The present disclosure belongs to the field of biological medicines, and relates to an inducer for inducing differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into estradiol-secreting cells. The inducer for inducing differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into estradiol-secreting cells uses human mesenchymal stem cell serum-free culture medium as a substrate and comprises the following components in mass concentration ratios: 20-60 mg/L of bone morphogenetic protein-4, 20-60 mg/L of bone morphogenetic protein-7, 2-8 mg/L of retinoic acid, 2-8 mg/L of resveratrol, 2-8 mg/L of icariin, 2-8 g/L of benzamide, 2-8 g/L of chloroplatinic acid hexahydrate, 2-8 g/L of ethanolamine, 2-10 g/L of erythropoietin and 2-10 g/L of vascular endothelial growth factor. The inducer for inducing differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into estradiol-secreting cells provided by the present disclosure has a high induction efficiency.

Provided is a method of preparing a hydrogel composition including a uniform content of calcium phosphate, wherein a hydrogel composition prepared by the method has a uniform content of calcium phosphate, and thus may be used to quantify phosphates contained in the hydrogel composition. Provided is an in-vitro 3D osteoporosis model including a calcium phosphate hydrogel composition, wherein osteoblasts and osteoclasts may be three-dimensionally co-cultured inside a biogel, such that the osteoporosis model may be fabricated according to an intended use or clinical stage. Further, the model contains a calcium phosphate hydrogel with a uniform content of phosphate and thus enables quantification of calcium phosphate through measurement of phosphates, and therefore, the model may be used to screen candidate compounds for an osteoporosis drug and may effectively predict therapeutic effects of the drug on osteoporosis.

The present invention relates to the use of polysulfated polysaccharides in combination with progenitor cells to improve the viability of the progenitor cells including improving the cryopreservation of the progenitor cells and provides novel compositions, methods and uses. The present invention also relates to the use of polysulfated polysaccharides to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells.

The present invention provides compounds of formula I: ##STR00001##
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, tautomer, or stereoisomer thereof, wherein the variables are as defined herein. The present invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, and methods of using such compounds for treatment of joint damage or joint injury in a mammal, and for inducing differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into chondrocytes.

A composition may be prepared by applying only an electric stimulus to a stem cell aggregate without introducing externally derived growth factors, etc. The composition has the advantage of remarkably reducing medical expenses because it can be prepared without using expensive growth factors. In addition, the composition may be used for treatment of a cartilage-related disease and does not express COL2, which is a mature chondrocyte marker, as compared to the conventional cells prepared for treating a cartilage-related disease and, thus, has the advantage of less immune-related side effects than mature cells.

The present invention relates generally to methods and compositions useful for therapeutic vascular tissue engineering. In particular, the present invention provides methods for generating substantially pure populations of vasculogenic cells from human mesenchymal progenitor, and methods and compositions for clinical applications in the field of regenerative medicine.

Provided is a method of preparing a hydrogel composition including a uniform content of calcium phosphate, wherein a hydrogel composition prepared by the method has a uniform content of calcium phosphate, and thus may be used to quantify phosphates contained in the hydrogel composition. Provided is an in-vitro 3D osteoporosis model including a calcium phosphate hydrogel composition, wherein osteoblasts and osteoclasts may be three-dimensionally co-cultured inside a biogel, such that the osteoporosis model may be fabricated according to an intended use or clinical stage. Further, the model contains a calcium phosphate hydrogel with a uniform content of phosphate and thus enables quantification of calcium phosphate through measurement of phosphates, and therefore, the model may be used to screen candidate compounds for an osteoporosis drug and may effectively predict therapeutic effects of the drug on osteoporosis.

Provided is a method for producing a conventional type-2 dendritic cell (cDC2)-like cell from a fibroblast or a fibroblast-like cell, the method comprising a step of introducing a nucleic acid encoding PU.1, a nucleic acid encoding KLF4, a nucleic acid encoding IRF4 and a nucleic acid encoding C/EBP into the fibroblast or the fibroblast-like cell.

Methods of differentiating a mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) to a first non-MSC cell fate, the method comprising contacting the MSC with extracellular vesicles (EVs), matrix-bound vesicles (MBVs) or a combination thereof are provided. Methods of producing artificial tissue by culturing MSCs with two sets of vesicles each comprising EVs, MBVs or both that differentiate MSCs to two different non-MSC cell fates, methods of culturing with reduced growth factors and method of differentiating an MSC to a muscle cell fate are also provided.

The present invention is to provide a 3D cartilage organoid block prepared by differentiating mesenchymal stem cells into 3D spheroid cartilage tissues, a basic unit for the 3D cartilage spheroid block. The inventors found that both the amount of GAG matrix and the expression of the collagen type2 increased. Therefore, the method of this invention provides clinically applicable cartilage tissues by effectively enhancing the function of the cartilage differentiation constructs according to 2D culture. The 3D cartilage organoid block can be usefully applied to the area, such as, articular cartilage regeneration and plastic surgery, where cartilage tissues restoration is required.