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Debruyne A, Okkelman IA, Heymans N, Pinheiro C, Hendrix A, Nobis M, Borisov SM, Dmitriev RI. Live Microscopy of Multicellular Spheroids with the Multimodal Near-Infrared Nanoparticles Reveals Differences in Oxygenation Gradients. ACS NANO 2024; 18:12168-12186. [PMID: 38687976 PMCID: PMC11100290 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c12539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Assessment of hypoxia, nutrients, metabolite gradients, and other hallmarks of the tumor microenvironment within 3D multicellular spheroid and organoid models represents a challenging analytical task. Here, we report red/near-infrared (NIR) emitting cell staining with O2-sensitive nanoparticles, which enable measurements of spheroid oxygenation on a conventional fluorescence microscope. Nanosensor probes, termed "MMIR" (multimodal infrared), incorporate an NIR O2-sensitive metalloporphyrin (PtTPTBPF) and deep red aza-BODIPY reference dyes within a biocompatible polymer shell, allowing for oxygen gradient quantification via fluorescence ratio and phosphorescence lifetime readouts. We optimized staining techniques and evaluated the nanosensor probe characteristics and cytotoxicity. Subsequently, we applied nanosensors to the live spheroid models based on HCT116, DPSCs, and SKOV3 cells, at rest, and treated with drugs affecting cell respiration. We found that the growth medium viscosity, spheroid size, and formation method influenced spheroid oxygenation. Some spheroids produced from HCT116 and dental pulp stem cells exhibited "inverted" oxygenation gradients, with higher core oxygen levels than the periphery. This contrasted with the frequently encountered "normal" gradient of hypoxia toward the core caused by diffusion. Further microscopy analysis of spheroids with an "inverted" gradient demonstrated metabolic stratification of cells within spheroids: thus, autofluorescence FLIM of NAD(P)H indicated the formation of a glycolytic core and localization of OxPhos-active cells at the periphery. Collectively, we demonstrate a strong potential of NIR-emitting ratiometric nanosensors for advanced microscopy studies targeting live and quantitative real-time monitoring of cell metabolism and hypoxia in complex 3D tissue models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela
C. Debruyne
- Tissue
Engineering and Biomaterials Group, Department of Human Structure
and Repair, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Irina A. Okkelman
- Tissue
Engineering and Biomaterials Group, Department of Human Structure
and Repair, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent
Light
Microscopy Core, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nina Heymans
- Tissue
Engineering and Biomaterials Group, Department of Human Structure
and Repair, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Cláudio Pinheiro
- Laboratory
of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Human Structure and
Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer
Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - An Hendrix
- Laboratory
of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Human Structure and
Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer
Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Max Nobis
- Intravital
Imaging Expertise Center, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sergey M. Borisov
- Institute
of Analytical Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, Stremayrgasse 9, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Ruslan I. Dmitriev
- Tissue
Engineering and Biomaterials Group, Department of Human Structure
and Repair, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent
Light
Microscopy Core, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Saglam-Metiner P, Yildirim E, Dincer C, Basak O, Yesil-Celiktas O. Humanized brain organoids-on-chip integrated with sensors for screening neuronal activity and neurotoxicity. Mikrochim Acta 2024; 191:71. [PMID: 38168828 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-023-06165-4] [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: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The complex structure and function of the human central nervous system that develops from the neural tube made in vitro modeling quite challenging until the discovery of brain organoids. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells-derived brain organoids offer recapitulation of the features of early human neurodevelopment in vitro, including the generation, proliferation, and differentiation into mature neurons and micro-macroglial cells, as well as the complex interactions among these diverse cell types of the developing brain. Recent advancements in brain organoids, microfluidic systems, real-time sensing technologies, and their cutting-edge integrated use provide excellent models and tools for emulation of fundamental neurodevelopmental processes, the pathology of neurological disorders, personalized transplantation therapy, and high-throughput neurotoxicity testing by bridging the gap between two-dimensional models and the complex three-dimensional environment in vivo. In this review, we summarize how bioengineering approaches are applied to mitigate the limitations of brain organoids for biomedical and clinical research. We further provide an extensive overview and future perspectives of the humanized brain organoids-on-chip platforms with integrated sensors toward brain organoid intelligence and biocomputing studies. Such approaches might pave the way for increasing approvable clinical applications by solving their current limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pelin Saglam-Metiner
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Division of Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ender Yildirim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
- ODTÜ MEMS Center, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Can Dincer
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- FIT Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Onur Basak
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Division of Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ozlem Yesil-Celiktas
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.
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Shaughnessey EM, Kann SH, Charest JL, Vedula EM. Human Kidney Proximal Tubule-Microvascular Model Facilitates High-Throughput Analyses of Structural and Functional Effects of Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2024; 8:e2300127. [PMID: 37786311 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202300127] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Kidney ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) poses a major global healthcare burden, but effective treatments remain elusive. IRI involves a complex interplay of tissue-level structural and functional changes caused by interruptions in blood and filtrate flow and reduced oxygenation. Existing in vitro models poorly replicate the in vivo injury environment and lack means of monitoring tissue function during the injury process. Here, a high-throughput human primary kidney proximal tubule (PT)-microvascular model is described, which facilitates in-depth structural and rapid functional characterization of IRI-induced changes in the tissue barrier. The PREDICT96 (P96) microfluidic platform's user-controlled fluid flow can mimic the conditions of IR to induce pronounced changes in cell structure that resemble clinical and in vivo phenotypes. High-throughput trans-epi/endo-thelial electrical resistance (TEER) sensing is applied to non-invasively track functional changes in the PT-microvascular barrier during the two-stage injury process and over repeated episodes of injury. Notably, ischemia causes an initial increase in tissue TEER followed by a sudden increase in permeability upon reperfusion, and this biphasic response occurs only with the loss of both fluid flow and oxygenation. This study demonstrates the potential of the P96 kidney IRI model to enhance understanding of IRI and fuel therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin M Shaughnessey
- Draper Scholar, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., 555 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby Street, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Samuel H Kann
- Draper Scholar, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., 555 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 110 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Joseph L Charest
- The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., 555 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Else M Vedula
- The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., 555 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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Cauli E, Polidoro MA, Marzorati S, Bernardi C, Rasponi M, Lleo A. Cancer-on-chip: a 3D model for the study of the tumor microenvironment. J Biol Eng 2023; 17:53. [PMID: 37592292 PMCID: PMC10436436 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-023-00372-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The approval of anticancer therapeutic strategies is still slowed down by the lack of models able to faithfully reproduce in vivo cancer physiology. On one hand, the conventional in vitro models fail to recapitulate the organ and tissue structures, the fluid flows, and the mechanical stimuli characterizing the human body compartments. On the other hand, in vivo animal models cannot reproduce the typical human tumor microenvironment, essential to study cancer behavior and progression. This study reviews the cancer-on-chips as one of the most promising tools to model and investigate the tumor microenvironment and metastasis. We also described how cancer-on-chip devices have been developed and implemented to study the most common primary cancers and their metastatic sites. Pros and cons of this technology are then discussed highlighting the future challenges to close the gap between the pre-clinical and clinical studies and accelerate the approval of new anticancer therapies in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cauli
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico Di Milano, Milan, Italy.
- Accelera Srl, Nerviano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Michela Anna Polidoro
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Marzorati
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Marco Rasponi
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico Di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Ana Lleo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
- Division of Internal Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Gastroenterology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
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