Jafar Ai

Tehran University of Medical Sciences | TUMS · Department of Tissue Engineering

The nervous system consists of neurons and glial cells, blood vessels enfolded by pericytes, and extracellular matrix (ECM) that have structurally and functionally interactions with each other. In nervous system, blood brain barrier (BBB) is made by endothelial tight junctions and controls the transportation of substances to the brain and spinal co...

Copper (Cu) ions have been found to exert antibacterial and angiogenic effects. However, some studies have indicated that it inhibits osteogenesis at high concentraions. On the other hand, L-arginine (Arg) is a semi-essential amino acid required for various biological processes, including osteogenic and angiogenic activities. As a result, we hypoth...

Parkinson disease (PD) is considered as one of the most worldwide neurodegenerative disorders. The major reasons associated to neurodegeneration process of PD pathogenesis are oxidative stress. Many studies reported that natural antioxidant molecules, especially, curcumin can suppress inflammatory pathways and preserve dopaminergic neurons damage i...

Carbon nanotube (CNT) and gelatin (Gela) molecules are effective substrates in promoting engineered cardiac tissue functions. This study developed a microfluidic‐based encapsulation process for biomimetic hydrogel microcapsule fabrication. The hydrogel microcapsule was produced through a coaxial double orifice microfluidic technique and a water‐in‐...

Exosomes are endogenous nanoparticles with a lipid bilayer membrane whose natural function as carriers of biological materials has attracted much attention. The ability of exosomes to cross biological barriers, especially the blood-brain barrier, has highlighted them as tools of drug delivery to brain tumors. In a previous study, we isolated and ch...

As an evidence-based performance, the rising incidence of various ischemic disorders has been observed across many nations. As a result, there is a growing need for the development of more effective regenerative approaches that could serve as main therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these diseases. From a cellular perspective, promoted comp...

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that can kill tumor cells via different pathways, including the secretion of cytotoxic granules in immunological synapses and the binding of apoptosis-inducing ligands with cognate death receptors on tumor cells. These ligands are also soluble in NK cells conditioned medium (NK-CM). However, novel pr...

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by serious both motor and sensory disability of the limbs below the injured segment. It is the most traumatic disorder among central nervous system (CNS) conditions that not only leads to psychological and physical harm to patients also results in a dramatic loss in life quality. Many efforts...

Objective: Atorvastatin is commonly used as a lipid lowering drug. The emerging interest in statins as anticancer agents is based on their pleiotropic effects on cancer cells. Among the statins, atorvastatin, and in cancers, breast malignancies have received less attention in preclinical investigations. In order to enhance the efficacy of cancer t...

Background: Breast Cancer (BC) is a malignancy with high mortality among women. Recently, scaffold-based three-dimensional (3D) models have been developed for anti-cancer drug research. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative effects of Astragalus hamosus (A. hamosus) in 3D fibrin gel against MCF-7 cell line. We have also eva...

Background: Natural killer cells (NKC) and Sorafenib (Sor) are two important agents for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Over the past decade, the interaction of Sor and NKC against HCC has been widely challenging. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of NKC & Sor for the treatment of HCC in vivo. Methods: Subcutaneous xenogra...

Recent studies have demonstrated inhibitory effects of mesenchymal stem cells on breast tumors. Likewise, the emerging interest in statins as anticancer agents is based on their pleiotropic effects. In the present study, we investigated whether atorvastatin and umbilical cord matrix derived mesenchymal stem cells-conditioned medium affect the MCF7...

There is variety of stem cell sources but problems in ethical issues, contamination, and normal karyotype cause many limitations in obtaining and using these cells. The cells in Wharton's jelly region of umbilical cord are abundant and available stem cells with low immunological incompatibility, which could be considered for cell replacement therap...

Small molecules as useful chemical tools can affect cell differentiation and even change cell fate. It is demonstrated that LY294002, a small molecule inhibitor of phos-phatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signal pathway, can inhibit proliferation and promote neuronal differentiation of mes-enchymal stem cells (MSCs). The purpose of this study was...

Spinal cord regeneration is limited due to various obstacles and complex pathophysiological events after injury. Combination therapy is one approach that recently garnered attention for spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery. A composite of three-dimensional (3D) collagen hydrogel containing epothilone B (EpoB)-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres...

Recently, adaptive NK cell therapy has become a promising treatment but has limited efficacy as a monotherapy. The identification of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) molecules has opened a new horizon of immunotherapy. Herein, we aimed to demonstrate the cytotoxic effects of a polytherapy consisting of ex vivo expanded IL-2-activated NK cells comb...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of degenerative joint disease, affecting more than 25% of the adult though prevalent in the elderly population. Most of the current therapeutic modalities aim at symptomatic treatment and lingering the disease progression. In recent years, regenerative medicine such as stem cell transplantation and tissue...

The aim of this study was to prepare a porous scaffold out of 58S bioactive glass as the bare and coated with Zein to improve mechanical properties and acting as a carrier for Kaempferol controlled delivery. Porosity and morphology, mechanical properties, drug release behavior, bioactivity, cell attachment, and biodegradation of the scaffolds were...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system (CNS) chronic illness with autoimmune, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative effects characterized by neurological disorder and axonal loss signs due to myelin sheath autoimmune T cell attacks. Existing drugs, including disease-modifying drugs (DMD), help decrease the intensity and frequency of MS a...

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) transplantation has been considered a promising treatment for spinal cord injury, according to previous studies. Recent research shed light on the importance of microRNA 219 (miR-219) in oligodendrocyte development, so here miR-219-overexpressing OPCs (miR-219 OPCs) were transplanted in animal models of spina...

Background: Tumor growth and metastasis eventuate from an interaction between cancer cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix. Recent studies demonstrated inhibitory effects of mesenchymal stem cells on breast tumors. Likewise, the emerging interest in statins as anticancer agents is based on their pleiotropic effects. In the present study, w...

Background: Natural killer cells (NKC) and Sorafenib (Sor) are two important agents for treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Over the last decade, the interaction of Sor and NKC against HCC tumors has been very challenging. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of combination therapy of NKC plus Sor for HCC in vivo. Methods: Subcutaneous...

Many studies have been devoted to investigating the potential of guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes for bone defect reconstruction. Regardless of approaches for treating damaged bone tissues, a beneficial therapeutic strategy has remained a challenge. In this study, a novel GBR membrane with polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of degenerative joint disease, affecting more than 25% of the adult though prevalent in the elderly population. Most of the current therapeutic modalities aim at symptomatic treatment and lingering the disease progression. In recent years, regenerative medicine such as stem cell transplantation and tissue...

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) encapsulated in fabricated hybrid silk‐fibroin (SF)/polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers as an artificial neural guidance conduit (NGC) applicable for peripheral nerve regeneration. The NGC was prepared by PCL and SF filled with CNPs. The mechanical properties...

GBM (Glioblastoma multiforme) is the most prevalent and lethal primary brain tumor. Gene therapy is one of the promising approaches and involves the delivery of genetic therapeutic molecules for specific antitumour response/activity. miRNAs can regulate the cell biology functions including replication, cell growth, and apoptosis by regulating gene...

Hybrid fibrous mat containing cell interactive molecules offers the ability to deliver the cells and drugs in wound bed, which will help to achieve a high therapeutic treatment. In this study, a co-electrospun hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (Ch) and silk fibrous mat was developed and their wound healing potential by localizing bone mar...

Background: Skin, the first barrier to pathogens, loses its integrity and function after an injury. The presence of an antibacterial dressing at the wound site may prevent bacterial invasion and also improve the healing process. Objectives: The current study aimed to fabricate a biomimetic membrane with antibacterial properties for healing chron...

The main aim of the current study was to develop a chitosan hydrogel containing Aloe vera gel and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as the wound healing materials. Chitosan with the concentration of (2% w/v) was prepared in AA (0.5%, v/v) and Tetrasodium EDTA (0.01% w/w) and AV (0.5% v/v) were added to the prepared polymer solution. As prepare...

Human endometrial stem cells (hEnSCs) that can be differentiated into various neural cell types, have been regarded as a suitable cell population for neural tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Considering different interactions between hormones, growth factors and other factors in the neural system, several differentiation protocols have...

In tissue engineering, natural hydrogel scaffolds gained considerable attention due to their biocompatibility and similarity to macromolecular-based components in the body. However, their low mechanical strength and high degradation degree limit their biomedical application. By varying the composition of hydrogels, their biochemical and mechanical...

In the current study, electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐gelatin (PCL‐Gel) fibrous scaffolds containing magnesium oxide (MgO) particles and preseeded with human endometrial stem cells (hEnSCs) were developed to use as wound care material in skin tissue engineering applications. Electrospun fibers were fabricated using PCL‐Gel (1:1 [wt/wt]) with diffe...

Glioblastoma multiform (GBM) is known as an aggressive glial neoplasm. Recently incorporation of mesenchymal stem cells with anti-tumor drugs have been used due to lack of immunological responses and their easy accessibility. In this study, we have investigated the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity of atorvastatin (Ator) in combination of m...

Exosomes (EXOs) are naturally occurring nanosized lipid bilayers that can be efficiently used as a drug delivery system to carry small pharmaceutical, biological molecules and pass major biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier. It was hypothesized that EXOs derived from human endometrial stem cells (hEnSCs-EXOs) can be utilized as a dru...

The first step in the formation of hepatocytes and beta cells is the generation of definitive endoderm (DE) which involves a central issue in developmental biology. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have the pluripotency to differentiate into all three germ layers in vitro and have been considered potent candidates for regenerative medi...

Type 1 diabetes is a metabolic disorder caused by the loss or dysfunction of β‐cellsin the pancreas. Organ shortage is a critical concern ofdiabetic patients in need of beta islet transplantation. Tissue engineered islets are promising alternatives to traditional organ transplantation. Recent progress in stem cell biology and gene cloning technique...

In the current study, selenium particles were loaded into poly(ε-caprolactone)/gelatin nanofibrous matrices in order to fabricate a potential wound dressing. The mats were produced by electrospinning of poly(ε-caprolactone)/Gelatin (1:1 (w/w)) solution supplemented with 1 and 10 % (w/v) of selenium particles. Prepared wound dressings were investiga...

The main goal of this study was to explore the beneficial effect of nerve growth factor (NGF)-overexpressing of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) encapsulated in injectable chitosan/β-glycerophosphate/hydroxyethylcellulose (CS/β-GP/HEC) hydrogel for spinal cord regeneration. The CS/β-GP/HEC hydrogel and genetically transduced hA...

Hybrid fibrous mat containing cell interactive molecules offers the ability to deliver the cells and drugs in wound bed, which will help to achieve a high therapeutic treatment. In this study, a co-electrospun hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (Ch) and silk fibrous mat was developed and their wound healing potential by localizing bone mar...

Hybrid fibrous mat containing cell interactive molecules offers the ability to deliver the cells and drugs in wound bed, which will help to achieve a high therapeutic treatment. In this study, a co-electrospun hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (Ch) and silk fibrous mat was developed and their wound healing potential by localizing bone mar...

Hybrid fibrous mat containing cell interactive molecules offers the ability to deliver the cells and drugs in wound bed, which will help to achieve a high therapeutic treatment. In this study, a co-electrospun hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (Ch) and silk fibrous mat was developed and their wound healing potential by localizing bone mar...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Sorafenib (Sora) is used as a targeted therapy for HCC treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are applied as a new approach to fight malignancies. Drug resistance and side effects are the major concerns wi...

Engineering scaffolds that can not only act as a vehicle for stem cell delivery but also support axon regeneration, may significantly improve the treatment outcome of spinal cord injury (SCI). In this study, we developed chitosan scaffold containing human endometrial stem cells (hEnSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to provide a controlled environ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of neurological diseases. Although, there are some effective medications with regulatory approval for treating MS, they are only partially effective and cannot promote repairing of tissue damage directly which occurs in the central nervous system. Therefore, there is an essential need to develop nove...

In Iran, breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer among women. The standard treatment for this cancer is partial or total removal of breast tissue, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Tissue engineering (TE) has made new treatments for tissue loss in these patients by creating functional substitutes in the laboratory. In addition, cancer...

Methadone and buprenorphine are two widely used substances for opioid-based detoxification. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of buprenorphine and methadone on the redox status of testicular tissue, sperm parameter analysis, and hormonal changes in a rat model. A total of 40 male Wistar rats (220–250 g) were randomly divided i...

Combat or burn injuries are associated with a series of risks, such as microbial infection, an elevated level of inflammatory response and pathologic scar tissue formation, which significantly postpone wound healing and also lead to impaired repair. Skin engineering for wound healing requires a biomimetic dressing substrate with ideal hydrophilicit...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder which has no effective treatment yet due to the blood barrier in the brain that limits the drugs with the potential of disease improvement. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biocompatible nanoparticles with a lipid membrane. These vesicles are secreted from various cells such as mesenchy...

Objective Objective: Endometrial receptivity plays a key role in pregnancy success in assisted reproduction cycles. Recent evidence suggests that seminal plasma (SP) and follicular fluid (FF) influence the uterine endometrium to improve implantation of embryo and establishment of pregnancy. In this, in vitro study, we attempt to assess the influenc...

Microtubule-stabilizing agents (MSAs), until now, have primarily been considered for their anti-proliferative effects in the setting of cancer. However, recent studies have revealed that one particular MSA, epothilone B (EpoB), can promote axonal regeneration after traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) even in the presence of inhibitor molecules suc...

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) exhibits the most malignant brain tumor with very poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regulatory factors that can downregulate the expression of multiple genes. Several miRNAs acting as tumor‐suppressor genes have been identified so far. The delivery of miRNA by mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) due to their ability to sp...

The importance of tissue engineering has been established as a promising approach in treating neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of the current study is to determine the effect of fibrin hydrogel on the differentiation of iPSC into oligodendrocyte. For this purpose, iPSCs transduced by miR‐338 expressing lentiviruses. They were treated with ba...

Acellular small-caliber tissue engineered vascular grafts (SCTEVGs) have low patency rate due to complications including thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia. Rapid endothelialization, antithrombosis, and antiproliferation approaches are suitable to dispel these complications. Nevertheless, common antithrombosis and antiproliferation techniques usual...