scholarly journals In vitro 3D Spheroid Culture Developed on the Parafilm Surface Using HEK-293 Cells

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-227
Author(s):  
Erdal Eroğlu

Preclinical research to predict the effects of drugs and chemicals on humans is commonly carried out either by cell culture studies in vitro condition or on animals in vivo condition. While drug studies tested on cells cultured as a monolayer in plastic flasks are incompatible with realistic results, falsifying findings can also be achieved from in vivo studies performed on different species. In recent years, research on drug tests using spheroid cultures formed by growing cells in three-dimensional (3D) in vitro has attracted great interest. 3D spheroid structures are formed by growing the cells in a drop suspended on superhydrophobic surfaces. In this study, HEK-293 cells were investigated on parafilm surfaces displaying superhydrophobic properties by growing in 2 µl volume using hanging drop culture method in terms of spheroid formation. Light microscopy images from spheroid structures were taken on different incubation days and the area of spheroids was measured using the ImageJ program. Our study holds important findings for a chip platform that can be developed for use in vitro drug tests.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Neelima ◽  
P. Dwarakanadha Reddy ◽  
Chandra Sekhar Kothapalli Bannoth

Abstract Background Paracetamol (PCM), being extensively adapted analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug all over the world, beyond therapeutic dosages, the oxidative stress-involved nephrotoxicity has been evidenced. However, herbal plants are the windfall for the humankind providing solution for most of the wellness breakdowns. Annona squamosa (AS) is one of such plants with enormous therapeutic and nutraceutical potencies. The main aspiration of the current investigation is to evaluate the nephroprotective ability of ethanolic extract of Annona squamosa (EEAS) leaves against paracetamol-induced nephrotoxicity using in vitro human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells and in vivo experiments in Wistar rats through biochemical parameters, oxidative parameters, and histopathological findings. Results When HEK-293 cells were incubated with PCM, an increased cell death associated with alterations in the morphology of normal cells was observed. At variable concentrations, HEK-293 cells co-treated with PCM and EEAS extracts gave a significant improvement in cell growth on comparing with PCM treatment showing cytoprotective feature of EEAS with an IC50 28.75 μg/mL. In vivo nephroprotective property was assessed from the amount of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) along with creatinine and uric acid which were reduced (P < 0.001) within serum and compact levels of glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase which were termed as GSH, CAT, and SOD, respectively, were increased (P < 0.001) in kidney tissue homogenate in the treated groups than the PCM alone group. Results were additionally supported by histopathological observations. Conclusion The results exhibited that EEAS has impending benefits against PCM-induced nephrotoxicity through in vitro and in vivo experiments.


2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 314
Author(s):  
K. C. S. Tavares ◽  
C. Feltrin ◽  
I. S. Carneiro ◽  
A. S. Morais ◽  
C. D. Medeiros ◽  
...  

Glucocerebrosidase is a lysosomal enzyme that plays a key role in sphingolipid cleavage, an intermediate in glycolipid metabolism. A recessive mutation in the glucocerebrosidase gene leads to the accumulation of glucosylceramide in macrophages (sphingolipidosis), a lysosomal storage disease known in humans as the Gaucher disease. The enzyme replacement treatment with recombinant human glucocerebrosidase (hGCase) dramatically reduces and reverses symptoms, with the need of lifelong treatment for patients to attain a normal life. Currently, hGCase is very costly, being produced through in vitro expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells or in vivo, in plants. The aim of this study was to develop a model for the production of hGCase in the mammary gland of rats transiently transduced with recombinant adenovirus. A replication-defective adenovirus carrying hGCase was generated using the AdEasy™ adenoviral vector system (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA, USA). The hGCase cDNA (NM_001005741) was in vitro-synthesized and ligated in the XhoI site of the pAdTrack-CMV vector (pAdT-hGCase). The resulting plasmid was recombined with the pAdEasy™ vector in BJ5183 electro-competent cells. The purified pAdE-pAdT-hGCase vector was linearized and transfected into HEK-293 cells for the production of a primary viral stock. Further amplifications and the titration assay were done in HEK-293 cells, monitoring the transduction by the qualitative evaluation of green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression. Following transfection, the HEK-293 cells increasingly expressed the GFP reporter, regulated by a CMV promoter, in tandem with the hGCase cDNA, under another CMV promoter. On Day 18 of gestation, a female rat (Rattus norvegicus) was anesthetized and the 2 left caudal mammary glands were infused with 109 GTU mL–1 of the pAdE-pAdT-hGCase in PBS solution supplemented with 36 mM EGTA. The 2 right caudal mammary glands were infused only with PBS-EGTA (control milk). Milk samples collected from Days 2 through 9 post-partum were mixed with separation buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0; 10 mM CaCl2) and centrifuged, with the supernatant assayed for hGCase by Western blot using a monoclonal anti-human glucocerebrosidase antibody (sc-166407, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA). Relative quantification of the hGCase expression was done using the FluorChem FC2 system (Alpha Innotech, San Leandro, CA, USA), with hGCase band intensity being normalized against GAPDH expression. The in vivo expression assay confirmed the production of hGCase in the secreted portion of the rat milk, with a specific band between 50 to 60 kDa observed on the Western blot, and no detection of the protein in the control milk. The hGCase peak production occurred in Days 5 and 6 of lactation, with levels being 35 times greater than on Day 9. An ELISA quantification assay and an enzymatic activity assay for the recombinant hGCase are currently in development. In conclusion, the use of the rat for hGCase transient expression in the milk was proven a valid model for testing the potential use of a mammary gland expression system for the production of a functional human glucocerebrosidase protein.


2000 ◽  
Vol 351 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita SLAABY ◽  
Guangwei DU ◽  
Yelena M. ALTSHULLER ◽  
Michael A. FROHMAN ◽  
Klaus SEEDORF

Phospholipase D (PLD)1 is quiescent in vitro and in vivo until stimulated by classical protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, ADP-ribosylation factor or Rho family members. By contrast, PLD2 has high basal activity, and the mechanisms involved in agonist-induced activation of PLD2 are poorly understood. Using transiently transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells as a model system, we report in the present study that PLD2 overexpressed in HEK-293 cells exhibits regulatory properties similar to PLD1 when stimulated in response to insulin and phorbol ester. Co-expression of PLD1 or PLD2 with PKCα results in constitutive activation of both PLD isoforms, which cannot be further stimulated by insulin. Co-expression of PLD1 with phospholipase C (PLC)γ has the same effect, while co-expression of PLD2 with PLCγ allows PLD2 activity to be stimulated in an insulin-dependent manner. The PKC-specific inhibitors bisindolylmaleimide and Gö 6976 abolish insulin-induced PLD2 activation in HEK-293 cells co-expressing the insulin receptor, PLCγ and PLD2, confirming that not only PLD1, but PLD2 as well, is regulated in a PKC-dependent manner. Finally, we provide evidence that PKCα is constitutively associated with PLD2. In summary, we demonstrate that insulin treatment results in activation of both PLD1 and PLD2 in appropriate cell types when the appropriate upstream intermediate signalling components, i.e. PKCα and PLCγ, are expressed at sufficient levels.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3207
Author(s):  
Kumaresan Sakthiabirami ◽  
Vaiyapuri Soundharrajan ◽  
Jin-Ho Kang ◽  
Yunzhi Peter Yang ◽  
Sang-Won Park

The design of zirconia-based scaffolds using conventional techniques for bone-regeneration applications has been studied extensively. Similar to dental applications, the use of three-dimensional (3D) zirconia-based ceramics for bone tissue engineering (BTE) has recently attracted considerable attention because of their high mechanical strength and biocompatibility. However, techniques to fabricate zirconia-based scaffolds for bone regeneration are in a stage of infancy. Hence, the biological activities of zirconia-based ceramics for bone-regeneration applications have not been fully investigated, in contrast to the well-established calcium phosphate-based ceramics for bone-regeneration applications. This paper outlines recent research developments and challenges concerning numerous three-dimensional (3D) zirconia-based scaffolds and reviews the associated fundamental fabrication techniques, key 3D fabrication developments and practical encounters to identify the optimal 3D fabrication technique for obtaining 3D zirconia-based scaffolds suitable for real-world applications. This review mainly summarized the articles that focused on in vitro and in vivo studies along with the fundamental mechanical characterizations on the 3D zirconia-based scaffolds.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3088
Author(s):  
Mariana Matias ◽  
Jacinta O. Pinho ◽  
Maria João Penetra ◽  
Gonçalo Campos ◽  
Catarina Pinto Reis ◽  
...  

Melanoma is recognized as the most dangerous type of skin cancer, with high mortality and resistance to currently used treatments. To overcome the limitations of the available therapeutic options, the discovery and development of new, more effective, and safer therapies is required. In this review, the different research steps involved in the process of antimelanoma drug evaluation and selection are explored, including information regarding in silico, in vitro, and in vivo experiments, as well as clinical trial phases. Details are given about the most used cell lines and assays to perform both two- and three-dimensional in vitro screening of drug candidates towards melanoma. For in vivo studies, murine models are, undoubtedly, the most widely used for assessing the therapeutic potential of new compounds and to study the underlying mechanisms of action. Here, the main melanoma murine models are described as well as other animal species. A section is dedicated to ongoing clinical studies, demonstrating the wide interest and successful efforts devoted to melanoma therapy, in particular at advanced stages of the disease, and a final section includes some considerations regarding approval for marketing by regulatory agencies. Overall, considerable commitment is being directed to the continuous development of optimized experimental models, important for the understanding of melanoma biology and for the evaluation and validation of novel therapeutic strategies.


2001 ◽  
Vol 354 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodor CHITLARU ◽  
Chanoch KRONMAN ◽  
Baruch VELAN ◽  
Avigdor SHAFFERMAN

Sialylated recombinant human acetylcholinesterase (rHuAChE), produced by stably transfected cells, is composed of a mixed population of monomers, dimers and tetramers and manifests a time-dependent circulatory enrichment of the higher-order oligomeric forms. To investigate this phenomenon further, homogeneous preparations of rHuAChE differing in their oligomerization statuses were generated: (1) monomers, represented by the oligomerization-impaired C580A-rHuAChE mutant, (2) wild-type (WT) dimers and (3) tetramers of WT-rHuAChE generated in vitro by complexation with a synthetic ColQ-derived proline-rich attachment domain (‘PRAD’) peptide. Three different series of each of these three oligoform preparations were produced: (1) partly sialylated, derived from HEK-293 cells; (2) fully sialylated, derived from engineered HEK-293 cells expressing high levels of sialyltransferase; and (3) desialylated, after treatment with sialidase to remove sialic acid termini quantitatively. The oligosaccharides associated with each of the various preparations were extensively analysed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight MS. With the enzyme preparations comprising the fully sialylated series, a clear linear relationship between oligomerization and circulatory mean residence time (MRT) was observed. Thus monomers, dimers and tetramers exhibited MRTs of 110, 195 and 740min respectively. As the level of sialylation decreased, this differential behaviour became less pronounced; eventually, after desialylation all oligoforms had the same MRT (5min). These observations suggest that multiple removal systems contribute to the elimination of AChE from the circulation. Here we also demonstrate that by the combined modulation of sialylation and tetramerization it is possible to generate a rHuAChE displaying a circulatory residence exceeding that of all other known forms of native or recombinant human AChE.


2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 2607-2619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Horzempa ◽  
Dawn M. O'Dee ◽  
Robert M. Q. Shanks ◽  
Gerard J. Nau

ABSTRACT The pathogenesis of Francisella tularensis has been associated with this bacterium's ability to replicate within macrophages. F. tularensis can also invade and replicate in a variety of nonphagocytic host cells, including lung and kidney epithelial cells and hepatocytes. As uracil biosynthesis is a central metabolic pathway usually necessary for pathogens, we characterized ΔpyrF mutants of both F. tularensis LVS and Schu S4 to investigate the role of these mutants in intracellular growth. As expected, these mutant strains were deficient in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis and were resistant to 5-fluoroorotic acid, which is converted to a toxic product by functional PyrF. The F. tularensis ΔpyrF mutants could not replicate in primary human macrophages. The inability to replicate in macrophages suggested that the F. tularensis ΔpyrF strains would be attenuated in animal infection models. Surprisingly, these mutants retained virulence during infection of chicken embryos and in the murine model of pneumonic tularemia. We hypothesized that the F. tularensis ΔpyrF strains may replicate in cells other than macrophages to account for their virulence. In support of this, F. tularensis ΔpyrF mutants replicated in HEK-293 cells and normal human fibroblasts in vitro. Moreover, immunofluorescence microscopy showed abundant staining of wild-type and mutant bacteria in nonmacrophage cells in the lungs of infected mice. These findings indicate that replication in nonmacrophages contributes to the pathogenesis of F. tularensis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 1492-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. McConnell ◽  
Sanjay Dhar ◽  
Sanjay Naran ◽  
Thang Nguyen ◽  
Ralph A. Bradshaw ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 382 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josipa Vlainić ◽  
Maja Jazvinšćak Jembrek ◽  
Dubravka Švob Štrac ◽  
Danka Peričić

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