1
|
Mao H, Szafranska K, Kruse L, Holte C, Wolfson DL, Ahluwalia BS, Whitchurch CB, Cole L, Lockwood GP, Diekmann R, Le Couteur D, Cogger VC, McCourt PAG. Effect of caffeine and other xanthines on liver sinusoidal endothelial cell ultrastructure. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13390. [PMID: 37591901 PMCID: PMC10435486 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40227-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Xanthines such as caffeine and theobromine are among the most consumed psychoactive stimulants in the world, either as natural components of coffee, tea and chocolate, or as added ingredients. The present study assessed if xanthines affect liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC). Cultured primary rat LSEC were challenged with xanthines at concentrations typically obtained from normal consumption of xanthine-containing beverages, food or medicines; and at higher concentrations below the in vitro toxic limit. The fenestrated morphology of LSEC were examined with scanning electron and structured illumination microscopy. All xanthine challenges had no toxic effects on LSEC ultrastructure as judged by LSEC fenestration morphology, or function as determined by endocytosis studies. All xanthines in high concentrations (150 μg/mL) increased fenestration frequency but at physiologically relevant concentrations, only theobromine (8 μg/mL) showed an effect. LSEC porosity was influenced only by high caffeine doses which also shifted the fenestration distribution towards smaller pores. Moreover, a dose-dependent increase in fenestration number was observed after caffeine treatment. If these compounds induce similar changes in vivo, age-related reduction of LSEC porosity can be reversed by oral treatment with theobromine or with other xanthines using targeted delivery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong Mao
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway.
- Optical Nanoscopy Research Group, Department of Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Karolina Szafranska
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Larissa Kruse
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Christopher Holte
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Deanna L Wolfson
- Optical Nanoscopy Research Group, Department of Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia
- Optical Nanoscopy Research Group, Department of Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Cynthia B Whitchurch
- Microbial Imaging Facility, The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Louise Cole
- Microbial Imaging Facility, The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Glen P Lockwood
- Centre for Education and Research, ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia
- The Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Robin Diekmann
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
- LaVision BioTec GmbH, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - David Le Couteur
- Centre for Education and Research, ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia
- The Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Victoria C Cogger
- Centre for Education and Research, ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia
- The Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter A G McCourt
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
- Centre for Education and Research, ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia
- The Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hellen DJ, Karpen SJ. LiverQuant: An Improved Method for Quantitative Analysis of Liver Pathology. Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4776. [PMID: 37497459 PMCID: PMC10367012 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Current means to quantify cells, gene expression, and fibrosis of liver histological slides are not standardized in the research community and typically rely upon data acquired from a selection of random regions identified in each slide. As such, analyses are subject to selection bias as well as limited subsets of available data elements throughout the slide. A whole-slide analysis of cells and fibrosis would provide for a more accurate and complete quantitative analysis, along with minimization of intra- and inter-experimental variables. Herein, we present LiverQuant, a method for quantifying whole-slide scans of digitized histologic images to render a more comprehensive analysis of presented data elements. After loading images and preparing the project in the QuPath program, researchers are provided with one to two scripts per analysis that generate an average intensity threshold for their staining, automated tissue annotation, and downstream detection of their anticipated cellular matrices. When compared with two standard methodologies for histological quantification, LiverQuant had two significant advantages: increased speed and a 50-fold greater tissue area coverage. Using publicly available open-source code (GitHub), LiverQuant improves the reliability and reproducibility of experimental results while reducing the time scientists require to perform bulk analysis of liver histology. This analytical process is readily adaptable by most laboratories, requires minimal optimization, and its principles and code can be optimized for use in other organs. Graphical overview.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominick J. Hellen
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Saul J. Karpen
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lekka M. Applicability of atomic force microscopy to determine cancer-related changes in cells. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2022; 380:20210346. [PMID: 35909354 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The determination of mechanical properties of living cells as an indicator of cancer progression has become possible with the development of local measurement techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM). Its most important advantage is a nanoscopic character, implying that very local alterations can be quantified. The results gathered from AFM measurements of various cancers show that, for most cancers, individual cells are characterized by the lower apparent Young's modulus, denoting higher cell deformability. The measured value depends on various factors, like the properties of substrates used for cell growth, force loading rate or indentation depth. Despite this, the results proved the AFM capability to recognize mechanically altered cells. This can significantly impact the development of methodological approaches toward the precise identification of pathological cells. This article is part of the theme issue 'Nanocracks in nature and industry'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Lekka
- Department of Biophysical Microstructures, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tuning of Liver Sieve: The Interplay between Actin and Myosin Regulatory Light Chain Regulates Fenestration Size and Number in Murine Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179850. [PMID: 36077249 PMCID: PMC9456121 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) facilitate the efficient transport of macromolecules and solutes between the blood and hepatocytes. The efficiency of this transport is realized via transcellular nanopores, called fenestrations. The mean fenestration size is 140 ± 20 nm, with the range from 50 nm to 350 nm being mostly below the limits of diffraction of visible light. The cellular mechanisms controlling fenestrations are still poorly understood. In this study, we tested a hypothesis that both Rho kinase (ROCK) and myosin light chain (MLC) kinase (MLCK)-dependent phosphorylation of MLC regulates fenestrations. We verified the hypothesis using a combination of several molecular inhibitors and by applying two high-resolution microscopy modalities: structured illumination microscopy (SIM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We demonstrated precise, dose-dependent, and reversible regulation of the mean fenestration diameter within a wide range from 120 nm to 220 nm and the fine-tuning of the porosity in a range from ~0% up to 12% using the ROCK pathway. Moreover, our findings indicate that MLCK is involved in the formation of new fenestrations—after inhibiting MLCK, closed fenestrations cannot be reopened with other agents. We, therefore, conclude that the Rho-ROCK pathway is responsible for the control of the fenestration diameter, while the inhibition of MLCK prevents the formation of new fenestrations.
Collapse
|
5
|
Giergiel M, Zapotoczny B, Czyzynska-Cichon I, Konior J, Szymonski M. AFM image analysis of porous structures by means of neural networks. Biomed Signal Process Control 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2021.103097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
|
6
|
Butola A, Coucheron DA, Szafranska K, Ahmad A, Mao H, Tinguely JC, McCourt P, Senthilkumaran P, Mehta DS, Agarwal K, Ahluwalia BS. Multimodal on-chip nanoscopy and quantitative phase imaging reveals the nanoscale morphology of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2115323118. [PMID: 34782474 PMCID: PMC8617407 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115323118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Visualization of three-dimensional (3D) morphological changes in the subcellular structures of a biological specimen is a major challenge in life science. Here, we present an integrated chip-based optical nanoscopy combined with quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) to obtain 3D morphology of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC). LSEC have unique morphology with small nanopores (50-300 nm in diameter) in the plasma membrane, called fenestrations. The fenestrations are grouped in discrete clusters, which are around 100 to 200 nm thick. Thus, imaging and quantification of fenestrations and sieve plate thickness require resolution and sensitivity of sub-100 nm along both the lateral and the axial directions, respectively. In chip-based nanoscopy, the optical waveguides are used both for hosting and illuminating the sample. The fluorescence signal is captured by an upright microscope, which is converted into a Linnik-type interferometer to sequentially acquire both superresolved images and phase information of the sample. The multimodal microscope provided an estimate of the fenestration diameter of 119 ± 53 nm and average thickness of the sieve plates of 136.6 ± 42.4 nm, assuming the constant refractive index of cell membrane to be 1.38. Further, LSEC were treated with cytochalasin B to demonstrate the possibility of precise detection in the cell height. The mean phase value of the fenestrated area in normal and treated cells was found to be 161 ± 50 mrad and 109 ± 49 mrad, respectively. The proposed multimodal technique offers nanoscale visualization of both the lateral size and the thickness map, which would be of broader interest in the fields of cell biology and bioimaging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ankit Butola
- Department of Physics and Technology, Universitetet i Tromsø (UiT) The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Bio-photonics and Green Photonics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - David A Coucheron
- Department of Physics and Technology, Universitetet i Tromsø (UiT) The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Karolina Szafranska
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medical Biology, Vascular Biology Research Group, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø 9037, Norway
| | - Azeem Ahmad
- Department of Physics and Technology, Universitetet i Tromsø (UiT) The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Hong Mao
- Department of Physics and Technology, Universitetet i Tromsø (UiT) The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jean-Claude Tinguely
- Department of Physics and Technology, Universitetet i Tromsø (UiT) The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Peter McCourt
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medical Biology, Vascular Biology Research Group, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø 9037, Norway
| | - Paramasivam Senthilkumaran
- Bio-photonics and Green Photonics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Dalip Singh Mehta
- Bio-photonics and Green Photonics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Krishna Agarwal
- Department of Physics and Technology, Universitetet i Tromsø (UiT) The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia
- Department of Physics and Technology, Universitetet i Tromsø (UiT) The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway;
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Szafranska K, Kruse LD, Holte CF, McCourt P, Zapotoczny B. The wHole Story About Fenestrations in LSEC. Front Physiol 2021; 12:735573. [PMID: 34588998 PMCID: PMC8473804 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.735573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The porosity of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) ensures bidirectional passive transport of lipoproteins, drugs and solutes between the liver capillaries and the liver parenchyma. This porosity is realized via fenestrations - transcellular pores with diameters in the range of 50-300 nm - typically grouped together in sieve plates. Aging and several liver disorders severely reduce LSEC porosity, decreasing their filtration properties. Over the years, a variety of drugs, stimulants, and toxins have been investigated in the context of altered diameter or frequency of fenestrations. In fact, any change in the porosity, connected with the change in number and/or size of fenestrations is reflected in the overall liver-vascular system crosstalk. Recently, several commonly used medicines have been proposed to have a beneficial effect on LSEC re-fenestration in aging. These findings may be important for the aging populations of the world. In this review we collate the literature on medicines, recreational drugs, hormones and laboratory tools (including toxins) where the effect LSEC morphology was quantitatively analyzed. Moreover, different experimental models of liver pathology are discussed in the context of fenestrations. The second part of this review covers the cellular mechanisms of action to enable physicians and researchers to predict the effect of newly developed drugs on LSEC porosity. To achieve this, we discuss four existing hypotheses of regulation of fenestrations. Finally, we provide a summary of the cellular mechanisms which are demonstrated to tune the porosity of LSEC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Szafranska
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Larissa D Kruse
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Christopher Florian Holte
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Peter McCourt
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bartlomiej Zapotoczny
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Biophysical Microstructures, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| |
Collapse
|