Agnieszka Śmieszek

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences · Department of Animal Hygiene and Animal Welfare

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a bone tumour affecting adolescents and elderly people. Unfortunately, basic treatment methods are still underdeveloped, which has a high impact on the poor survivability of the patients. Studies designed to understand the underlying mechanisms of osteosarcoma development, as well as preclinical investigations aimed at establis...

Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a hepatokine that binds to circulating steroid hormones (testosterone, oestradiol) to regulate their concentration in the bloodstream. Recently SHBG was recognized as an essential biomarker for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hepatic steatosis development. At the hepatic level, the production of SHBG is mainly r...

In chronic upper respiratory tract diseases, increased cell proliferative activity is observed, which is coordinated by BCL-2 proteins and small non-coding RNAs. This study aimed to determine the expression of critical apoptosis markers at the mRNA and miRNA levels in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CSRwNP). The study group...

The study aimed to investigate the influence of obesity on cellular features of equine endometrial progenitor cells (Eca EPCs), including viability, proliferation capacity, mitochondrial metabolism, and oxidative homeostasis. Eca EPCs derived from non-obese (non-OB) and obese (OB) mares were characterized by cellular phenotype and multipotency. Obe...

The study aimed to investigate the influence of obesity on cellular features of equine endometrial progenitor cells (Eca EPCs), including viability, proliferation capacity, mitochondrial metabolism, and oxidative homeostasis. Eca EPCs derived from non-obese (Non-OB) and obese (OB) mares were characterised by cellular phenotype and multipotency. Obe...

In chronic upper respiratory tract diseases, increased cell proliferative activity is observed, which is coordinated by Bcl-2 proteins as well as by small non-coding RNAs. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of critical apoptosis markers at the mRNA and miRNA level in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CSRwNP)...

Purpose: Healing of osteoporotic defects is challenging and requires innovative approaches to elicit molecular mechanisms promoting osteoblasts-osteoclasts coupling and bone homeostasis. Methods: Cytocompatibility and biocompatibility of previously characterised nanocomposites, i.e Ca5(PO4)3OH/Fe3O4 (later called nHAp/IO) functionalised with microR...

Available therapies aimed at treating age-related osteoporosis are still insufficient. Therefore, designing reliable in vitro model for the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying senile osteoporosis is highly required. We have isolated and characterized progenitor cells isolated from bone marrow (BMSCs) of osteoporotic mice strain SAM/P6 (BMSC...

Purpose: Osteoporosis results in a severe decrease in the life quality of many people worldwide. The latest data shows that the number of osteoporotic fractures is becoming an increasing international health service problem. Therefore, a new kind of controllable treatment methods for osteoporotic fractures is extensively desired. For that reason,...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology has started to attract attention as an efficient method for obtaining bioactive, ultrathin oxide coatings. In this study, using ALD, we have created titanium dioxide (TiO2) layers. The coatings were characterised in terms of physicochemical and biological properties. The chemical composition of coatings, as...

In this paper, nanocrystalline silicate-substituted hydroxyapatites (nSi-HAps) codoped with Eu3+ were functionalized with Bi3+ ions. Biomaterials were synthesized using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method and heat-treated at 700 °C. The concentration of Eu3+ ions was established at 1 mol %, and the concentration of Bi3+ was in the range of 0.5...

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials/special_issues/Adv_Polym_Compos_Mater_Biomed_Appl

Emerging knowledge indicates that non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), have a pivotal role in bone development and the pathogenesis of bone-related disorders. Most recently, miRNAs have started to be regarded as potential biomarkers or targets for various sets of diseases, while lncRNAs have gained attent...

In the current research previously developed composites composed from poly (l-lactide) (PLLA) and nano-hydroxyapatite (10 wt% nHAp/PLLA) were functionalized with different concentrations of europium (III) (Eu3+). The aim of this study was to determine whether Eu3+ ions doped within the 10 wt% nHAp/PLLA scaffolds will improve the bioactivity of comp...

Introduction: The development of the field of biomaterials engineering is rapid. Various bioactive coatings are created to improve the biocompatibility of substrates used for bone regeneration, which includes formulation of thin zirconia coatings with pro-osteogenic properties. The aim of this study was to assess the biological properties of ZrO2 t...

MiR-21 is being gradually more and more recognized as a molecule regulating bone tissue homeostasis. However, its function is not fully understood due to the dual role of miR-21 on bone-forming and bone-resorbing cells. In this study, we investigated the impact of miR-21 inhibition on pre-osteoblastic cells differentiation and paracrine signaling t...

Osteosarcoma (OSA) is malignant bone tumor, occurring in children and adults, characterized by poor prognosis. Despite advances in chemotherapy and surgical techniques, the survival of osteosarcoma patients is not improving significantly. Currently, great efforts are taken to identify novel selective strategies, distinguishing between cancer and no...

Insulin resistance (IR) is one of the characteristic features of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Presently, the only therapies of choice are caloric restrictions combined with mineral supplementation, which might improve insulin sensitivity. In this study we investigated the effect of Haematococcus pluvialis algae water extract enriched in bioaccu...

This study was designed to determine the influence of microvesicles (MVs) derived from multipotent stromal cells isolated from human adipose tissue (hASCs) on retinal functionality in dogs with various types of retinal degeneration. The biological properties of hASC-MVs were first determined using an in vitro model of retinal Muller-like cells (CaM...

In this study, we investigated the influence of metformin (MF) on proliferation and viability of adipose-derived stromal cells isolated from horses (EqASCs). We determined the effect of metformin on cell metabolism in terms of mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative status. Our purpose was to evaluate the metformin effect on cells derived from healt...

In response to the demand for new multifunctional materials characterized by high biocompatibility, hydrogel (HG) nanocomposites as a platform for bioactive compound delivery have been developed and fabricated. A specific crosslinking/copolymerization chemistry was used to construct hydrogels with a controlled network organization. The hydrogels we...

The aim of this study was to determine the cytocompatibility of poly (l-lactide) (PLLA) scaffolds fabricated using co-rotating twin screw extrusion technique and functionalized with different concentrations of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp). The efforts were aimed on the designing bioactive scaffolds improving the viability and metabolic activity of hu...

Metformin, the gold standard in type 2 diabetes treatment, is a drug with multi-faceted effects. Currently, metformin has gained much attention as an agent that may find application in regenerative medicine. In this study, we considered its pro-osteogenic function in the course of in vitro osteogenesis of multipotent stromal cells derived from rat...

Obesity and endocrine disorders have become prevalent issues in the field of both human and veterinary medicine. Equine metabolic syndrome is a complex disorder involving alternation in metabolism and chronic systemic inflammation. It has been shown that unfavourable microenvironment of inflamed adipose tissue negatively affects adipose stem cell p...

Endocrine disorders, including equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), are a serious issue in veterinary medicine and horse breeding. Furthermore, EMS was shown to affect the cytophysiological properties of adipose-derived stem cells, reducing their therapeutic potential. However, it was shown that those cells can be rejuvenated while using a combination...

Endocrine disorders are becoming an increasing problem in both human and veterinary medicine. In recent years, more and more horses worldwide have been suffering from equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). This metabolic disorder is characterized by pathological obesity, hyperinsulinaemia, hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance. Although metabolic disorde...

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and poly(lactic acid) are types of biocompatible and degradable synthetic polymers required for biomedical applications. Physically blended (TPU+PLA) tissue engineering matrices were produced via solvent casting technique. The following types of polymer blend were prepared: (TPU+PLA) 7:3, (TPU+PLA) 6:4, (TPU+PLA) 4:...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are frequently used in both human and veterinary medicine because their unique properties, such as modulating the immune response and differentiating into multiple lineages, make them a valuable tool in cell-based therapies. However, many studies have indicated the age-, lifestyle-, and disease-related deterioration of...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pro-osteogenic properties of sol–gel-derived silica/zirconium dioxide coatings functionalized with 1 mM of metformin. The matrices were applied on 316L stainless steel using dip-coating technique. First of all, physicochemical properties of biomaterials were evaluated. Surface morphology and topography was...

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a steadily growing life-threatening endocrine disorder linked to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and systemic inflammation. Inflammatory microenvironment of adipose tissue constitutes the direct tissue milieu for various cell populations, including adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs), widely con...

Metformin, the popular anti-diabetic drug was shown to exert multiple biological effects. The most recent metformin gained attention as an agent that mobilizes endogenous progenitor cells and enhances regenerative potential of organisms, for example by promoting neurogenesis. In the present study, we examined the role of metformin on mouse olfactor...

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) often require simultaneous regeneration of nerve tissue and bone. Hydroxyapatites are described as bioresorbable materials with proper biocompatibility and osteoconductivity, therefore its application for spinal surgery is considered. In this paper, we present repeatable method for developing nanocrystalline calcium hydro...

Spirulina platensis (SP) is a blue-green microalga that has recently raised attention not only as a nutritional component, but also as a source of bioactivities that have therapeutic effects and may find application in medicine, including cancer treatment. In the present study we determined the cytotoxic effect of S. platensis filtrates (SPF) on huma...

The green seaweed Enteromorpha prolifera was used as a feedstock for the production of enzymatic hydrolysate using cellulase. The selection of the conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomass was carried out for different enzyme doses and incubation periods. The obtained extract was examined in terms of its multielemental composition, content...

Background: Osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells has been extensively investigated with regards to different aspects, including the analysis of cell intracellular and extracellular proteome, cell gene expression pattern, and morphology. During the osteogenic differentiation, osteoblasts produce and release specific proteins, like os...

Cartilage and bone tissue injuries are common targets in regenerative medicine. The degeneration of cartilage tissue results in tissue loss with a limited ability to regenerate. However, the application of mesenchymal stem cells in the course of such condition makes it possible to manage this disorder by improving the structure of the remaining tis...

In the present paper, the potential of canine articular cartilage-derived cells (cACCs) for chondrogenic differentiation was evaluated. The effectiveness of cACCs’ lineage commitment was analyzed after 14 days of culture in chondorgenic and non-chondrogenic conditions. Formation of proteoglycan-rich extracellular matrix was assessed using histochem...

Current regenerative strategies used for cartilage repair rely on biomaterial functionality as a scaffold for cells that may have potential in chondrogenic differentiation. The purpose of the research was to investigate the biocompatibility of enzymatically treated alginate/chitosan hydrosol sponges and their suitability to support chondrogenic dif...

Sphingolipids represent an important class of bioactive signaling lipids that regulates many processes in vertebrate development, physiology, and pathology. Sphingosine-1-phosphate is a pleiotropic signaling molecule belonging to the chemoattractant proteins, which play key roles in numerous cellular processes, including circulating stem cells' rec...

A representative FACS analysis of VSELs circulating in PB in control mice as well as mice that had exercised for 5 days or 5 weeks.

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is mainly characterized by insulin resistance, obesity, and local or systemic inflammation. That unfriendly environment of adipose tissue has huge impact on stem cells population (ASC) residing within. In the present study, using molecular biology techniques and multiple imaging techniques (SEM, FIB-SEM, and confocal...

Endurance exercise has been reported to increase the number of circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in peripheral blood (PB) as well as in bone marrow (BM). We therefore became interested in whether endurance exercise has the same effect on very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs), which have been described as a population of...

Fe2O3 nanoparticles were pptd. with NH3 from aq. soln. of Fe(NO3)(2), dispersed in UV field and added to a mesenchymal stem cell culture to move the cells in magnetic field. The orientation of the cells in magnetic field was obsd.

Human adipose tissue is a great source of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs), which are recognized for their vast therapeutic applications. Their ability to self-renew and differentiate into several lineages makes them a promising tool for cell-based therapies in different types of degenerative diseases. Thus it is crucial to evaluate age-re...

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) belong to a family of bioactive sphingolipids that act as important extracellular signaling molecules and chemoattractants. This study investigated the influence of S1P and C1P on the morphology, proliferation activity and osteogenic properties of rat multipotent stromal cells derived fro...

Aging and sedentary lifestyle are common nowadays and are associated with the increasing number of chronic diseases. Thus, physical activity is recommended as one of three healthy behavior factors that play a crucial role in health prophylaxis. In the present study, we were interested whether physical activity influences the number and potential of...

Aging and sedentary lifestyle are common nowadays and are associated with the increasing number of chronic diseases. Thus, physical activity is recommended as one of three healthy behavior factors that play a crucial role in health prophylaxis. In the present study, we were interested whether physical activity influences the number and potential of...

Endurance exercise has been reported to increase the number of circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in peripheral blood (PB) as well as in bone marrow (BM). We therefore became interested in whether endurance exercise has the same effect on very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs), which have been described as a population of...

The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of various combinations of a static magnetic field and iron oxide nanoparticles on the growth, proliferation rate, morphology and ultrastructure of equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). Cell migration patterns were also evaluated in order to determine whether the stem cells could b...

Metformin, a popular drug used to treat diabetes, has recently gained attention as a potentially useful therapeutic agent for treating cancer. In our research metformin was added to in vitro cultures of bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) and Balb/3T3 fibroblast at concentration of 1 mM, 5 mM, and 10 mM. Obtained resul...

Metformin is applied not only as antidiabetic drug, but also in the treatment of obesity or as antiaging drug. The first part of the research discussed the effect of metformin at concentrations of 1 mM, 5 mM, and 10 mM on the morphology, ultrastructure, and proliferation potential of mice adipose-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs)...

Endurance exercise has been reported to increase the number of circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in peripheral blood (PB) as well as in bone marrow (BM). We therefore became interested in whether endurance exercise has the same effect on very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs), which have been described as a population of...

The influences of NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) - non-selective metamizole and selectively-acting tolfenamic acid were estimated on morphology, ultrastructure, and cytophysiological activity of canine (Ca) and equine (Eq) adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). The lowest concentration of metamizole (0.01 mg/mL) stimulated th...

The biocompatibility of the bone implants is a crucial factor determining the successful tissue regeneration. The aim of this work was to compare cellular behavior and osteogenic properties of rat adipose-derived multipotent stromal cells (ASCs) and bone marrow multipotent stromal cells (BMSCs) cultured on metallic substrate covered with TiO2 sol-g...

Abstract The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of static magnetic field (SMF) on the osteogenic properties of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs). In this study in seven days viability assay we examined the impact of SMF on cells proliferation rate, population doubling time, and ability to form single-cell derived co...

The aim of this work study was to evaluate the cytophysiological activity of equine adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) cultured under conditions of static magnetic field. Investigated cells were exposed to a static magnetic field (MF) with the intensity of 0.5 T. In order to investigate the effects of magnetic field on stem cell signaling, the local...

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, especially when stem cells of various sources are concerned. In addition to the interest in mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow, recently more consideration has been given to stem cells isolated from adipose tissue (AdMSCs)...

One of the main symptoms of EMS in ponies is pathological obesity, reflected by abnormal accumulation of fat deposits and development of inflammation process. In this study we analyzed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, i.e. IL-6 and TNF-α in subcutaneous adipose tissue and their correlation with serum concentration in peripheral blood....

Background: Nowadays, veterinary practice, involves treatment of disorders associated with cartilage degeneration using advanced therapy, based on mesenchymal stromal cells application. Preparation of cells for the transplantation requires in vitro culture and evaluation of their chondrogenic potential. Purpose: To determine if autologous gelsolin...