Transwell Insert-Embedded Microfluidic Devices for Time-Lapse Monitoring of Alveolar Epithelium Barrier Function under Various Stimulations

This paper reports a transwell insert-embedded microfluidic device capable of culturing cells at an air-liquid interface (ALI), mimicking the in vivo alveolar epithelium microenvironment. Integration of a commercially available transwell insert makes the device fabrication straightforward and eliminates the tedious device assembly processes. The transwell insert can later be detached from the device for high-resolution imaging of the cells. In the experiments, the cells showing type-I pneumocyte markers are exploited to construct an in vitro alveolar epithelium model, and four culture conditions including conventional liquid/liquid culture (LLC) and air–liquid interface (ALI) cell culture in normal growth medium, and ALI cell culture with inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α) stimulation and ethanol vapor exposure are applied to investigate their effects on the alveolar epithelium barrier function. The barrier permeability is time-lapse monitored using trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurement and immunofluorescence staining of the tight junction protein (ZO-1). The results demonstrate the functionalities of the device, and further show the applications and advantages of the constructed in vitro cell models for the lung studies.

Cilostazol improves hyperglycemia-induced impaired vasculo-angiogenesis through stimulating adiponectin/adiponectin receptor 1/Sirtuin 1 signaling pathway

Background Cilostazol is an antiplatelet agent with vasodilating effect working through increasing intracellular concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP). We and others have previously found that cilostazol has a favorable effect on vasculo-angiogenesis. However, there is no study to evaluate the effect of cilostazol on adiponectin and its receptors. Purpose This study investigated the effects of cilostazol on adiponectin/adiponectin receptors and Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1)/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway for preventing high glucose (HG)-induced impaired vasculo-angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Methods and results Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), seeded onto Transwell insert, and human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs), seeded onto 6-well plate at lower level, were co-cultured in HG condition (25 mM). Adiponectin concentrations in the supernatant of 6-welll-plate and Transwell insert were significantly higher when HASMCs were treated with cilostazol in a dose-response manner but not significantly changed when only HUVECs were treated with cilostazol. HG downregulated protein expression of adiponectin receptor-1 (adipoR1), adipoR2, and Sirt1 and phosphorylation of AMPKα1, whereas cilostazol treatment restored expression of adipoR1 and Sirt1 proteins and upregulated phosphorylation of AMPKα1 in HUVECs treated with HG but not adipoR2. The stimulating effect of cilostazol on AMPKα1 or Sirt1 was attenuated with Sirt1 or AMPKα1 gene knockdown, respectively. By using gene knockdown of adiponectin receptors or AMPKα1, or treatment of the Sirt1 inhibitor, our data showed that cilostazol prevented apoptosis, and stimulated proliferation, chemotactic motility and capillary-like tube formation in HG-treated HUVECs through adipoR1, AMPK, and Sirt1 signaling pathway but not adipoR2. Fifteen-week-old male ICR hyperglycemic mice, induced by streptozosin injection and high cholesterol diet feeding, were treated intraperitoneally with cilostazol (10 mg/kg) 2 times per day since day 1 to day 7 after hindlimb ischemia. Recovery of blood flow ratio (ipsilateral/contralateral) in the ischemic hindlimb 14–21 days after surgery and circulating CD34+CD45dim cells were significantly attenuated by adipoR1 knockdown but not adipoR2. Capillary density in the ischemic muscles was significantly lower in both adipoR1- and adipoR2-knockdown mice. Expression of Sirt1 as well as phosphorylation of AMPKα1/acetyl-CoA carboxylase and Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase in ischemic muscles were significantly attenuated by gene knockdown of adipoR1 or adipoR2. Conclusions Our data suggest that cilostazol prevents high glucose-induced endothelial dysfunction in vascular endothelial cells as well as enhances vasculo-angiogenesis in hyperglycemic mice by upregulation of adiponectin/adipoR2 and its downstream signaling molecules, Sirt1/AMPK. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): The Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, Taiwan; The Ministry of Science and Technology, Executive Yuan, Taiwan

One-step fabrication of a tunable nanofibrous well insert via electrolyte-assisted electrospinning

One-step fabrication process of a nanofibrous well insert is developed. Both fabrication and integration of the nanofiber membrane on a Transwell insert could be achieved by adopting electrolyte-assisted electrospinning.

Protection of CML Progenitors from Bcr-Abl Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Mediated Apoptosis by the Bone Marrow Stromal Microenvironment.

The therapeutic success of imatinib mesylate (IM) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is impaired by persistence of malignant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC). The bone marrow microenvironment regulates the self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation of HSPC. We investigated the role of microenvironmental interactions in resistance of CML HSPC to elimination by BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). CML CD34+CD38− primitive progenitor cells and CD34+CD38+ committed progenitor cells were cultured for 96 hours with IM (5μM), nilotinib (5μM) and dasatinib(150nM), in medium supplemented with low concentrations of growth factors, with and without irradiated primary human marrow stromal cells (immortalized by ectopic telomerase expression) followed by an assessment of apoptosis and proliferation. Culture with stroma did not result in significant alteration of apoptosis in the absence of TKI treatment (3.1±0.7% apoptosis for primitive progenitors with stroma and 2.7±0.9% without stroma, 3.7±0.2% for committed progenitors with stroma and 4.7±2.1% without stroma). Coculture with stroma completely protected CML primitive and committed progenitors from TKI-induced apoptosis. CML CD34+CD38− cells demonstrated 20±6% apoptosis following culture with IM in the absence of stroma, but only 3.8±1% apoptosis in the presence of stroma (p=0.04, n=4). Similarly, apoptosis with nilotinib decreased from 12.5±1.8% without stroma to 2.9±0.3% with stroma (p=0.033), and apoptosis with dasatinib decreased from 7.1±0.04% without stroma to 2.7±0.2% with stroma (p=0.001). Apoptosis of CML CD34+CD38+ cells also significantly decreased following TKI treatment with 12.9±4.0%, 10.6±3.2%, 8.4±2.3% apoptosis observed after IM, nilotinib and dasatinib treatment respectively without stroma and 7.1±1.2%, 4.8±1.0%, 3.7±0.4% with stroma, (p=0.04, p=0.03 and p=0.02 respectively, n=4). Culture with stroma resulted in mild reduction in CML progenitor proliferation in the absence of TKI treatment, but TKI treatment resulted in similar degrees of inhibition of proliferation regardless of the presence of stroma. Culture of CML CD34+ cells in a Transwell insert with 0.45μm pores, allowing free diffusion of stromal factors but preventing direct contact with stroma, was associated with reduction in the protective effect of stroma coculture (32.2% apoptosis without stroma, 14.7% with stroma, and 24.6% with Transwell insert). Addition of blocking antibodies to a4 integrin and N-cadherin did not affect survival of CML CD34+ cells in the absence of IM, but resulted in enhanced apoptosis of CML CD34+ cells cocultured with stroma after addition of IM (20.4% apoptosis without antibody, 28.9% with anti-N-cadherin, and 29.8% with anti-integrin antibody). We conclude that the bone marrow stromal microenvironment protects CML primitive and committed progenitors from pro-apoptotic effects of BCR-ABL TKI treatment. Direct contact-mediated interactions, likely through VLA-4 and N-Cadherin, play an important role in protecting CML CD34+ cells from TKI-mediated apoptosis. These observations indicate that measures aimed at interfering with the protective effects of stroma could be of benefit for the eradication of residual malignant progenitors in CML patients receiving BCR-ABL TKI treatment.