Recent evidence suggests that mononuclear cells (MNCs) derived from bone marrow and cord blood can differentiate into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs). However, controversy exists as to whether MNCs have the pluripotent capacity to differentiate into MSCs or OECs or are a mixture of cell lineage-determined progenitors of MSCs or OECs. Here, using CD133+/C-kit+...

As olfactory receptor axons grow from the peripheral to the central nervous system (CNS) aided by olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), the transplantation of OECs has been suggested as a plausible therapy for spinal cord lesions. The problem with this hypothesis is that OECs do not represent a single homogeneous entity, but, instead, a functionally heterogeneous population that exhibits a variet...

We describe a novel protocol for three-dimensional culturing of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), which can be used to understand how OECs interact with other cells in three dimensions. Transplantation of OECs is being trialled for repair of the paralysed spinal cord, with promising but variable results and thus the therapy needs improving. To date, studies of OEC behaviour in a multicellular...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the proliferation, differentiation, and tube formation of human outgrowth endothelial progenitor cells (OECs) cultured with porous demineralized bone matrix (DBM) under a dynamic perfusion system in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS OECs were isolated, expanded, characterized, eGFP-transfected and seeded on DBM scaffold and cultured under static or ...

BACKGROUND The cells of mammalian female reproductive tract have been widely used for in vitro fertilization (IVF). This study was designed to study the effects of oviductal epithelial cells (OECs) and their conditioned medium during IVF on subsequent embryonic development and the relative abundance of zygote arrest 1 (Zar1) transcript in ovine zygotes. METHODS The in vitro matured ovine oocy...

The primary olfactory nervous system is unique in that it continuously renews itself and regenerates after injury. These properties are attributed to the presence of olfactory glia, termed olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). Evidence is now emerging that individual OEC populations exist with distinct anatomical localisations and physiological properties, but their differential roles have not be...

Purpose: Spinal cord injury is a global public health issue that results in extensive neuronal degeneration, axonal and myelin loss and severe functional deficits. Neurotrophic factors are potential treatment for reducing secondary damage, promoting axon growth, and are responsible for inducing myelination after injury. Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) and minocycline have been shown to promo...

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are candidate cells for transplant-mediated repair of persistent demyelination in diseases such as multiple sclerosis. If this approach is to make the transition from laboratory to clinic, an important issue is the most suitable composition of the OEC transplant. Isolation of OECs involves concurrent isolation of other cell types, and specific selection techni...

introduction: cell transplantation is one of the main strategies for spinal cord injury repair. as oecs of the olfactory mucosa can be obtained by simple biopsy in all individuals without affecting their smell sensation, oecs considered as a promising candidate for autologous transplantation in the nervous system injury, especially for spinal cord repair. thereby in the current study oecs were ...

Outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) are a subpopulation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that have the capacity for proliferation and the ability to promote angiogenesis. In this study, we identified Nectin-2 as a surface protein of OECs through unbiased quantitative proteomics analysis. Using immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry, we confirmed that Nectin-2 is highly expressed on OECs. N...