scholarly journals Challenges in corneal endothelial cell culture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rintra Wongvisavavit ◽  
Mohit Parekh ◽  
Sajjad Ahmad ◽  
Julie T Daniels

Corneal endothelial cells (CECs) facilitate the function of maintaining the transparency of the cornea. Damage or dysfunction of CECs can lead to blindness, and the primary treatment is corneal transplantation. However, the shortage of cornea donors is a significant problem worldwide. Thus, cultured CEC therapy has been proposed and found to be a promising approach to overcome the lack of tissue supply. Unfortunately, CECs in humans rarely proliferate in vivo and, therefore, can be extremely challenging to culture in vitro. Several promising cell isolation and culture techniques have been proposed. Multiple factors affecting the success of cell expansion including donor characteristics, preservation and isolation methods, plating density, media preparation, trans-differentiation and biomarkers have been evaluated. However, there is no consensus on standard technique for CEC culture. This review aimed to determine the challenges and investigate potential options that would facilitate the standardization of CEC culture for research and therapeutic application.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7202
Author(s):  
Tamara Bruna ◽  
Francisca Maldonado-Bravo ◽  
Paul Jara ◽  
Nelson Caro

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been imposed as an excellent antimicrobial agent being able to combat bacteria in vitro and in vivo causing infections. The antibacterial capacity of AgNPs covers Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including multidrug resistant strains. AgNPs exhibit multiple and simultaneous mechanisms of action and in combination with antibacterial agents as organic compounds or antibiotics it has shown synergistic effect against pathogens bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The characteristics of silver nanoparticles make them suitable for their application in medical and healthcare products where they may treat infections or prevent them efficiently. With the urgent need for new efficient antibacterial agents, this review aims to establish factors affecting antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of silver nanoparticles, as well as to expose the advantages of using AgNPs as new antibacterial agents in combination with antibiotic, which will reduce the dosage needed and prevent secondary effects associated to both.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Etsuo Niki

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have been implicated in the onset and progression of various diseases and the role of antioxidants in the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases has received much attention. The action and effect of antioxidants have been studied extensively under different reaction conditions in multiple media. The antioxidant effects are determined by many factors. This review aims to discuss several important issues that should be considered for determination of experimental conditions and interpretation of experimental results in order to understand the beneficial effects and limit of antioxidants against detrimental oxidation of biological molecules. Emphasis was laid on cell culture experiments and effects of diversity of multiple oxidants on antioxidant efficacy.


1963 ◽  
Vol 204 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. S. Ruliffson ◽  
J. M. Hopping

The effects in rats, of age, iron-deficiency anemia, and ascorbic acid, citrate, fluoride, and ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) on enteric radioiron transport were studied in vitro by an everted gut-sac technique. Sacs from young animals transported more than those from older ones. Proximal jejunal sacs from anemic animals transported more than similar sacs from nonanemic rats, but the reverse effect appeared in sacs formed from proximal duodenum. When added to media containing ascorbic acid or citrate, fluoride depressed transport as did anaerobic incubation in the presence of ascorbic acid. Anaerobic incubation in the presence of EDTA appeared to permit elevated transport. Ascorbic acid, citrate, and EDTA all enhanced the level of Fe59 appearing in serosal media. These results appear to agree with previously established in vivo phenomena and tend to validate the in vitro method as one of promise for further studies of factors affecting iron absorption and of the mechanism of iron absorption.


Development ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-92
Author(s):  
Rosita Smith ◽  
Anne McLaren

In normal mouse embryos developing in vivo, the first appearance of the blastocyst cavity was found to be associated more closely with developmental age, judged by cell number, than with chronological age, i.e. elapsed time since ovulation. When development was slowed by in vitro culture, formation of the blastocoele was delayed. However, cell number itself was not a critical factor, since the number of cells per embryo could be doubled or tripled or halved by experimental manipulation without substantially affecting the timing of blastocoele formation. Experiments in which one cell division was suppressed with cytochalasin-B, leading to tetraploidy, showed that the number of cell divisions since fertilization was also not critical. A possible role is suggested either for nucleocytoplasmic ratio, or for the number of nuclear or chromosomal divisions or DNA replications since fertilization, all of which increase during cleavage.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiwen Tian ◽  
Shumei Lin ◽  
Jing Wu ◽  
Ming Ma ◽  
Jian Yu ◽  
...  

Abstract Corneal transplantation rejection remains a major threat to the success rate in high-risk patients. Given the many side effects presented by traditional immunosuppressants, there is an urgency to clarify the mechanism of corneal transplantation rejection and to identify new therapeutic targets. Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid that has been proven in various studies to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and neuroprotective properties. However, the relationship between kaempferol and corneal transplantation remains largely unexplored. To address this, both in vivo and in vitro, we established a model of corneal allograft transplantation in Wistar rats and an LPS-induced inflammatory model in THP-1 derived human macrophages. In the transplantation experiments, we observed an enhancement in the NLRP3 / IL-1 β axis and in M1 macrophage polarization post-operation. In groups to which kaempferol intraperitoneal injections were administered, this response was effectively reduced. However, the effect of kaempferol was reversed after the application of autophagy inhibitors. Similarly, in the inflammatory model, we found that different concentrations of kaempferol can reduce the LPS-induced M1 polarization and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Moreover, we confirmed that kaempferol induced autophagy and that autophagy inhibitors reversed the effect in macrophages. In conclusion, we found that kaempferol can inhibit the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasomes by inducing autophagy, thus inhibiting macrophage polarization, and ultimately alleviating corneal transplantation rejection. Thus, our study suggests that kaempferol could be used as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of allograft rejection.


Ultrasound ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1742271X2095319
Author(s):  
Stephanie F Smith ◽  
Piero Miloro ◽  
Richard Axell ◽  
Gail ter Haar ◽  
Christoph Lees

Introduction The quantification of heating effects during exposure to ultrasound is usually based on laboratory experiments in water and is assessed using extrapolated parameters such as the thermal index. In our study, we have measured the temperature increase directly in a simulator of the maternal–fetal environment, the ‘ISUOG Phantom’, using clinically relevant ultrasound scanners, transducers and exposure conditions. Methods The study was carried out using an instrumented phantom designed to represent the pregnant maternal abdomen and which enabled temperature recordings at positions in tissue mimics which represented the skin surface, sub-surface, amniotic fluid and fetal bone interface. We tested four different transducers on a commercial diagnostic scanner. The effects of scan duration, presence of a circulating fluid, pre-set and power were recorded. Results The highest temperature increase was always at the transducer–skin interface, where temperature increases between 1.4°C and 9.5°C were observed; lower temperature rises, between 0.1°C and 1.0°C, were observed deeper in tissue and at the bone interface. Doppler modes generated the highest temperature increases. Most of the heating occurred in the first 3 minutes of exposure, with the presence of a circulating fluid having a limited effect. The power setting affected the maximum temperature increase proportionally, with peak temperature increasing from 4.3°C to 6.7°C when power was increased from 63% to 100%. Conclusions Although this phantom provides a crude mimic of the in vivo conditions, the overall results showed good repeatability and agreement with previously published experiments. All studies showed that the temperature rises observed fell within the recommendations of international regulatory bodies. However, it is important that the operator should be aware of factors affecting the temperature increase.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeetindra R. A. Balak ◽  
Juri Juksar ◽  
Françoise Carlotti ◽  
Antonio Lo Nigro ◽  
Eelco J. P. de Koning

Abstract Purpose of Review Novel 3D organoid culture techniques have enabled long-term expansion of pancreatic tissue. This review comprehensively summarizes and evaluates the applications of primary tissue–derived pancreatic organoids in regenerative studies, disease modelling, and personalized medicine. Recent Findings Organoids derived from human fetal and adult pancreatic tissue have been used to study pancreas development and repair. Generated adult human pancreatic organoids harbor the capacity for clonal expansion and endocrine cell formation. In addition, organoids have been generated from human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in order to study tumor behavior and assess drug responses. Summary Pancreatic organoids constitute an important translational bridge between in vitro and in vivo models, enhancing our understanding of pancreatic cell biology. Current applications for pancreatic organoid technology include studies on tissue regeneration, disease modelling, and drug screening.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (4) ◽  
pp. C822-C833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna E. Rys-Sikora ◽  
Raymond L. Konger ◽  
John W. Schoggins ◽  
Rama Malaviya ◽  
Alice P. Pentland

PGE2 levels are altered in human epidermis after in vivo wounding; however, mechanisms modulating PGE2 production in activated keratinocytes are unclear. In previous studies, we showed that PGE2 is a growth-promoting autacoid in human primary keratinocyte cultures, and its production is modulated by plating density, suggesting that regulated PGE2 synthesis is an important component of wound healing. Here, we examine the role of phospholipase A2(PLA2) and cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes in modulation of PGE2 production. We report that the increased PGE2 production that occurs in keratinocytes grown in nonconfluent conditions is also observed after in vitro wounding, indicating that similar mechanisms are involved. This increase was associated with coordinate upregulation of both COX-2 and secretory PLA2 (sPLA2) proteins. Increased sPLA2 activity was also observed. By RT-PCR, we identified the presence of type IIA and type V sPLA2, along with the M-type sPLA2 receptor. Thus the coordinate expression of sPLA2 and COX-2 may be responsible for the increased prostaglandin synthesis in activated keratinocytes during wound repair.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1186
Author(s):  
Bárbara Pinto ◽  
Ana C. Henriques ◽  
Patrícia M. A. Silva ◽  
Hassan Bousbaa

Most cancer biologists still rely on conventional two-dimensional (2D) monolayer culture techniques to test in vitro anti-tumor drugs prior to in vivo testing. However, the vast majority of promising preclinical drugs have no or weak efficacy in real patients with tumors, thereby delaying the discovery of successful therapeutics. This is because 2D culture lacks cell–cell contacts and natural tumor microenvironment, important in tumor signaling and drug response, thereby resulting in a reduced malignant phenotype compared to the real tumor. In this sense, three-dimensional (3D) cultures of cancer cells that better recapitulate in vivo cell environments emerged as scientifically accurate and low cost cancer models for preclinical screening and testing of new drug candidates before moving to expensive and time-consuming animal models. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of 3D tumor systems and highlight the strategies for spheroid construction and evaluation tools of targeted therapies, focusing on their applicability in cancer research. Examples of the applicability of 3D culture for the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of nanomedicines are discussed.


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