Effective Method For Induction Research Articles

Carotenogenesis in <i>Haematococcus pluvialis</i> cells under the combined action of excess of NaCl in the culture medium and high light intensity

The parameters of growth and development of the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis, as well as the process of carotenogenesis, including the pigment composition and expression of the key genes of astaxanthin biosynthesis, were studied in algal cells under the combined action of excess of NaCl in the culture medium and high light intensity. It was found that the combination of excess of NaCl in the culture medium for Haematococcus pluvialis, initiated at the resting stage of the microalga, and high light intensity is not an effective method for induction of the accumulation of astaxanthin in the cells of Haematococcus pluvialis. A decrease in the level of expression of one of the key genes of carotenogenesis - phytoene synthase gene, was revealed under such conditions. At the same time, it was found that the combined action of high light intensity and excess of NaCl led to an increase in the ratio of astaxanthin cis-isomers, which are more biotechnologically valuable, in the total pigment pool.

Misoprostol for labour induction.

Oral and vaginal misoprostol are effective induction methods, but there is a delicate balance between a quicker labour and avoiding side effects. In randomised comparisons with balloon catheters, oral misoprostol resulted in more vaginal births in the first 24h as well as fewer caesarean sections without an increase in hyperstimulation events. Vaginal misoprostol was most effective when used concurrently with a balloon catheter. In comparison with dinoprostone, oral misoprostol had lower rates of caesarean section and uterine hyperstimulation with foetal heart rate changes, but fewer babies were born vaginally within 24h. In contrast, vaginal misoprostol resulted in more vaginal births within 24h, with no significant differences in caesarean section rates. There were no differences in perinatal adverse events with either route. When oral and vaginal misoprostol were compared, vaginal misoprostol resulted in more vaginal births in the first 24h, but with more maternal and neonatal complications.

Labor induction with randomized comparison of cervical, oral and intravaginal misoprostol

BackgroundThis study attempts to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of 50μgm intracervical misoprostol in comparison with intravaginal and sublingual for the induction of labor at term pregnant women.MethodsThis study is designed as a parallel clinical trial study. Three hundred and fifteen term pregnancies requiring induction of labor were treated with the maximum used misoprostol intracervical, sublingual, and vaginal doses. Participants were randomly allocated into three groups of 105. The dose was repeated every 4 h until adequate uterine contraction and Bishop Score were achieved. The duration of induction to births, time to the active phase, the rate of births, and the need for caesarean section were compared in three groups. Additionally, labor course and side effects were recorded and analyzed. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. A significance level of p < 0.05 was considered for statistical analyses.FindingsLabor was successfully induced in all cases most (63%) of which required a single dose of misoprostol. Ninety-three (93.0%, p < 0.05) cervical participants proceeded to vaginal births. This figure was also the same in the vaginal and sublingual group of 83 cases (83.0%). The other 41 cases received caesarean section with more indications of failure to progress and meconium-stained liquor. The results indicated that 278 (92.7%) births were achieved in less than 10 h. Time from start of medication to the active phase of labor and childbirth was 3.01 ± 0.86 and 6.1 ± 1.3 h in the Cervical group, 4.2 ± 0.66 and 8.4 ± 0.92 h in the sublingual group, and 5.06 ± 1.1 and 9.2 ± 1.5 h in the vaginal group respectively (p < 0.001). The Caesarean rate was lower in the cervical group than in the two other groups (p = 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the study groups in terms of Apgar score and meconium-stained amniotic fluid. Furthermore, no maternal and neonatal complications were observed.ConclusionIn addition to the sublingual and intravaginal routes of administration, intracervical misoprostol at a single dose of 50μgm appears to be an effective method for induction of labor in women with an unfavorable cervix. Like all medical interventions, a discussion of the risks, benefits, and alternatives to induction of labor with this medication in each woman should be undertaken before treatment.Trial registrationThis clinical study was approved by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with IRCT ID: IRCT20190415043278N1. Registration date was on May 13, 2019 and May 27, 2019 respectively (http://www.irct.ir).

Comparative immunogenicity analysis of intradermal versus intramuscular administration of SARS-CoV-2 RBD epitope peptide-based immunogen In vivo

COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruption of global health and devastated the socio-economic conditions all over the world. The disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus that belongs to the family of Coronaviruses which are known to cause a wide spectrum of diseases both in humans and animals. One of the characteristic features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the high reproductive rate (R0) that results in high transmissibility of the virus among humans. Vaccines are the best option to prevent and control this disease. Though, the traditional intramuscular (IM) route of vaccine administration is one of the effective methods for induction of antibody response, a needle-free self-administrative intradermal (ID) immunization will be easier for SARS-CoV-2 infection containment, as vaccine administration method will limit human contacts. Here, we have assessed the humoral and cellular responses of a RBD-based peptide immunogen when administered intradermally in BALB/c mice and side-by-side compared with the intramuscular immunization route. The results demonstrate that ID vaccination is well tolerated and triggered a significant magnitude of humoral antibody responses as similar to IM vaccination. Additionally, the ID immunization resulted in higher production of IFN-γ and IL-2 suggesting superior cellular response as compared to IM route. Overall, our data indicates immunization through ID route provides a promising alternative approach for the development of self-administrative SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates.

Effects of hormonal treatment before water warming on synchronisation of spawning time, oocyte size, and egg quality in pikeperch (Sander lucioperca)

Inducing reproduction during periods of the year when spawning typically does not occur is an important goal for the feasibility of commercial fish farming. Pre-seasonal propagation of pikeperch generally occurs about 3 months before the natural spawning season. The objective of this study was to assess effects of imposing a thermal schedule for control of water temperature and differing salmon gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue (sGnRHa) dosages on final stages of oocyte growth, and egg quality by optimizing protocol duration and synchronizing spawning time. In Experiment 1, there was analysis of thermal schedule effects for water temperature control when hormonal administrations occurred before or after water warming (WARMING and STABLE, respectively). In Experiment 2, there was assessment of the sGnRHa dosage effects during the warming schedule. In both experiments there was analysis of oocyte diameter from time of sGnRHa administration until the late stages of maturation. There was greater synchrony in time of spawning in specimens of the WARMING group with lesser variability in time from sGnRHa administration to spawning. In Experiment 2, values for reproductive variables were variable among the different groups, without any differences between treatments. Oocyte diameter at the time of sGnRHa administration was correlated with embryo survival. For effective pre-seasonal pikeperch propagation, the selection of breeders based on oocyte diameter, and administration of 5 μg/kg sGnRHa immediately upon transport to hatchery, followed by a 1 °C/d temperature increase to 10 °C, are effective methods for induction of spawning during periods when spawning does not naturally occur.

Dragon's Blood from Dracaena Worldwide: Species, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology.

Dragon's blood (DB) refers mainly to the crimson resin of many Dracaena spp. DB has been used by different traditional medicine systems worldwide, including Arabic medicine, African medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Thai medicine, etc. DB are mainly used to heal wounds, kill pain, stop bleeding, and cure various diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery and ulcers for over 1000 years. 11 Dracaena spp. and 3 subspecies are reported to be able to produce red resin. However, the resources are extremely deficient. Several Dracaena spp. are in threatened status. Over 300 compounds have been isolated from Dracaena spp., mainly including flavonoids, steroids, and phenolics. DB exhibits anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antithrombotic, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties, which explain its wound healing effects, preventive effects on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, dual-directional regulation of blood flow, neuroprotection and radioprotective effects. No apparent side effects or toxicity have been reported. DB are restricted from being exploited due to limited resources and unclear resin formation mechanism. It is necessary to expand the cultivation of Dracaena spp. and fully understand the mechanism underlying the resin formation process to develop an effective induction method for the sustainable utilization of DB.

Coughing as a potentially effective induction method of atrial tachycardia: a case report.

Background Cough-induced atrial tachycardia (AT) is extremely rare and its electrical origin remains largely unknown. Atrial tachycardias triggered by pharyngeal stimulation, such as swallowing or speech, appears to be more common and the majority of them originate from the superior vena cava or right superior pulmonary vein (PV). Only one case of swallow-triggered AT with right inferior pulmonary vein (RIPV) origin has been reported to date.Case summary We present a case of a 41-year-old man with recurring episodes of AT in the daytime. He underwent electrophysiology study without sedation. Atrial tachycardia was not observed when the patient entered the examination room and could not be induced with conventional induction procedures. By having the patient cough periodically on purpose, transient AT with P-wave morphology similar to the clinical AT was consistently induced. Activation mapping of the AT revealed a centrifugal pattern with the earliest activity localized inside the RIPV. After successful radiofrequency isolation of the right PV, AT was no longer inducible.Discussion In the rare case of cough-induced AT originating from the RIPV, the proximity of the inferior right ganglionated plexi (GP) suggests the role of GP in triggering tachycardia. This is the first report that demonstrates voluntary cough was used to induce AT. In such cases that induction of AT is difficult using conventional methods, having the patient cough may be an effective induction method that is easy to attempt.

A novel gelcasting induction method for YAG transparent ceramic

Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) transparent ceramics are an attractive material for solid-state laser, optical and high temperature structural applications because of their prominent advantages. However, it is difficult to achieve the high-quality ceramics by acrylamide (AM) aqueous gelcasting due to the inhomogeneous of gel body induced by traditional methods of “catalyst + initiator” or “initiator + heating”. In this work, a series of gel induction contrast experiments were designed to explore a novel gelcasting induction method. With different gelation process, the SEM of surfaces and fracture surfaces and as-fabricated ceramics quality, it was found the effectiveness of the novel gel induction method “vacuum defoaming + initiator”. The method had the ability to improve the uniformity of the gel body by regulating the form of energy injection and having enough time for the stirring of initiator. In addition, the decreasing residual organics would result in contributing to the subsequent debinding and ceramic quality improvement. Therefore, the “vacuum defoaming + initiator” was regarded as an effective induction method to eliminate defect and to achieve the in-line transmittance of as-fabricated YAG ceramic with excellent optical quality at 1064 nm reached 82.8%. This work greatly promotes the application of gelcasting in YAG transparent ceramics.

Microchip with Single-Cell Impedance Measurements for Monitoring Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells under Electrical Stimulation.

Effective induction methods and in situ monitoring are essential for studying the mechanism of biological responses in stem cell differentiation. This article proposes an induction method incorporating electrical stimulation under an inhomogeneous field with single-cell impedance monitoring for studying osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using a microchip. The microchip contains an array of sextupole-electrode units for implementing a combination of controllable electrical stimulation and single-cell impedance measurements. MSCs are inducted to osteogenic differentiation under electrical stimulation using quadrupole electrodes and single-cell impedances are monitored in situ using a pair of microelectrodes at each unit center. The proposed microchip adopts an array design to monitor a number of MSCs in parallel, which improves measurement throughput and facilitates to carry out statistic tests. We perform osteogenic differentiation of MSCs on the microchip with and without electrical stimulation meanwhile monitoring single-cell impedance in real time for 21 days. The recorded impedance results show the detailed characteristic change of MSCs at the single-cell level during osteogenic differentiation, which demonstrates a significant difference between the conditions with and without electrical stimulation. The cell morphology and various staining analyses are also used to validate osteogenesis and correlate with the impedance expression. Correlation analysis of the impedance measurement, cell morphology, and various staining assays proves the great acceleration effect of the proposed electrical stimulation on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. The proposed impedance method can monitor the dynamic process of cell development and study heterogeneity of stem cell differentiation at the single-cell level.

Comparison of Labetalol, Nitroglycerine and High Dose Propofol for Induced Hypotension in Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in Massive Nasal Polyposis: A Randomized Trial

Background: Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of the surgical field, amount of blood loss, and duration of surgery following induced hypotension with labetalol, nitroglycerin, and high dose propofol in patients undergoing FESS under general anesthesia. Methods: One hundred and eight patients scheduled for FESS under general anesthesia were recruited in this randomized trial and were allocated to one of the three study groups: 1) Nitroglycerine (NTG) group: nitroglycerine with a dose of 2-5 μg/kg/min was administered; 2) Labetalol (LAB) group: an IV bolus dose of labetalol (20 mg) was injected at first and then IV infusion of labetalol at a rate of 1-2 mg/min; 3) High dose propofol plus normal saline (0.5-1 ml/min) group. Hemodynamic variables and the amount of bleeding were recorded intraoperatively and the surgeons' satisfaction was asked following each surgery considering the surgical field quality using a 5-item Likert scale. Results: The average blood loss (ml) in patients in the LAB group was significantly less than patients in NTG and high dose propofol groups (127 ml vs 198 and 145 ml, respectively) (p- value=0.001) and the surgeons expressed greater satisfaction with the surgical field quality in the LAB group (p- value=0.001). Conclusion: Labetalol infusion may be a safe and effective method for induction of controlled hypotension to provide a comparatively bloodless field. High dose propofol may be a second choice if labetalol is not available.

Foley catheter for induction of labour: a UK observational study

We conducted a prospective observational study of all inductions using Foley’s catheter at our center between 2016 and 2018. Outcome data collected included induction to delivery time, mode of delivery, complication rates, patient and staff satisfaction. Ninety-nine women were included in our study. Median induction to delivery time was 28.3 h (IQR 19.7–34 h), 20 (20.2%) women required Caesarean section. No relevant complications were recorded. Patients and staff were satisfied with the technique overall.These results show transcervical Foley’s catheter is a safe and effective method of induction of labour in the UK setting. It was shown to be feasible in the outpatient and previous Caesarean section groups.Impact statementWhat is already known on the subject? Foley catheter as an induction agent has already been shown to be as clinically effective as slow release prostaglandins with lower costs.What do the results of this study add? No study has been published on its use for routine inductions in the UK. Our results show that Foley’s catheter is a safe, effective method for inducing labour in the UK.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This suggests this technique should be implemented more widely in the UK.

Differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into Leydig-like cells with molecular compounds

Leydig cells (LCs) play crucial roles in producing testosterone, which is critical in the regulation of male reproduction and development. Low levels of testosterone will lead to male hypogonadism. LC transplantation is a promising alternative therapy for male hypogonadism. However, the source of LCs limits this strategy for clinical applications. Thus far, others have reported that LCs can be derived from stem cells by gene transfection, but the safe and effective induction method has not yet been reported. Here, we report that Leydig-like cells can be derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a novel differentiation protocol based on molecular compounds. The iPSCs-derived Leydig-like cells (iPSC-LCs) acquired testosterone synthesis capabilities, had the similar gene expression profiles with LCs, and positively expressed Leydig cell lineage-specific protein markers LHCGR, STAR, SCARB1, SF-1, CYP11A1, HSD3B1, and HSD17B3 as well as negatively expressed iPSC-specific markers NANOG, OCT4, and SOX2. When iPSC-LCs labeled with lipophilic red dye (PKH26) were transplanted into rat testes that were selectively eliminated endogenous LCs using EDS (75 mg/kg), the transplanted iPSC-LCs could survive and function in the interstitium of testes, and accelerate the recovery of serum testosterone levels and testis weights. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that the iPSCs were able to be differentiated into Leydig-like cells by few defined molecular compounds, which may lay the safer groundwork for further clinical application of iPSC-LCs for hypogonadism.

Agarwood Induction: Current Developments and Future Perspectives.

Agarwood is a resinous part of the non-timber Aquilaria tree, which is a highly valuable product for medicine and fragrance purposes. To protect the endangered Aquilaria species, mass plantation of Aquilaria trees has become a sustainable way in Asian countries to obtain the highly valuable agarwood. As only physiologically triggered Aquilaria tree can produce agarwood, effective induction methods are long sought in the agarwood industry. In this paper, we attempt to provide an overview for the past efforts toward the understanding of agarwood formation, the evolvement of induction methods and their further development prospects by integrating it with high-throughput omics approaches.

Current Practices of Cervical Ripening and Induction of Labour in Intrauterine Foetal Demise: An Observational Study.

Objectives of the current study were to find the most effective method of induction of labour in case of intrauterine foetal death (IUFD), with efficacy described as least induction-to-delivery time, and the agent with the best safety profile, i.e. least maternal complications. This was a prospective observational descriptive study carried out between January and November 2015 in a tertiary care centre. Hundred consecutive cases of IUFD after 20weeks of gestation requiring induction of labour and fulfilling inclusion criteria were selected. The method of induction decided by each consultant was noted, and results were analysed. As this was a purely observational study, all agents used for induction of labour (misoprostol, dinoprostone gel, intracervical Foley catheter) and all dose variations were included. The induction-to-delivery interval was shortest with dinoprostone (12.52h) followed by Foley catheter (13.28h) and misoprostol (15.82h). However, the p value (0.301) was not statistically significant. Misoprostol was used more often in second trimester, while dinoprostone gel was most commonly used in third trimester. Failure occurred in 3 cases; all required lower segment caesarean section (LSCS). No significant complications were associated with any of the methods. Dinoprostone gel, misoprostol and Foley catheter are safe for induction of labour in all cases of IUFD, even for those with previous LSCS with IUFD.

Prime and Target Immunization Protects Against Liver-Stage Malaria

Abstract A highly effective vaccine against malaria is urgently needed, with leading vaccination strategies targeting primarily the pre-erythrocytic liver stages of the Plasmodium falciparum lifecycle. Malaria antigen specific CD8+ T-cells to are known to be protective, with heterologous prime-boost viral vector immunization being an effective method of induction. Non-replicating viral vectored vaccines have shown a remarkable capacity to induce systemic CD8+ T-cell responses in animals and humans. To date, the greatest immunogenicity has been obtained through a heterologous prime boost regimen, where vaccination with an adenoviral vector is followed 8 weeks later by a Modified Vaccinia Ankara virus (MVA) boost. A novel vaccine strategy aimed at priming CD8+ T-cells in the periphery and subsequently targeting them to hepatic tissue with protein loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles or recombinant viral vectors administered by specific immunization routes was developed. Durable Ag-specific CD8+ T-cells exhibiting a phenotype of tissue-resident memory (TRM) T-cells were generated in the liver, with a ten-fold increase over the conventional heterologous vector regime. Importantly, in a P. berghei sporozoite challenge model of liver-stage malaria, this strategy was found to result in unprecedented sterile protection across several clinically relevant antigens and mouse strains. This prime and target immunization strategy for malaria may provide a general approach for prevention or immunotherapy against pathogens that infect the liver.

Differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into steroidogenic cells in vitro.

Although previous studies have shown that stem cells can be differentiated into Leydig cells by gene transfection, a simple, safe and effective induction method has not yet been reported. Therefore, the present study investigated novel methods for the induction of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (HUMSC) differentiation into Leydig-like, steroidogenic cells. HUMSCs were acquired using the tissue block culture attachment method, and the expression of MSC surface markers was evaluated by flow cytometry. Leydig cells were obtained by enzymatic digestion and identified by lineage-specific markers via immunofluorescence. Third-passage HUMSCs were cultured with differentiation-inducing medium (DIM) or Leydig cell-conditioned medium (LC-CM), and HUMSCs before induction were used as the control group. Following the induction of HUMSCs, Leydig cell lineage-specific markers (CYP11A1, CYP17A1 and 3β-HSD) were positively identified using immunofluorescence analysis. Additionally, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were performed to evaluate the expression levels of these genes and enzymes. In contrast, the control group cells did not show the characteristics of Leydig cells. Collectively, these results indicate that, under in vitro conditions, LC-CM can achieve a comparable effect to that of DIM on inducing HUMSCs differentiation into steroidogenic cells.

Experimental and simulation studies on focused ultrasound triggered drug delivery.

To improve drug delivery efficiency in cancer therapy, many researchers have recently concentrated on drug delivery systems that use anticancer drug loaded micro- or nanoparticles. In addition, induction methods, such as ultrasound, magnetic field, and infrared light, have been considered as active induction methods for drug delivery. Among these, focused ultrasound has been regarded as a promising candidate for the active induction method of drug delivery system because it can penetrate a deep site in soft tissue, and its energy can be focused on the targeted lesion. In this research, we employed focused ultrasound as an active induction method. For an anticancer drug loaded microparticles, we fabricated poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid docetaxel (PLGA-DTX) nanoparticle encapsulated alginate microbeads using the single-emulsion technique and the aeration method. To select the appropriate operating parameter for the focused ultrasound, we measured the pressure and temperature induced by the focused ultrasound at the focal area using a needle-type hydrophone and a digital thermal detector, respectively. Additionally, we conducted a simulation of focused ultrasound using COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3a. The experimental measurement results were compared with the simulation results. In addition, the drug release rates of the PLGA-DTX-encapsulated alginate microbeads induced by the focused ultrasound were tested. Through these experiments, we determined that the appropriate focused ultrasound parameter was peak pressure of 1MPa, 10 cycle/burst, and burst period of 20μSec. Finally, we performed the cell cytotoxicity and drug uptake test with focused ultrasound induction and found that the antitumor effect and drug uptake efficiency were significantly enhanced by the focused ultrasound induction. Thus, we confirmed that focused ultrasound can be an effective induction method for an anticancer drug delivery system.

Effect of Colchicine on the Induction of Prunella vulgaris for. albiflora Nakai

This study was conducted to find out the effective induction method of tetraploid plants to obtain potential data for cultivating superior varieties by colchicine treatment. The seed germination were decreased by the higher concentration of colchicine treatment and longer soaking time. A total of 907 individuals were germinated in 16 treated plots except control (untreated plot) and 28 tetraploids were induced which was about 3.1% of the number of seed germinated. The plant regeneration rate by colchicine treatment on explant of Prunella vulgaris for. albiflora Nakai under in vitro culture was decreased with the higher concentration of colchicine. While a total of 312 individuals were regenerated in all treatments, the explant was soaked in more than 0.05% for over 1 hour, tetraploid could be obtained. In particular, for the soaking treatment in 0.05% for 6 hours and 12 hours, 37 tetraploids were induced, which was about 57.8% of the number of plant regenerated. In accordance with the observation on doubling of DNA contents in leaf in order to identify polyploid, the peak DNA content of G1 phase was 101.3 for diploid and 197.2 for tetraploid. The result confirmed the doubling of DNA content. Furthermore, the number of chloroplasts per guard cell depending on polyploid was around 10 in diploid and 19.3 in tetraploid, which was around 1.9 times as much as diploid.

Combination of BMP‐2 and 5‐AZA is advantageous in rat bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells differentiation into cardiomyocytes

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) has a crucial role in the development of cardiogenesis, and is used in inducing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) to differentiate into cardiomyocytes. We have examined a combination of BMP-2 and 5-azacytidine (5-AZA) in inducing these differentiation effects. BMMSCs were collected and purified from bone marrow of 4-week-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by density-gradient centrifugation and differential attachment. The fourth passage subculture of BMMSCs, selected by cytometry for purity and identification, was divided into four groups: a control group, BMP-2 treated, 5-AZA treated, and a combination of BMP-2 and 5-AZA treatment. Expression of cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) and Connexin 43 (CX-43) in BMMSCs after induction were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot. Flow cytometry analysis was used for differentiation rates and apoptosis of induced BMMSCs, through the expression of cardiac Troponin T (cTnT) and Annexin V-FITC & PI kit, respectively. BMP-2 can ameliorate apoptosis of BMMSCs caused by 5-AZA and promote the differentiation of BMMSCs into cardiomyocyte-like cells. Thus a combination of BMP-2 and 5-AZA can significantly improve the cardiac differentiation with fewer cell damage effects, making it a safe and effective method of induction in vitro.

Induction of Functional Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Rabbit Embryonic Stem Cells by Exposure to Severe Hypoxic Conditions

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have the potential to be used as an unlimited cell source for cell transplantation therapy, as well as for studying mechanisms of disease and early mammalian development. However, applications involving ESCs have been limited by the lack of reliable differentiation methods in many cases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have also emerged as a promising cell source, but as suggested in recent studies, these cells display limited potential for proliferation and differentiation, thereby limiting their usefulness in the clinic and in the laboratory. Unfortunately, effective methods for induction of MSCs from pluripotent stem cells have not been established, and the development of such methods remains a major challenge facing stem cell biologists. Oxygen concentration is one of the most important factors regulating tissue development. It has profound effects on cell metabolism and physiology and can strongly influence stem cell fate. Here we demonstrate that severelow O(2) concentrations (1%) can function as a selective pressure for removing undifferentiated pluripotent cells during the induction of MSCs from rabbit ESCs (rESCs) and that MSCs induced under severe hypoxic conditions function as normal MSCs; that is, they repopulate after cloning, express specific markers (vimentin, CD29, CD90, CD105, and CD140a) and differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these cells can contribute to cartilage regeneration in an in vivo rabbit model for joint cartilage injury. These results support the notion that exposing ESCs to severe hypoxic conditions during differentiation can be used as a strategy for the preparation of functional MSCs from ESCs.