Ľubomír Medvecký

The aim of this study was to provide a beneficial treatment effect of novel chitosan bio-polymeric material enriched with mesenchymal stem cell products derived from the canine adipose tissue (AT-MSC) on the artificial skin defect in a rabbit model. For the objectivity of the regeneration evaluation, we used histological analysis and a scoring system created by us, taking into account all the attributes of regeneration, such as inflammatory reaction, necrosis, granulation, formation of individual skin layers and hair follicles. We observed an acceleration and improvement in the healing of an artificially created skin defect after eight and ten weeks in comparison with negative control (spontaneous healing without biomaterial). Moreover, we were able to described hair follicles and epidermis layer in histological skin samples treated with a chitosan-based biomaterial on the eighth week after grafting.

New biocements based on a powdered mixture of calcium phosphate/monetite (TTCPM) modified with the addition of honey were prepared by mixing the powder and honey liquid components at a non-cytotoxic concentration of honey (up to 10% (w/v)). The setting process of the cements was not affected by the addition of honey, and the setting time of ~4 min corresponded to the fast setting calcium phosphate cements (CPCs). The cement powder mixture was completely transformed into calcium-deficient nanohydroxyapatite after 24 h of hardening in a simulated body fluid, and the columnar growth of long, needle-like nanohydroxyapatite particles around the original calcium phosphate particles was observed in the honey cements. The compressive strength of the honey cements was reduced with the content of honey in the cement. Comparable antibacterial activities were found for the cements with honey solutions on Escherichia coli, but very low antibacterial activities were found for Staphylococcus aureus for all the cements. The enhanced antioxidant inhibitory activity of the composite extracts was verified. In vitro cytotoxicity testing verified the non-cytotoxic nature of the honey cement extracts, and the addition of honey promoted alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposit production, and the upregulation of osteogenic genes (osteopontin, osteocalcin, and osteonectin) by mesenchymal stem cells, demonstrating the positive synergistic effect of honey and CPCs on the bioactivity of cements that could be promising therapeutic candidates for the repair of bone defects.