Zinc deficiency is known to increase the risk of the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), although the underlying mechanism remains poorly defined. In this study, we investigated the effect of zinc on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) survival and function under oxidative conditions. Zinc level was 5.4 μM in normal culture conditions (DMEM/F12 with 10% FCS) and 1.5 μM in serum-...

Soy milk (SM) is widely consumed worldwide as a substitute for cow milk. It is a source of vitamins, carbohydrates and sugars, but its capacity to preserve cell viability has not been evaluated. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of SM to maintain the viability of human fibroblasts at short periods compared with different cow milks. Human mouth fibroblasts were cul...

BACKGROUND Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a major cause of heart failure in Latin America. Tissue therapy has been investigated as a possible therapeutic option for patients with cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effects of therapy with mesenchymal stem cells in an experimental model of chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy. METHODS C57BL/6 ...

CONTEXT Expansion and culture of beta cell progenitors in vitro may represent an alternative to the use of differentiated beta cells from donor pancreata. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to investigate to what extent exocrine or endocrine pancreatic cells can be differentiated in insulin-producing cells in vitro. SETTING Bovine exocrine tissue (n=4) and islets (n=4) were cultured in DMEM...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether serum contains an activity that induces artery calcification. METHODS AND RESULTS The elastic lamellae of devitalized rat aortas calcify rapidly in rat or bovine serum, or in human serum provided [Pi] > or =2 mmol/L. This calcification is attributable to a potent serum calcification factor (SCF), one that causes devitalized aortas to calcify when incubated in DM...

When studying the effects of oxidative stress on mammalian and yeast cells, we observed that the media without cells generated reactive oxygen species. Mammalian cell media such as RPMI 1640 medium with Glutamax-I (GibcoBRL, Cat. No. 31996) and Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium with Glutamax-I, sodium pyruvate and pyridoxine (GibcoBRL, Cat. No. 31966; DMEM), as well as the yeast extract-peptone-...

OBJECTIVE Green tea extract (GTE) was shown to be effective in preserving periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs) of avulsed teeth. This study aimed at determining the potential of GTE in preserving the viability of PDLFs comparing with different storage media. MATERIALS AND METHODS Periodontal ligament cells were obtained from freshly extracted healthy impacted third molars and cultured in ...

BACKGROUND To evaluate, in vitro, the potential cytotoxicity of three different dental adhesives systems (Adper Single Bond 2 -SB, Silorane System Adhesive Bond -SSAB and Single Bond Universal -SBU) on cultivated Vero cells after different contact times. MATERIAL AND METHODS The cells were cultured in a concentration of 2 x 105 cells/mL for 24h and grown to sub-confluent monolayers. VERO cell...

Mapping the initial reaction of implants with blood or cell culture medium is important for the understanding of the healing process in bone. In the present study, the formation of low crystalline carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) onto commercially pure titanium (Ti) implants from cell culture medium and blood, is described as an early event in bone healing at implants. The Ti-implants were incub...