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Walsh CM, Wychowaniec JK, Costello L, Brougham DF, Dooley D. An In Vitro and Ex Vivo Analysis of the Potential of GelMA Hydrogels as a Therapeutic Platform for Preclinical Spinal Cord Injury. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2300951. [PMID: 37114899 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202300951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with no curative therapy currently available. Immunomodulation can be applied as a therapeutic strategy to drive alternative immune cell activation and promote a proregenerative injury microenvironment. Locally injected hydrogels carrying immunotherapeutic cargo directly to injured tissue offer an encouraging treatment approach from an immunopharmacological perspective. Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels are promising in this regard, however, detailed analysis on the immunogenicity of GelMA in the specific context of the SCI microenvironment is lacking. Here, the immunogenicity of GelMA hydrogels formulated with a translationally relevant photoinitiator is analyzed in vitro and ex vivo. 3% (w/v) GelMA, synthesized from gelatin type-A, is first identified as the optimal hydrogel formulation based on mechanical properties and cytocompatibility. Additionally, 3% GelMA-A does not alter the expression profile of key polarization markers in BV2 microglia or RAW264.7 macrophages after 48 h. Finally, it is shown for the first time that 3% GelMA-A can support the ex vivo culture of primary murine organotypic spinal cord slices for 14 days with no direct effect on glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP+ ) astrocyte or ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1+ ) microglia reactivity. This provides evidence that GelMA hydrogels can act as an immunotherapeutic hydrogel-based platform for preclinical SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciara M Walsh
- School of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Jacek K Wychowaniec
- School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- AO Research Institute Davos, Clavadelerstrasse 8, Davos, 7270, Switzerland
| | - Louise Costello
- School of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Dermot F Brougham
- School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Dearbhaile Dooley
- School of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
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Patil V, Bohara R, Krishna Kanala V, McMahon S, Pandit A. Models and approaches to comprehend and address glial inflammation following spinal cord injury. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103722. [PMID: 37482236 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) culminates in chronic inflammation and glial scar formation driven by the activation of microglia and astrocytes. Current anti-inflammatory strategies to treat glial activation associated with SCI have several limitations. Existing in vitro and ex vivo models studying molecular mechanisms associated with inflammation focus only on the acute phase. However, the progression of glial cell-derived inflammation over the acute-to-chronic phases has not been assessed. Understanding this progression will help establish a framework for evaluating therapeutic strategies. Additionally, new models could be useful as high-throughput screening (HTS) platforms. This review aims to highlight currently available models and future methods that could facilitate screening of novel therapeutics for SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav Patil
- CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Raghvendra Bohara
- CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Vijaya Krishna Kanala
- CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Siobhan McMahon
- Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Abhay Pandit
- CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
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Wood CR, Juárez EH, Ferrini F, Myint P, Innes J, Lossi L, Merighi A, Johnson WEB. Mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium increases glial reactivity and decreases neuronal survival in spinal cord slice cultures. Biochem Biophys Rep 2021; 26:100976. [PMID: 33718633 PMCID: PMC7933697 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.100976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ex vivo spinal cord slice cultures (SCSC) allow study of spinal cord circuitry, maintaining stimuli responses comparable to live animals. Previously, we have shown that mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) transplantation in vivo reduced inflammation and increased nerve regeneration but MSC survival was short-lived, highlighting that beneficial action may derive from the secretome. Previous in vitro studies of MSC conditioned medium (CM) have also shown increased neuronal growth. In this study, murine SCSC were cultured in canine MSC CM (harvested from the adipose tissue of excised inguinal fat) and cell phenotypes analysed via immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. SCSC in MSC CM displayed enhanced viability after propidium iodide staining. GFAP immunoreactivity was significantly increased in SCSC in MSC CM compared to controls, but with no change in proteoglycan (NG2) immunoreactivity. In contrast, culture in MSC CM significantly decreased the prevalence of βIII-tubulin immunoreactive neurites, whilst Ca2+ transients per cell were significantly increased. These ex vivo results contradict previous in vitro and in vivo reports of how MSC and their secretome may affect the microenvironment of the spinal cord after injury and highlight the importance of a careful comparison of the different experimental conditions used to assess the potential of cell therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury. Treatment of spinal slices with conditioned medium caused cell phenotypic changes. Resident astrocytes become hypertrophic, yet neuronal axonal outgrowth reduced. Signalling cells reduced in number but increased their signalling activity. Highlights importance of simulation systems and systemic factors in CNS models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea R Wood
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ, UK
| | - Esri H Juárez
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, I-10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Francesco Ferrini
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, I-10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.,Université Laval, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, G1K 7P4, Québec, Canada
| | - Peter Myint
- Veterinary Tissue Bank Ltd., No.1 The Long Barn, Brynkinalt Business Centre, Chirk, Wrexham, LL14 5NS, UK
| | - John Innes
- Veterinary Tissue Bank Ltd., No.1 The Long Barn, Brynkinalt Business Centre, Chirk, Wrexham, LL14 5NS, UK
| | - Laura Lossi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, I-10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Adalberto Merighi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, I-10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - William E B Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ, UK
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Patar A, Dockery P, McMahon S, Howard L. Ex Vivo Rat Transected Spinal Cord Slices as a Model to Assess Lentiviral Vector Delivery of Neurotrophin-3 and Short Hairpin RNA against NG2. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:biology9030054. [PMID: 32183469 PMCID: PMC7150802 DOI: 10.3390/biology9030054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The failure of the spinal cord to regenerate can be attributed both to a lack of trophic support for regenerating axons and to upregulation of inhibitory factors such as chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans including NG2 following injury. Lentiviral vector-mediated gene therapy is a possible strategy for treating spinal cord injury (SCI). This study investigated the effect of lentiviral vectors expressing Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and short-hairpin RNA against NG2 (NG2 sh) to enhance neurite outgrowth in in vitro and ex vivo transection injury models. Conditioned medium from cells transduced with NT-3 or shNG2 lentiviruses caused a significant increase in neurite length of primary dorsal root ganglia neurons compared to the control group in vitro. In an ex vivo organotypic slice culture (OSC) transduction with Lenti-NT-3 promoted axonal growth. Transducing OSCs with a combination of Lenti-NT-3/NG2 sh lead to a further increase in axonal growth but only in injured slices and only within the region adjacent to the site of injury. These findings suggest that the combination of lentiviral NT-3 and NG2 sh reduced NG2 levels and provided a more favourable microenvironment for neuronal regeneration after SCI. This study also shows that OSCs may be a useful platform for studying glial scarring and potential SCI treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azim Patar
- Discipline of Anatomy, College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland; (A.P.); (P.D.)
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Malaysia
| | - Peter Dockery
- Discipline of Anatomy, College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland; (A.P.); (P.D.)
| | - Siobhan McMahon
- Discipline of Anatomy, College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland; (A.P.); (P.D.)
- Correspondence: (S.M.); (L.H.); Tel.: +353-91495268 (L.H.)
| | - Linda Howard
- Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
- Correspondence: (S.M.); (L.H.); Tel.: +353-91495268 (L.H.)
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