scholarly journals High-precision 3D inkjet technology for live cell bioprinting

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Takagi ◽  
Waka Lin ◽  
Takahiko Matsumoto ◽  
Hidekazu Yaginuma ◽  
Natsuko Hemmi ◽  
...  

In recent years, bioprinting has emerged as a promising technology for the construction of three-dimensional (3D) tissues to be used in regenerative medicine or in vitro screening applications. In the present study, we present the development of an inkjet-based bioprinting system to arrange multiple cells and materials precisely into structurally organized constructs. A novel inkjet printhead has been specially designed for live cell ejection. Droplet formation is powered by piezoelectric membrane vibrations coupled with mixing movements to prevent cell sedimentation at the nozzle. Stable drop-on-demand dispensing and cell viability were validated over an adequately long time to allow the fabrication of 3D tissues. Reliable control of cell number and spatial positioning was demonstrated using two separate suspensions with different cell types printed sequentially. Finally, a process for constructing stratified Mille-Feuille-like 3D structures is proposed by alternately superimposing cell suspensions and hydrogel layers with a controlled vertical resolution. The results show that inkjet technology is effective for both two-dimensional patterning and 3D multilayering and has the potential to facilitate the achievement of live cell bioprinting with an unprecedented level of precision.

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makarand V. Risbud ◽  
Erdal Karamuk ◽  
René Moser ◽  
Joerg Mayer

Three-dimensional (3-D) scaffolds offer an exciting possibility to develop cocultures of various cell types. Here we report chitosan–collagen hydrogel-coated fabric scaffolds with defined mesh size and fiber diameter for 3-D culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). These scaffolds did not require pre-coating with fibronectin and they supported proper HUVEC attachment and growth. Scaffolds preserved endothelial cell-specific cobblestone morphology and cells were growing in compartments defined by the textile mesh. HUVECs on the scaffold maintained the property of contact inhibition and did not exhibit overgrowth until the end of in vitro culture (day 6). MTT assay showed that cells had preserved mitochondrial functionality. It was also noted that cell number on the chitosan-coated scaffold was lower than that of collagen-coated scaffolds. Calcein AM and ethidium homodimer (EtD-1) dual staining demonstrated presence of viable and metabolically active cells, indicating growth supportive properties of the scaffolds. Actin labeling revealed absence of actin stress fibers and uniform distribution of F-actin in the cells, indicating their proper attachment to the scaffold matrix. Confocal microscopic studies showed that HUVECs growing on the scaffold had preserved functionality as seen by expression of von Willebrand (vW) factor. Observations also revealed that functional HUVECs were growing at various depths in the hydrogel matrix, thus demonstrating the potential of these scaffolds to support 3-D growth of cells. We foresee the application of this scaffold system in the design of liver bioreactors wherein hepatocytes could be cocultured in parallel with endothelial cells to enhance and preserve liver-specific functions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayra Silva Miranda ◽  
Adrien Breiman ◽  
Sophie Allain ◽  
Florence Deknuydt ◽  
Frederic Altare

One of the main features of the immune response toM. Tuberculosisis the formation of an organized structure called granuloma. It consists mainly in the recruitment at the infectious stage of macrophages, highly differentiated cells such as multinucleated giant cells, epithelioid cells and Foamy cells, all these cells being surrounded by a rim of lymphocytes. Although in the first instance the granuloma acts to constrain the infection, some bacilli can actually survive inside these structures for a long time in a dormant state. For some reasons, which are still unclear, the bacilli will reactivate in 10% of the latently infected individuals, escape the granuloma and spread throughout the body, thus giving rise to clinical disease, and are finally disseminated throughout the environment. In this review we examine the process leading to the formation of the granulomatous structures and the different cell types that have been shown to be part of this inflammatory reaction. We also discuss the differentin vivoandin vitromodels available to study this fascinating immune structure.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuela Monni ◽  
Terenzio Congiu ◽  
Denise Massa ◽  
Roxana Nat ◽  
Andrea Diana

AbstractHuman neurospheres are free-floating spherical clusters generated from a single neural stem cell and comprising cells at different stages of maturation in the neuronal and glial lineages. Although recent findings have disproved the original idea of clonally derived neurospheres according to the paradigm of one stem cell — one neurosphere, they still represent a valid model for growing neural stem cell cultures in vitro. While the immunocytochemical approach to the identification of stem cells, progenitor cells, and mature cells has been extensively used, scant data are available about the ultrastructural arrangement of different cell types within the neurosphere. This paper provides, by means of scanning electron microscopy, some new insights into the three-dimensional assembly of human neurospheres, trying to correlate some parameters such as cell density, shape and growing strategies with the immunolocalization of some antigens such as nestin, GFAP, α-internexin and βIII-tubulin. The major findings from this study are: a) regardless of the stage of in vitro maturation, the growth of the spheres is the result of mitotic divisions producing the aspect of an irregular budding mechanism in the outermost layer look like; b) analysis of the volumetric composition of the inner core has revealed the presence of two alternative shape pattern (pyramidal vs rounded cells) possibly related to both the ongoing maturation stages and GFAP and internexin expression.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Termini ◽  
Enrique Boccardo

In vitro culture of primary or established cell lines is one of the leading techniques in many areas of basic biological research. The use of pure or highly enriched cultures of specific cell types obtained from different tissues and genetics backgrounds has greatly contributed to our current understanding of normal and pathological cellular processes. Cells in culture are easily propagated generating an almost endless source of material for experimentation. Besides, they can be manipulated to achieve gene silencing, gene overexpression and genome editing turning possible the dissection of specific gene functions and signaling pathways. However, monolayer and suspension cultures of cells do not reproduce the cell type diversity, cell-cell contacts, cell-matrix interactions and differentiation pathways typical of the three-dimensional environment of tissues and organs from where they were originated. Therefore, different experimental animal models have been developed and applied to address these and other complex issues in vivo. However, these systems are costly and time consuming. Most importantly the use of animals in scientific research poses moral and ethical concerns facing a steadily increasing opposition from different sectors of the society. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of alternative in vitro experimental models that accurately reproduce the events observed in vivo to reduce the use of animals. Organotypic cultures combine the flexibility of traditional culture systems with the possibility of culturing different cell types in a 3D environment that reproduces both the structure and the physiology of the parental organ. Here we present a summarized description of the use of epithelial organotypic for the study of skin physiology, human papillomavirus biology and associated tumorigenesis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1203
Author(s):  
Lu Qian ◽  
Julia TCW

A high-throughput drug screen identifies potentially promising therapeutics for clinical trials. However, limitations that persist in current disease modeling with limited physiological relevancy of human patients skew drug responses, hamper translation of clinical efficacy, and contribute to high clinical attritions. The emergence of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology revolutionizes the paradigm of drug discovery. In particular, iPSC-based three-dimensional (3D) tissue engineering that appears as a promising vehicle of in vitro disease modeling provides more sophisticated tissue architectures and micro-environmental cues than a traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture. Here we discuss 3D based organoids/spheroids that construct the advanced modeling with evolved structural complexity, which propels drug discovery by exhibiting more human specific and diverse pathologies that are not perceived in 2D or animal models. We will then focus on various central nerve system (CNS) disease modeling using human iPSCs, leading to uncovering disease pathogenesis that guides the development of therapeutic strategies. Finally, we will address new opportunities of iPSC-assisted drug discovery with multi-disciplinary approaches from bioengineering to Omics technology. Despite technological challenges, iPSC-derived cytoarchitectures through interactions of diverse cell types mimic patients’ CNS and serve as a platform for therapeutic development and personalized precision medicine.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3389
Author(s):  
Ishtiaq Ahmed ◽  
Saif Ur Rehman ◽  
Shiva Shahmohamadnejad ◽  
Muhammad Anjum Zia ◽  
Muhammad Ahmad ◽  
...  

In humans, various sites like cannabinoid receptors (CBR) having a binding affinity with cannabinoids are distributed on the surface of different cell types, where endocannabinoids (ECs) and derivatives of fatty acid can bind. The binding of these substance(s) triggers the activation of specific receptors required for various physiological functions, including pain sensation, memory, and appetite. The ECs and CBR perform multiple functions via the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1); cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2), having a key effect in restraining neurotransmitters and the arrangement of cytokines. The role of cannabinoids in the immune system is illustrated because of their immunosuppressive characteristics. These characteristics include inhibition of leucocyte proliferation, T cells apoptosis, and induction of macrophages along with reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion. The review seeks to discuss the functional relationship between the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and anti-tumor characteristics of cannabinoids in various cancers. The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for cancer—both in vivo and in vitro clinical trials—has also been highlighted and reported to be effective in mice models in arthritis for the inflammation reduction, neuropathic pain, positive effect in multiple sclerosis and type-1 diabetes mellitus, and found beneficial for treating in various cancers. In human models, such studies are limited; thereby, further research is indispensable in this field to get a conclusive outcome. Therefore, in autoimmune disorders, therapeutic cannabinoids can serve as promising immunosuppressive and anti-fibrotic agents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 978
Author(s):  
Skadi Lau ◽  
Manfred Gossen ◽  
Andreas Lendlein ◽  
Friedrich Jung

Although cardiovascular devices are mostly implanted in arteries or to replace arteries, in vitro studies on implant endothelialization are commonly performed with human umbilical cord-derived venous endothelial cells (HUVEC). In light of considerable differences, both morphologically and functionally, between arterial and venous endothelial cells, we here compare HUVEC and human umbilical cord-derived arterial endothelial cells (HUAEC) regarding their equivalence as an endothelial cell in vitro model for cardiovascular research. No differences were found in either for the tested parameters. The metabolic activity and lactate dehydrogenase, an indicator for the membrane integrity, slightly decreased over seven days of cultivation upon normalization to the cell number. The amount of secreted nitrite and nitrate, as well as prostacyclin per cell, also decreased slightly over time. Thromboxane B2 was secreted in constant amounts per cell at all time points. The Von Willebrand factor remained mainly intracellularly up to seven days of cultivation. In contrast, collagen and laminin were secreted into the extracellular space with increasing cell density. Based on these results one might argue that both cell types are equally suited for cardiovascular research. However, future studies should investigate further cell functionalities, and whether arterial endothelial cells from implantation-relevant areas, such as coronary arteries in the heart, are superior to umbilical cord-derived endothelial cells.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 20140006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Lewalle ◽  
Marco Fritzsche ◽  
Kerry Wilson ◽  
Richard Thorogate ◽  
Tom Duke ◽  
...  

The integration of protein function studied in vitro in a dynamic system like the cell lamellipodium remains a significant challenge. One reason is the apparent contradictory effect that perturbations of some proteins can have on the overall lamellipodium dynamics, depending on exact conditions. Theoretical modelling offers one approach for understanding the balance between the mechanisms that drive and regulate actin network growth and decay. Most models use a ‘bottom-up’ approach, involving explicitly assembling biochemical components to simulate observable behaviour. Their correctness therefore relies on both the accurate characterization of all the components and the completeness of the relevant processes involved. To avoid potential pitfalls due to this uncertainty, we used an alternative ‘top-down’ approach, in which measurable features of lamellipodium behaviour, here observed in two different cell types (HL60 and B16-F1), directly inform the development of a simple phenomenological model of lamellipodium dynamics. We show that the kinetics of F-actin association and dissociation scales with the local F-actin density, with no explicit location dependence. This justifies the use of a simplified kinetic model of lamellipodium dynamics that yields predictions testable by pharmacological or genetic intervention. A length-scale parameter (the lamellipodium width) emerges from this analysis as an experimentally accessible probe of network regulatory processes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (6) ◽  
pp. E952-E963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yueshui Zhao ◽  
Xue Gu ◽  
Ningyan Zhang ◽  
Mikhail G. Kolonin ◽  
Zhiqiang An ◽  
...  

Endotrophin is a cleavage product of collagen 6 (Col6) in adipose tissue (AT). Previously, we demonstrated that endotrophin serves as a costimulator to trigger fibrosis and inflammation within the unhealthy AT milieu. However, how endotrophin affects lipid storage and breakdown in AT and how different cell types in AT respond to endotrophin stimulation remain unknown. In the current study, by using a doxycycline-inducible mouse model, we observed significant upregulation of adipogenic genes in the white AT (WAT) of endotrophin transgenic mice. We further showed that the mice exhibited inhibited lipolysis and accelerated hypertrophy and hyperplasia in WAT. To investigate the effects of endotrophin in vitro, we incubated different cell types from AT with conditioned medium from endotrophin-overexpressing 293T cells. We found that endotrophin activated multiple pathological pathways in different cell types. Particularly in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, endotrophin triggered a fibrotic program by upregulating collagen genes and promoted abnormal lipid accumulation by downregulating hormone-sensitive lipolysis gene and decreasing HSL phosphorylation levels. In macrophages isolated from WAT, endotrophin stimulated higher expression of the collagen-linking enzyme lysyl oxidase and M1 proinflammatory marker genes. In the stromal vascular fraction isolated from WAT, endotrophin induced upregulation of both profibrotic and proinflammatory genes. In conclusion, our study provides a new perspective on the effect of endotrophin in abnormal lipid accumulation and a mechanistic insight into the roles played by adipocytes and a variety of other cell types in AT in shaping the unhealthy microenvironment upon endotrophin treatment.


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