was found to exert a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on adipogenesis in hBMSCs. This inhibitory effect was found to be reversible and dependent on FGF receptors (FGFR) signaling, given that simultaneous pharmacological blockage of FGFRs rescued adipogenic differentiation. Additionally, matrix mineralization under osteogenic induction was also inhibited by rhFGF1 and rhFGF2 in a dose-dependent manner. A transient treatment with rhFGF1 and rhFGF2 during an expansion phase, however, enhanced proliferation of hBMSCs without affecting the differentiation capacity, although matrix mineralization under osteogenic conditions was hindered. Additionally, rhFGF1 and rhFGF2 treatments affected the matrix remodeling ability of hBMSCs, which displayed alterations in the cytoskeletal phenotype and the expression patterns of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). On the other hand, inhibition of FGFR signaling throughout differentiation induction elicited a strong enhancement of matrix mineralization under osteogenic conditions but had no significant effect on adipocyte formation under adipogenic induction. IX In conclusion, FGF1 and FGF2 signaling was found to support the expansion of bone marrow stromal precursors with adipogenic and osteogenic capacities, to hinder adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation if continuously present during differentiation induction and to alter the matrix remodeling ability of hBMSCs within a 3D collagenous microenvironment.},
  subject      = {Fettzelle},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Hondke2014,
  author    = {Hondke, Sylvia},
  title     = {Elucidation of WISP3 function in human mesenchymal stem cells and chondrocytes},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-109641},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {WISP3 is a member of the CCN family which comprises six members found in the 1990's: Cysteine-rich,angiogenic inducer 61 (CYR61, CCN1), Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, CCN2), Nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV, CNN3) and the Wnt1 inducible signalling pathway protein 1-3 (WISP1-3, CCN4-6).They are involved in the adhesion, migration, mitogenesis, chemotaxis, proliferation, cell survival, angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, and wound healing by the interaction with different integrins and heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Until now the only member correlated to the musculoskeletal autosomal disease Progressive Pseudorheumatoid Dysplasia (PPD) is WISP3. PPD is characterised by normal embryonic development followed by cartilage degradation over time starting around the age of three to eight years. Animal studies in mice exhibited no differences between knock out or overexpression compared to wild type litter mates, thus were not able to reproduce the symptoms observed in PPD patients. Studies in vitro and in vivo revealed a role for WISP3 in antagonising BMP, IGF and Wnt signalling pathways. Since most of the knowledge of WISP3 was gained in epithelial cells, cancer cells or chondrocyte cell lines, we investigated the roll of WISP3 in primary human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as well as primary chondrocytes. WISP3 knock down was efficiently established with three short hairpin RNAs in both cell types, displaying a change of morphology followed by a reduction in cell number. Simultaneous treatment with recombinant WISP3 was not enough to rescue the observed phenotype nor increase the endogenous expression of WISP3. We concluded that WISP3 acts as an essential survival factor, where the loss resulted in the passing of cell cycle control points followed by apoptosis. Nevertheless, Annexin V-Cy3 staining and detection of active caspases by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining detected no clear evidence for apoptosis. Furthermore, the gene expression of the death receptors TRAILR1 and TRAILR2,important for the extrinsic activation of apoptosis, remained unchanged during WISP3 mRNA reduction. Autophagy as cause of cell death was also excluded, given that the autophagy marker LC3 A/B demonstrated to be uncleaved in WISP3-deficient hMSCs. To reveal correlated signalling pathways to WISP3 a whole genome expression analyses of WISP3-deficient hMSCs compared to a control (scramble) was performed. Microarray analyses exhibited differentially regulated genes involved in cell cycle control, adhesion, cytoskeleton and cell death. Cell death observed by WISP3 knock down in hMSCs and chondrocytes might be explained by the induction of necroptosis through the BMP/TAK1/RIPK1 signalling axis. Loss of WISP3 allows BMP to bind its receptor activating the Smad 2/3/4 complex which in turn can activate TAK1 as previously demonstrated in epithelial cells. TAK1 is able to block caspase-dependent apoptosis thereby triggering the assembly of the necrosome resulting in cell death by necroptosis. Together with its role in cell cycle control and extracellular matrix adhesion, as demonstrated in human mammary epithelial cells, the data supports the role of WISP3 as tumor suppressor and survival factor in cells of the musculoskeletal system as well as epithelial cells.},
  subject      = {Knorpelzelle},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Hafen2015,
  author    = {Hafen, Bettina},
  title     = {Physical contact between mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial precursors induces distinct signatures with relevance to tissue regeneration and engineering},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-119417},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {The goal of the project VascuBone is to develop a tool box for bone regeneration, which on one hand fulfills basic requirements (e.g. biocompatibility, properties of the surface, strength of the biomaterials) and on the other hand is freely combinable with what is needed in the respective patient's situation. The tool box will include a variation of biocompatible biomaterials and cell types, FDA-approved growth factors, material modification technologies, simulation and analytical tools like molecular imaging-based in vivo diagnostics, which can be combined for the specific medical need. This tool box will be used to develop translational approaches for regenerative therapies of different types of bone defects. This project receives funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Program (VascuBone 2010). The present study is embedded into this EU project. The intention of this study is to assess the changes of the global gene expression patterns of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after direct cell-cell contact as well as the influence of conditioned medium gained from MSCs on EPCs and vice versa. EPCs play an important role in postnatal vasculogenesis. An intact blood vessel system is crucial for all tissues, including bone. Latest findings in the field of bone fracture healing and repair by the use of tissue engineering constructs seeded with MSCs raised the idea of combining MSCs and EPCs to enhance vascularization and therefore support survival of the newly built bone tissue. RNA samples from both experimental set ups were hybridized on Affymetrix GeneChips® HG-U133 Plus 2.0 and analyzed by microarray technology. Bioinformatic analysis was applied to the microarray data and verified by RT-PCR. This study gives detailed information on how EPCs and MSCs communicate with each other and therefore gives insights into the signaling pathways of the musculoskeletal system. These insights will be the base for further functional studies on protein level for the purpose of tissue regeneration. A better understanding of the cell communication of MSCs and EPCs and subsequently the targeting of relevant factors opens a variety of new opportunities, especially in the field of tissue engineering. The second part of the present work was to develop an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) for a target protein from the lists of differentially expressed genes revealed by the microarray analysis. This project was in cooperation with Immundiagnostik AG, Bensheim, Germany. The development of the ELISA aimed to have an in vitro diagnostic tool to monitor e.g. the quality of cell seeded tissue engineering constructs. The target protein chosen from the lists was klotho. Klotho seemed to be a very promising candidate since it is described in the literature as anti-aging protein. Furthermore, studies with klotho knock-out mice showed that these animals suffered from several age-related diseases e.g. osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. As a co-receptor for FGF23, klotho plays an important role in bone metabolism. The present study will be the first one to show that klotho is up-regulated in EPCs after direct cell-cell contact with MSCs. The development of an assay with a high sensitivity on one hand and the capacity to differentiate between secreted and shedded klotho on the other hand will allow further functional studies of this protein and offers a new opportunity in medical diagnostics especially in the field of metabolic bone disease.},
  subject      = {Vorl{\"a}uferzelle},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Nestmeyer2016,
  author    = {Nestmeyer, Markus},
  title     = {Kokultur von mesenchymalen Stammzellen aus humanem Fettgewebe und mikrovaskul{\"a}ren Endothelzellen - Ausgew{\"a}hlte Aspekte in einem 3D Sph{\"a}roid-Modell},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123949},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Weißes Fettgewebe (WAT) stellt heute aus vielerlei Hinsicht ein interessantes Forschungsgebiet dar. Zum einen ist die Pr{\"a}valenz der Adipositas weiterhin sehr hoch; mit ihr einher gehen Gesundheitsprobleme wie Bluthochdruck, Diabetes, Dyslipid{\"a}mie und Atherosklerose, sowie deshalb das Bestreben, bessere Behandlungsm{\"o}glichkeiten zu entwickeln. Zum anderen hofft man im Bereich des Tissue Engineering, zuk{\"u}nftig mit in vitro hergestelltem weißem Fettgewebe Weichteildefekte decken zu k{\"o}nnen. Aus therapeutischer Sicht ist die weitere Erforschung von weißem Fettgewebe deshalb von großer Wichtigkeit. In vivo ist weißes Fettgewebe stark vaskularisiert. Die starken physiologischen Schwankungen von Fettgewebe erfordern deshalb ein besonders dynamisches Gef{\"a}ßwachstum. F{\"u}r ein genaueres Verst{\"a}ndnis der Physiologie von WAT ist es unerl{\"a}sslich das Zusammenspiel von Gef{\"a}ß- und Fettzellen zu verstehen. 2-dimensionale Kultursysteme sind in ihrer Aussagekraft {\"u}ber die Bedingungen in vivo jedoch sehr limitiert. Deshalb kommt in der Erforschung von WAT zunehmend die 3-dimensionale Kultivierung zur Anwendung, welche bez{\"u}glich des Gewebekontextes einem lebenden Organismus n{\"a}her kommt und damit eine gr{\"o}ßere Aussagekraft haben kann. Ein Ziel dieser Arbeit war, die Voraussetzungen f{\"u}r die Untersuchung der einzelnen Zellfraktionen von Kokulturen aus mesenchymalen Stammzellen aus humanem Fettgewebe (ASC) und mikrovaskul{\"a}ren Endothelzellen (MVEC) zu schaffen. Hierf{\"u}r wurde erfolgreich ein Protokoll zur Trennung solcher Zellsuspensionen mittels Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting (MACS) etabliert. W{\"a}hrend in vorangegangenen Arbeiten nur eine der beiden Zellfraktionen analysiert werden konnte, erm{\"o}glichte es dieses Protokoll nun beide Zellfraktionen einer Kokultur verunreinigungsfrei zu isolieren und zu analysieren. Dies er{\"o}ffnet neue M{\"o}glichkeiten in der Erforschung des Zusammenspiels dieser beiden Zelltypen. Um diese zu demonstrieren wurde in dieser Arbeit die Expression von vier Genen in ASC und MVEC aus gemeinsamer Kokultivierung in einem 3-dimensionalen Sph{\"a}roid-Modell analysiert. Hierbei konnte festgestellt werden, dass die Expression der Gene Angiopoietin-2, Interleukin-1B, Interleukin-6 und Leukemia Inhibitory Factor in MVEC bei 3-dimensionaler Kokultivierung mit ASC nach zwei Tagen Kultur stark anstieg, w{\"a}hrend sich in der Fraktion der ASC kaum Ver{\"a}nderungen zeigten. Dies wiederum spricht f{\"u}r eine angiogene Aktivit{\"a}t der MVEC. Ohne ein Protokoll zur Trennung solcher ASC-MVEC-Kokulturen mittels MACS, welche die weitere Analyse beider Zelltypen erlaubt, w{\"a}re diese Untersuchung so nicht m{\"o}glich gewesen Ziel dieser Arbeit war auch, der Hypothese {\"u}ber eine Beteiligung des Wnt-Signalwegs an der Steuerung der Adipogenese durch Endothelzellen in ASC-MVEC-Kokultur-Sph{\"a}roiden nachzugehen. Zuvor konnte beobachtet werden, dass in diesen die Triglyceridsynthese lokal reduziert war, w{\"a}hrend sie in ASC-Monokultur-Sph{\"a}roiden homogen verteilt und nicht inhibiert war. Hierf{\"u}r wurden Schnitte von adipogen induzierten ASC-MVEC-Kokultur-Sph{\"a}roiden und ASC-Monokultur-Sph{\"a}roiden immunhistochemisch auf aktives beta-Catenin gef{\"a}rbt, wodurch der aktive Wnt-Signalweg innerhalb des Sph{\"a}roids dargestellt werden konnte. Tats{\"a}chlich konnte innerhalb der Kokultur-Sph{\"a}roide f{\"u}r die H{\"a}lfte der untersuchten Schnitte eine regionale Erh{\"o}hung von aktivem beta-Catenin festgestellt werden, welche auf der Seite der ASC-Monokultur-Sph{\"a}roide nicht nachweisbar war. In Betrachtung der Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit -- auch im Kontext weiterer Forschungsergebnisse -- erscheint eine Beteiligung des Wnt-Signalwegs an der Steuerung der Adipogenese in ASC-MVEC-Kokultur-Sph{\"a}roiden sehr wahrscheinlich. In dieser Arbeit konnte ein Beitrag zum Verst{\"a}ndnis des Zusammenspiels von ASC und MVEC in 3-dimensionaler Kokultivierung sowie dessen weiterer Untersuchung geleistet werden. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse unterstreichen die Anwendbarkeit und Wichtigkeit von 3-dimensionalen Kulturumgebungen in der Erforschung von weißem Fettgewebe, sowohl f{\"u}r die Adipositasforschung als auch f{\"u}r Adipose Tissue Engineering.},
  subject      = {Fettgewebe},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Simann2015,
  author    = {Simann, Meike},
  title     = {Aufkl{\"a}rung der Effekte von Fibroblasten-Wachstumsfaktor 1 und 2 auf die Adipogenese und Osteogenese von prim{\"a}ren humanen Knochenmark-Stroma-Zellen},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-119322},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Regulating and reverting the adipo-osteogenic lineage decision of trabecular human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) represents a promising approach for osteoporosis therapy and prevention. Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) and its subfamily member FGF2 were scored as lead candidates to exercise control over lineage switching processes (conversion) in favor of osteogenesis previously. However, their impact on differentiation events is controversially discussed in literature. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of these FGFs on the adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation and conversion of primary hBMSCs. Moreover, involved downstream signaling mechanisms should be elucidated and, finally, the results should be evaluated with regard to the possible therapeutic approach. This study clearly revealed that culture in the presence of FGF1 strongly prevented the adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs as well as the adipogenic conversion of pre-differentiated osteoblastic cells. Lipid droplet formation was completely inhibited by a concentration of 25 ng/µL. Meanwhile, the expression of genetic markers for adipogenic initiation, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARg2) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPa), as well as subsequent adipocyte maturation, fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL), were significantly downregulated. Yet, the genetic markers of osteogenic commitment and differentiation were not upregulated during adipogenic differentiation and conversion under FGF supplementation, not supporting an event of osteogenic lineage switching. Moreover, when examining the effects on the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs and the osteogenic conversion of pre-differentiated adipocytic cells, culture in the presence of FGF1 markedly decreased extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization. Additionally, the gene expression of the osteogenic marker alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was significantly reduced and ALP enzyme activity was decreased. Furthermore, genetic markers of osteogenic commitment, like the master regulator runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), as well as markers of osteogenic differentiation and ECM formation, like collagen 1 A1 (COL1A1) and integrin-binding sialoprotein (IBSP), were downregulated. In contrast, genes known to inhibit ECM mineralization, like ANKH inorganic pyrophosphate transport regulator (ANKH) and osteopontin (OPN), were upregulated. ANKH inhibition revealed that its transcriptional elevation was not crucial for the reduced matrix mineralization, perhaps due to decreased expression of ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) that likely annulled ANKH upregulation. Like FGF1, also the culture in the presence of FGF2 displayed a marked anti-adipogenic and anti-osteogenic effect. The FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) was found to be crucial for mediating the described FGF effects in adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation and conversion. Yet, adipogenic conversion displayed a lower involvement of the FGFR1. For adipogenic differentiation and osteogenic differentiation/conversion, downstream signal transduction involved the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK kinases 1 and 2 (MEK1/2), probably via the phosphorylation of FGFR docking protein FGFR substrate 2a (FRS2a) and its effector Ras/MAPK. The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38-MAPK, and protein kinase C (PKC) were not crucial for the signal transduction, yet were in part responsible for the rate of adipogenic and/or osteogenic differentiation itself, in line with current literature. Taken together, to the best of our knowledge, our study was the first to describe the strong impact of FGF1 and FGF2 on both the adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation and conversion processes of primary hBMSCs in parallel. It clearly revealed that although both FGFs were not able to promote the differentiation and lineage switching towards the osteogenic fate, they strongly prevented adipogenic differentiation and lineage switching, which seem to be elevated during osteoporosis. Our findings indicate that FGF1 and FGF2 entrapped hBMSCs in a pre-committed state. In conclusion, these agents could be applied to potently prevent unwanted adipogenesis in vitro. Moreover, our results might aid in unraveling a pharmacological control point to eliminate the increased adipogenic differentiation and conversion as potential cause of adipose tissue accumulation and decreased osteoblastogenesis in bone marrow during aging and especially in osteoporosis.},
  subject      = {Mesenchymzelle},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Jessberger2016,
  author    = {Jeßberger, Steffen},
  title     = {Zellul{\"a}re pharmakodynamische Effekte eines standardisierten Kiefernrindenextraktes (Pycnogenol) bei Patienten mit schwerer Osteoarthritis},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132634},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {In klinischen Studien wurden bereits positive Effekte des standardisierten Kiefernrindenextrakts Pycnogenol® auf die Symptome von Patienten mit milden Formen von Kniegelenks-Osteoarthritis ermittelt; haupts{\"a}chlich ausgedr{\"u}ckt durch Senkung des WOMAC-Scores. Der hinter dieser Symptomverbesserung zu Grunde liegende Mechanismus wurde jedoch noch nicht untersucht. Deshalb sollten in der vorliegenden Arbeit erstmalig die zellul{\"a}ren pharmakodynamischen Effekte des Nahrungserg{\"a}nzungsmittels, in Hinblick auf wichtige Marker der Knorpelhom{\"o}ostase, untersucht werden. Hierf{\"u}r wurden 30 Patienten mit schweren Gonarthrose-Formen und Indikation zum Kniegelenksersatz in eine randomisiert-kontrollierte Studie eingeschlossen. Die genaue Ursache der Erkrankung Osteoarthritis ist bis heute nicht gekl{\"a}rt, jedoch gilt ein Ungleichgewicht von Knorpelaufbau und -abbau in den betroffenen Gelenken als einer der zentralen Parameter der Pathogenese. Diese Imbalance resultiert in einem sukzessiven Knorpelverlust, der mit einem Entz{\"u}ndungsgeschehen im ganzen Gelenk, also auch unter Beteiligung von Synovium und subchondralen Knochen, einhergeht. Eine wichtige Rolle spielen hierbei die matrix-abbauenden Enzyme MMPs und ADAMTS sowie proinflammatorische Mediatoren, z.B. das IL-1β. Nach dreiw{\"o}chiger Einnahme von 200 mg Pycnogenol® am Tag, konnten wir, im Vergleich zur unbehandelten Kontrollgruppe, eine Senkung der relativen Genexpression von MMP-1, MMP-3 und MMP-13 im Knorpelgewebe feststellen. Bei MMP-3 und MMP 13 war diese Reduktion signifikant. Ebenso wurde die relative Expression von IL-1β statistisch signifikant gesenkt. Im Rahmen der Untersuchung der Entwicklung von Markerkonzentrationen im Serum im Verlauf der Studie wurde eine signifikante Senkung der ADAMTS-5-Konzentrationen bei behandelten Patienten, im Vergleich zur Kontrollgruppe, offenbar. Weiterhin wurden die MMP-13-Konzentrationen im Serum positiv durch Einnahme des Rindenextraktes beeinflusst. In der K{\"o}rperfl{\"u}ssigkeit, die dem Erkrankungsgeschehen am n{\"a}hesten kommt, der Synovialfl{\"u}ssigkeit, konnten ebenso hemmende Effekte auf knorpelabbauende Enzyme nach Einnahme von Pycnogenol® beobachtet werden. Hierbei sah man niedrigere Konzentrationen der Marker MMP-1 und MMP-13 sowie der Abbaumarker von Typ-II-Collagen und von Aggrecan in den Gelenkfl{\"u}ssigkeiten der Verum- im Vergleich zu denen der Kontrollgruppe. Im Rahmen von ex-vivo-Versuchen zeigten sich mit beiden Spezimen keine Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Studiengruppen. Die beobachteten Tendenzen konnten durch Korrelationsanalysen untermauert werden. Die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Arbeit liefern den ersten Ansatz zum Verst{\"a}ndnis der zellul{\"a}ren Mechanismen, die f{\"u}r die positiven Einfl{\"u}sse des standardisierten Kiefernrindenextraktes auf die Symptomatik der Gonarthrose verantwortlich sind. Weitere Studien mit einer gr{\"o}ßeren Studienpopulation und einer Anwendung von Pycnogenol® {\"u}ber einen l{\"a}ngeren Zeitraum sind n{\"o}tig, um diese zellul{\"a}ren Geschehnisse zu best{\"a}tigen und n{\"a}her zu untersuchen. Auf Grund des g{\"u}nstigen Nebenwirkungsprofils von Pycnogenol® ist eine Langzeittherapie zur Verz{\"o}gerung eines erstmaligen Kniegelenksersatzes durchaus denkbar. Dies h{\"a}tte den Vorteil, dass das betroffene Gelenk weniger oft ausgetauscht werden m{\"u}sste, was wegen der begrenzten Haltbarkeit in etwa alle 10 Jahre geschieht. Aus epidemiologischen Studien ist schon seit L{\"a}ngerem bekannt, dass eine hohe t{\"a}gliche Aufnahme von Polyphenolen {\"u}ber die Nahrung zu geringeren Inzidenzraten neurologischer Erkrankungen, wie z.B. Morbus Parkinson oder Morbus Alzheimer, f{\"u}hrt. Auch Pycnogenol® hat in-vivo schon positive Effekte auf diverse neurologische Erkrankungsgeschehen gezeigt. Um zu verstehen, welcher Inhaltsstoff bzw. welche Inhaltsstoffe und/oder Metabolite die Blut-Hirn-Schranke passieren und f{\"u}r diese Wirkungen verantwortlich sein k{\"o}nnten, wurde in der vorliegenden Arbeit mit Hilfe eines cEND-in-vitro-Modells die Blut-Hirn-Schrankeng{\"a}ngigkeit ausgew{\"a}hlter Bestandteile des Extraktes und des Metaboliten M1 untersucht. Dabei zeigte keine der untersuchten Substanzen unter den gew{\"a}hlten Versuchsbedingungen einen quantifizierbaren {\"U}bertritt durch den Zellkultur-Monolayer. Auf Grund unserer Versuche ist jedoch eine Aufnahme des M1 und von (+)-Catechin in die Endothelzellen durchaus denkbar. Diese Aufnahme scheint f{\"u}r den M1, in erleichterter Form, durch den GLUT-1-Transporter zu verlaufen. Die positiven Effekte des Nahrungserg{\"a}nzungsmittels auf neurologische Erkrankungen scheinen nicht durch direkte Einwirkungen im Gehirn selbst verursacht zu werden. Eine stabilisierende Wirkung auf die BHS, die eine wichtige Barriere zum Schutz des Gehirns vor {\"a}ußeren Einfl{\"u}ssen ist, scheint daf{\"u}r eine plausiblere Erkl{\"a}rung zu sein. Weiterf{\"u}hrende in-vivo-Tierversuche k{\"o}nnen dar{\"u}ber Aufschluss geben. Zusammenfassend konnte mit der vorliegenden Arbeit ein Beitrag zur Aufkl{\"a}rung der zellul{\"a}ren Effekte des standardisierten Kiefernrindenextraktes bei schwerer Kniegelenks-Osteoarthritis geleistet werden. Zus{\"a}tzlich konnten wir, mit Hilfe eines rationalen Ansatzes zur Ermittlung der Blut-Hirn-Schrankeng{\"a}ngigkeit ausgew{\"a}hlter Inhaltsstoffe von Pycnogenol®, das Verst{\"a}ndnis f{\"u}r die positiven Wirkungen von Pycnogenol® im Rahmen neurologischer Erkrankungen erweitern.},
  subject      = {Pycnogenol},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Laug2014,
  author    = {Laug, Roderich},
  title     = {Funktionsaufkl{\"a}rung von CYR61 und CTGF in mesenchymalen Stammzellen und Lungenendothelzellen},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-98711},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Cystein rich protein 61 (CYR61/CCN1) und Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) stellen aufgrund ihrer Multifunktionalit{\"a}t zwei sehr interessante Vertreter aus der derzeit sechs Mitglieder umfassenden Familie der CCN-Proteine (CCN- CYR61/CCN1, CTGF/CCN2, NOV/CCN3, WISP1-3/CCN4-6) dar. Seit der Entdeckung von CYR61 und CTGF konnten die {\"u}berlappenden, aber meist nicht redundanten zellspezifischen Effekte in verschiedenen Zellsystemen nachgewiesen werden. Die Einfl{\"u}sse auf zahlreiche Prozesse wie Proliferation und Migration, aber auch Angiogenese und das {\"U}berleben von Zellen lassen eine weitreichende Bedeutung im Zusammenhang mit vielen Entwicklungsprozessen vermuten, so auch der des muskuloskelettalen Systems und der Entwicklung der Lunge. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden f{\"u}r die n{\"a}here Charakterisierung von CYR61 und CTGF humane mesenchymale Stammzellen (hMSC) und die humane prim{\"a}re Lungenendothelzelllinie HPMEC-ST1.6R (human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells) gew{\"a}hlt. Beide Zellsysteme sind f{\"u}r die Untersuchung der Funktionsf{\"a}higkeit in den verschiedenen Kompartimenten bestens geeignet. So ist die Zelllinie HPMEC-ST1.6R den prim{\"a}ren Endothelzellen, im Vergleich mit anderen in der Forschung eingesetzten Zelllinien, in Bezug auf spezifische Oberfl{\"a}chenmarker am n{\"a}chsten. Mesenchymale Stammzellen bilden als multipotente Zellen das R{\"u}ckrat des muskuloskelettalen Systems und sind an der Hom{\"o}ostase des menschlichen St{\"u}tz- und Bewegungsapparates maßgeblich beteiligt. Um experimentell nutzbare Konzentrationen an rekombinanten Proteinen zu erhalten, wurde ein Baculovirus-Expressionsystems gew{\"a}hlt. Nach der erfolgreichen Klonierung der CTGF/Fc-Tag Sequenz in einen Expressionsvektor konnte dies auch durch Produktion in SF21-Insektenzellen erreicht und erstmalig rekombinantes CTGF/Fc von hoher Reinheit gewonnen werden. Allerdings konnte eine best{\"a}ndige Funktionsf{\"a}higkeit der aufgereinigten Proteine mittels eines Proliferationstestes nachfolgend nur bedingt best{\"a}tigt werden. F{\"u}r die weitere Versuchsplanung, einer Untersuchung der Auswirkung von rekombinantem CTGF (rCTGF) bzw. CYR61 (rCYR61) auf die Zielzellen, musste zun{\"a}chst die zelleigene ctgf bzw. cyr61 Expression herunterreguliert werden, um einen endogenen St{\"o}reffekt auszuschließen. Durch den Einsatz spezifischer shRNAs konnte ctgf/CTGF sowohl in den hMSC-, wie auch den HPMEC-ST1.6R-Zielzellen deutlich herunterreguliert und nachfolgend eine markant reduzierte Proliferation beobachtet werden. Ein Effekt f{\"u}r die Regulation von cyr61 blieb aus. In dieser Arbeit wurden anschließend erstmals mittels Microarray-Analysen Ver{\"a}nderungen im Genexpressionsmuster der ctgf herunterregulierten hMSC- bzw. Lungenendothelzellen gegen{\"u}ber Kontrollzellen untersucht. Des Weiteren war die Auswirkung einer Behandlung von ctgf herunterregulierten Zielzellen mit rCTGF gegen{\"u}ber unbehandelten Kontrollzellen von Interesse. F{\"u}r beide Zellsysteme konnten signifikante Genregulationen nach der Behandlung mit CTGF spezifischen shRNAs gegen{\"u}ber den Kontrollzellen detektiert werden, mit interessanten Genclustern im Bereich der TGF-beta (transforming growth factor ß) Signalgebung, sowie der fokalen Adh{\"a}sion (z.B. VEGF). Eine Behandlung mit rCTGF hingegen zeigte gegen{\"u}ber den unbehandelten Kontrollzellen in der Auswertung der Microarray-Analyse keine signifikante Ver{\"a}nderung im Genexpressionsmuster. In dieser Arbeit wurden, neben einer effektiven Gewinnung von rekombinantem CTGF und der Herunterregulation der endogenen ctgf Expression, wichtige Erkenntnisse zur Biologie von CTGF (und CYR61) in mesenchymalen Stammzellen hMSC und der Lungenendothelzelllinie HPMEC-ST1.6R erlangt. Die erhaltenen Microarray-Daten bieten eine fundierte Grundlage f{\"u}r zahlreiche fortf{\"u}hrende Untersuchungen.},
  subject      = {Connective Tissue Growth Factor},
  language  = {de}
}