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Bogguri C, George VK, Amiri B, Ladd A, Hum NR, Sebastian A, Enright HA, Valdez CA, Mundhenk TN, Cadena J, Lam D. Biphasic response of human iPSC-derived neural network activity following exposure to a sarin-surrogate nerve agent. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1378579. [PMID: 39301218 PMCID: PMC11410629 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1378579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Organophosphorus nerve agents (OPNA) are hazardous environmental exposures to the civilian population and have been historically weaponized as chemical warfare agents (CWA). OPNA exposure can lead to several neurological, sensory, and motor symptoms that can manifest into chronic neurological illnesses later in life. There is still a large need for technological advancement to better understand changes in brain function following OPNA exposure. The human-relevant in vitro multi-electrode array (MEA) system, which combines the MEA technology with human stem cell technology, has the potential to monitor the acute, sub-chronic, and chronic consequences of OPNA exposure on brain activity. However, the application of this system to assess OPNA hazards and risks to human brain function remains to be investigated. In a concentration-response study, we have employed a human-relevant MEA system to monitor and detect changes in the electrical activity of engineered neural networks to increasing concentrations of the sarin surrogate 4-nitrophenyl isopropyl methylphosphonate (NIMP). We report a biphasic response in the spiking (but not bursting) activity of neurons exposed to low (i.e., 0.4 and 4 μM) versus high concentrations (i.e., 40 and 100 μM) of NIMP, which was monitored during the exposure period and up to 6 days post-exposure. Regardless of the NIMP concentration, at a network level, communication or coordination of neuronal activity decreased as early as 60 min and persisted at 24 h of NIMP exposure. Once NIMP was removed, coordinated activity was no different than control (0 μM of NIMP). Interestingly, only in the high concentration of NIMP did coordination of activity at a network level begin to decrease again at 2 days post-exposure and persisted on day 6 post-exposure. Notably, cell viability was not affected during or after NIMP exposure. Also, while the catalytic activity of AChE decreased during NIMP exposure, its activity recovered once NIMP was removed. Gene expression analysis suggests that human iPSC-derived neurons and primary human astrocytes resulted in altered genes related to the cell's interaction with the extracellular environment, its intracellular calcium signaling pathways, and inflammation, which could have contributed to how neurons communicated at a network level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrakumar Bogguri
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Vivek Kurien George
- Engineering Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Beheshta Amiri
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Alexander Ladd
- Engineering Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas R Hum
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Aimy Sebastian
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Heather A Enright
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Carlos A Valdez
- Global Security Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - T Nathan Mundhenk
- Engineering Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Jose Cadena
- Engineering Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Doris Lam
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
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Wu X, Chen Y, Kreutz A, Silver B, Tokar EJ. Pluripotent stem cells for target organ developmental toxicity testing. Toxicol Sci 2024; 199:163-171. [PMID: 38547390 PMCID: PMC11131012 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfae037] [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] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Prenatal developmental toxicity research focuses on understanding the potential adverse effects of environmental agents, drugs, and chemicals on the development of embryos and fetuses. Traditional methods involve animal testing, but ethical concerns and the need for human-relevant models have prompted the exploration of alternatives. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are versatile cells with the unique ability to differentiate into any cell type, serving as a foundational tool for studying human development. Two-dimensional (2D) PSC models are often chosen for their ease of use and reproducibility for high-throughput screening. However, they lack the complexity of an in vivo environment. Alternatively, three-dimensional (3D) PSC models, such as organoids, offer tissue architecture and intercellular communication more reminiscent of in vivo conditions. However, they are complicated to produce and analyze, usually requiring advanced and expensive techniques. This review discusses recent advances in the use of human PSCs differentiated into brain and heart lineages and emerging tools and methods that can be combined with PSCs to help address important scientific questions in the area of developmental toxicology. These advancements and new approach methods align with the push for more relevant and predictive developmental toxicity assessment, combining innovative techniques with organoid models to advance regulatory decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Wu
- Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of Translational Toxicology, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834, USA
| | - Yichang Chen
- Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of Translational Toxicology, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA
| | - Anna Kreutz
- Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of Translational Toxicology, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA
- Inotiv, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27560, USA
| | - Brian Silver
- Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of Translational Toxicology, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA
| | - Erik J Tokar
- Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of Translational Toxicology, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA
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Acharya P, Shrestha S, Joshi P, Choi NY, Lekkala VKR, Kang SY, Ni G, Lee MY. Dynamic culture of cerebral organoids using a pillar/perfusion plate for the assessment of developmental neurotoxicity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.11.584506. [PMID: 38559002 PMCID: PMC10979904 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.11.584506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Despite the potential toxicity of commercial chemicals to the development of the nervous system (known as developmental neurotoxicity or DNT), conventional in vitro cell models have primarily been employed for the assessment of acute neuronal toxicity. On the other hand, animal models used for the assessment of DNT are not physiologically relevant due to the heterogenic difference between humans and animals. In addition, animal models are low-throughput, time-consuming, expensive, and ethically questionable. Recently, human brain organoids have emerged as a promising alternative to assess the detrimental effects of chemicals on the developing brain. However, conventional organoid culture systems have several technical limitations including low throughput, lack of reproducibility, insufficient maturity of organoids, and the formation of the necrotic core due to limited diffusion of nutrients and oxygen. To address these issues and establish predictive DNT models, cerebral organoids were differentiated in a dynamic condition in a unique pillar/perfusion plate, which were exposed to test compounds to evaluate DNT potential. The pillar/perfusion plate facilitated uniform, dynamic culture of cerebral organoids with improved proliferation and maturity by rapid, bidirectional flow generated on a digital rocker. Day 9 cerebral organoids in the pillar/perfusion plate were exposed to ascorbic acid (DNT negative) and methylmercury (DNT positive) in a dynamic condition for 1 and 3 weeks, and changes in organoid morphology and neural gene expression were measured to determine DNT potential. As expected, ascorbic acid didn't induce any changes in organoid morphology and neural gene expression. However, exposure of day 9 cerebral organoids to methylmercury resulted in significant changes in organoid morphology and neural gene expression. Interestingly, methylmercury did not induce adverse changes in cerebral organoids in a static condition, thus highlighting the importance of dynamic organoid culture in DNT assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prabha Acharya
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | - Sunil Shrestha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | | | - Na Young Choi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | | | - Soo-Yeon Kang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | - Gabriel Ni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | - Moo-Yeal Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
- Bioprinting Laboratories Inc., Dallas, Texas
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Kühne BA, Gutierrez-Vázquez L, Sánchez Lamelas E, Guardia-Escote L, Pla L, Loreiro C, Gratacós E, Barenys M, Illa M. Lactoferrin/sialic acid prevents adverse effects of intrauterine growth restriction on neurite length: investigations in an in vitro rabbit neurosphere model. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1116405. [PMID: 37180944 PMCID: PMC10169722 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1116405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a well-known cause of impaired neurodevelopment during life. In this study, we aimed to characterize alterations in neuronal development underlying IUGR and discover strategies to ameliorate adverse neurodevelopment effects by using a recently established rabbit in vitro neurosphere culture. Methods IUGR was surgically induced in pregnant rabbits by ligation of placental vessels in one uterine horn, while the contralateral horn remained unaffected for normal growth (control). At this time point, rabbits were randomly assigned to receive either no treatment, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), melatonin (MEL), or lactoferrin (LF) until c-section. Neurospheres consisting of neural progenitor cells were obtained from control and IUGR pup's whole brain and comparatively analyzed for the ability to differentiate into neurons, extend neurite length, and form dendritic branching or pre-synapses. We established for the very first time a protocol to cultivate control and IUGR rabbit neurospheres not only for 5 days but under long-term conditions up to 14 days under differentiation conditions. Additionally, an in vitro evaluation of these therapies was evaluated by exposing neurospheres from non-treated rabbits to DHA, MEL, and SA (sialic acid, which is the major lactoferrin compound) and by assessing the ability to differentiate neurons, extend neurite length, and form dendritic branching or pre-synapses. Results We revealed that IUGR significantly increased the neurite length after 5 days of cultivation in vitro, a result in good agreement with previous in vivo findings in IUGR rabbits presenting more complex dendritic arborization of neurons in the frontal cortex. MEL, DHA, and SA decreased the IUGR-induced length of primary dendrites in vitro, however, only SA was able to reduce the total neurite length to control level in IUGR neurospheres. After prenatal in vivo administration of SAs parent compound LF with subsequent evaluation in vitro, LF was able to prevent abnormal neurite extension. Discussion We established for the first time the maintenance of the rabbit neurosphere culture for 14 days under differentiation conditions with increasing complexity of neuronal length and branching up to pre-synaptic formation. From the therapies tested, LF or its major compound, SA, prevents abnormal neurite extension and was therefore identified as the most promising therapy against IUGR-induced changes in neuronal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britta Anna Kühne
- Grup de Recerca en Toxicologia (GRET) i INSA-UB, Departament de Farmacologia, Toxicologia i Química Terapèutica, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- BCNatal | Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lara Gutierrez-Vázquez
- Grup de Recerca en Toxicologia (GRET) i INSA-UB, Departament de Farmacologia, Toxicologia i Química Terapèutica, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estela Sánchez Lamelas
- Grup de Recerca en Toxicologia (GRET) i INSA-UB, Departament de Farmacologia, Toxicologia i Química Terapèutica, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laia Guardia-Escote
- Grup de Recerca en Toxicologia (GRET) i INSA-UB, Departament de Farmacologia, Toxicologia i Química Terapèutica, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Pla
- BCNatal | Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carla Loreiro
- BCNatal | Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eduard Gratacós
- BCNatal | Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Barenys
- Grup de Recerca en Toxicologia (GRET) i INSA-UB, Departament de Farmacologia, Toxicologia i Química Terapèutica, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Miriam Illa
- BCNatal | Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
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Fabbri R, Cacopardo L, Ahluwalia A, Magliaro C. Advanced 3D Models of Human Brain Tissue Using Neural Cell Lines: State-of-the-Art and Future Prospects. Cells 2023; 12:1181. [PMID: 37190089 PMCID: PMC10136913 DOI: 10.3390/cells12081181] [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: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Human-relevant three-dimensional (3D) models of cerebral tissue can be invaluable tools to boost our understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying brain pathophysiology. Nowadays, the accessibility, isolation and harvesting of human neural cells represents a bottleneck for obtaining reproducible and accurate models and gaining insights in the fields of oncology, neurodegenerative diseases and toxicology. In this scenario, given their low cost, ease of culture and reproducibility, neural cell lines constitute a key tool for developing usable and reliable models of the human brain. Here, we review the most recent advances in 3D constructs laden with neural cell lines, highlighting their advantages and limitations and their possible future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Fabbri
- Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Information Engineering (DII), University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Ludovica Cacopardo
- Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Information Engineering (DII), University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of 3R Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Italy
| | - Arti Ahluwalia
- Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Information Engineering (DII), University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of 3R Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Italy
| | - Chiara Magliaro
- Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Information Engineering (DII), University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of 3R Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Italy
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Bose R, Spulber S, Ceccatelli S. The Threat Posed by Environmental Contaminants on Neurodevelopment: What Can We Learn from Neural Stem Cells? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:4338. [PMID: 36901772 PMCID: PMC10002364 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054338] [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: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to chemicals may pose a greater risk to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, fetuses, and children, that may lead to diseases linked to the toxicants' target organs. Among chemical contaminants, methylmercury (MeHg), present in aquatic food, is one of the most harmful to the developing nervous system depending on time and level of exposure. Moreover, certain man-made PFAS, such as PFOS and PFOA, used in commercial and industrial products including liquid repellants for paper, packaging, textile, leather, and carpets, are developmental neurotoxicants. There is vast knowledge about the detrimental neurotoxic effects induced by high levels of exposure to these chemicals. Less is known about the consequences that low-level exposures may have on neurodevelopment, although an increasing number of studies link neurotoxic chemical exposures to neurodevelopmental disorders. Still, the mechanisms of toxicity are not identified. Here we review in vitro mechanistic studies using neural stem cells (NSCs) from rodents and humans to dissect the cellular and molecular processes changed by exposure to environmentally relevant levels of MeHg or PFOS/PFOA. All studies show that even low concentrations dysregulate critical neurodevelopmental steps supporting the idea that neurotoxic chemicals may play a role in the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sandra Ceccatelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
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Go S, Masuda H, Tsuru M, Inden M, Hozumi I, Kurita H. Exposure to a low concentration of methylmercury in neural differentiation downregulates NR4A1 expression with altered epigenetic modifications and inhibits neuronal spike activity in vitro. Toxicol Lett 2023; 374:68-76. [PMID: 36565944 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known developmental neurotoxin. Our previous research showed that the inhibition of neurite extension by exposure to a low level of MeHg (1 nM) was attributed to the decrease of acetylation of histone H3 and the increase of DNA methylation. However, the target molecules responsible for the neurological dysfunctions caused by MeHg exposure have not been identified. This study focused on a nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 1 (NR4A1), which is reported to be related to synaptic plasticity and neurite extension. LUHMES cells, which are derived from human fetal brain, were treated with 0.1 and 1 nM MeHg beginning at two days of differentiation and continued for 6 consecutive days. The present study showed that exposure to a 1 nM MeHg during neural differentiation inhibited neuronal spike activity and neurite extension. Furthermore, MeHg exposure increased DNA methylation, and altered histone modifications for transcriptional repression in the NR4A1 promoter region to decrease the levels of NR4A1 expression. In addition, MeHg exposure inhibited the mobilization of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and CREB binding protein (CBP) in the NR4A1 promoter region. These results suggest that MeHg inhibits the recruitment of the CREB-CBP complex to the NR4A1 promoter region and impairs neuronal functions associated with NR4A1 repression via a decrease in acetylation of histone H3 lysine 14 levels. Conclusively, this study demonstrated that MeHg exposure during neuronal differentiation could induce neurological dysfunctions even at a low concentration in vitro. These dysfunctions could be associated with the transcriptional repression of NR4A1 by the dissociation of CREB and CBP from the NR4A1 promoter region due to the alterations of epigenetic modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzuna Go
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu city, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Haruka Masuda
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu city, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Mizuki Tsuru
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu city, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Inden
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu city, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Isao Hozumi
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu city, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan.
| | - Hisaka Kurita
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu city, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan.
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Kühne BA, Teixidó E, Ettcheto M, Puig T, Planas M, Feliu L, Pla L, Campuzano V, Gratacós E, Fritsche E, Illa M, Barenys M. Application of the adverse outcome pathway to identify molecular changes in prenatal brain programming induced by IUGR: Discoveries after EGCG exposure. Food Chem Toxicol 2022; 170:113506. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2022.113506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Docosahexaenoic Acid and Melatonin Prevent Impaired Oligodendrogenesis Induced by Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10051205. [PMID: 35625940 PMCID: PMC9138514 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10051205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, our aims were to characterize oligodendrogenesis alterations in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and to find therapeutic strategies to prevent/treat them using a novel rabbit in vitro neurosphere culture. IUGR was surgically induced in one uterine horn of pregnant rabbits, while the contralateral horn served as a control. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) were obtained from pup’s whole brain and cultured as neurospheres mimicking the basic processes of brain development including migration and cell differentiation. Five substances, chosen based on evidence provided in the literature, were screened in vitro in neurospheres from untreated rabbits: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), melatonin (MEL), zinc, 3,3′,5-Triiodo-L-thyronine (T3), and lactoferrin (LF) or its metabolite sialic acid (SA). DHA, MEL and LF were further selected for in vivo administration and subsequent evaluation in the Neurosphere Assay. In the IUGR culture, we observed a significantly reduced percentage of oligodendrocytes (OLs) which correlated with clinical findings indicating white matter injury in IUGR infants. We identified DHA and MEL as the most effective therapies. In all cases, our in vitro rabbit neurosphere assay predicted the outcome of the in vivo administration of the therapies and confirmed the reliability of the model, making it a powerful and consistent tool to select new neuroprotective therapies.
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Crofton KM, Bassan A, Behl M, Chushak YG, Fritsche E, Gearhart JM, Marty MS, Mumtaz M, Pavan M, Ruiz P, Sachana M, Selvam R, Shafer TJ, Stavitskaya L, Szabo DT, Szabo ST, Tice RR, Wilson D, Woolley D, Myatt GJ. Current status and future directions for a neurotoxicity hazard assessment framework that integrates in silico approaches. COMPUTATIONAL TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2022; 22:100223. [PMID: 35844258 PMCID: PMC9281386 DOI: 10.1016/j.comtox.2022.100223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
Neurotoxicology is the study of adverse effects on the structure or function of the developing or mature adult nervous system following exposure to chemical, biological, or physical agents. The development of more informative alternative methods to assess developmental (DNT) and adult (NT) neurotoxicity induced by xenobiotics is critically needed. The use of such alternative methods including in silico approaches that predict DNT or NT from chemical structure (e.g., statistical-based and expert rule-based systems) is ideally based on a comprehensive understanding of the relevant biological mechanisms. This paper discusses known mechanisms alongside the current state of the art in DNT/NT testing. In silico approaches available today that support the assessment of neurotoxicity based on knowledge of chemical structure are reviewed, and a conceptual framework for the integration of in silico methods with experimental information is presented. Establishing this framework is essential for the development of protocols, namely standardized approaches, to ensure that assessments of NT and DNT based on chemical structures are generated in a transparent, consistent, and defendable manner.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arianna Bassan
- Innovatune srl, Via Giulio Zanon 130/D, 35129 Padova,
Italy
| | - Mamta Behl
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National
Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA
| | - Yaroslav G. Chushak
- Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military
Medicine, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, USA
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental
Medicine & Medical Faculty Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf,
Germany
| | - Jeffery M. Gearhart
- Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military
Medicine, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, USA
| | | | - Moiz Mumtaz
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, US
Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Manuela Pavan
- Innovatune srl, Via Giulio Zanon 130/D, 35129 Padova,
Italy
| | - Patricia Ruiz
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, US
Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Magdalini Sachana
- Environment Health and Safety Division, Environment
Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), 75775
Paris Cedex 16, France
| | - Rajamani Selvam
- Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational
Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Timothy J. Shafer
- Biomolecular and Computational Toxicology Division, Center
for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC,
USA
| | - Lidiya Stavitskaya
- Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational
Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | | | | | | | - Dan Wilson
- The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI 48667, USA
| | | | - Glenn J. Myatt
- Instem, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
- Corresponding author.
(G.J. Myatt)
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Koch K, Bartmann K, Hartmann J, Kapr J, Klose J, Kuchovská E, Pahl M, Schlüppmann K, Zühr E, Fritsche E. Scientific Validation of Human Neurosphere Assays for Developmental Neurotoxicity Evaluation. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2022; 4:816370. [PMID: 35295221 PMCID: PMC8915868 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.816370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a call for a paradigm shift in developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) evaluation, which demands the implementation of faster, more cost-efficient, and human-relevant test systems than current in vivo guideline studies. Under the umbrella of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a guidance document is currently being prepared that instructs on the regulatory use of a DNT in vitro battery (DNT IVB) for fit-for-purpose applications. One crucial issue for OECD application of methods is validation, which for new approach methods (NAMs) requires novel approaches. Here, mechanistic information previously identified in vivo, as well as reported neurodevelopmental adversities in response to disturbances on the cellular and tissue level, are of central importance. In this study, we scientifically validate the Neurosphere Assay, which is based on human primary neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) and an integral part of the DNT IVB. It assesses neurodevelopmental key events (KEs) like NPC proliferation (NPC1ab), radial glia cell migration (NPC2a), neuronal differentiation (NPC3), neurite outgrowth (NPC4), oligodendrocyte differentiation (NPC5), and thyroid hormone-dependent oligodendrocyte maturation (NPC6). In addition, we extend our work from the hNPCs to human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NPCs (hiNPCs) for the NPC proliferation (iNPC1ab) and radial glia assays (iNPC2a). The validation process we report for the endpoints studied with the Neurosphere Assays is based on 1) describing the relevance of the respective endpoints for brain development, 2) the confirmation of the cell type-specific morphologies observed in vitro, 3) expressions of cell type-specific markers consistent with those morphologies, 4) appropriate anticipated responses to physiological pertinent signaling stimuli and 5) alterations in specific in vitro endpoints upon challenges with confirmed DNT compounds. With these strong mechanistic underpinnings, we posit that the Neurosphere Assay as an integral part of the DNT in vitro screening battery is well poised for DNT evaluation for regulatory purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Koch
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Kristina Bartmann
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Hartmann
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Kapr
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Jördis Klose
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Eliška Kuchovská
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Melanie Pahl
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Kevin Schlüppmann
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Etta Zühr
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
- Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ellen Fritsche,
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12
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Cai NN, Geng Q, Jiang Y, Zhu WQ, Yang R, Zhang BY, Xiao YF, Tang B, Zhang XM. Schisandrin A and B affect the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells. J Chem Neuroanat 2021; 119:102058. [PMID: 34896558 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2021.102058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Schisandrin A and B (Sch A and B) are the important components of Asian dietary supplement and phytomedicine Schisandra chinensis (S. chinensis). They can enhance adult neurogenesis in vivo; however, these effects still need to be verified. Here NE-4 C neural stem cells (NSCs) were employed as the in vitro model and treated with Sch A and B at 0.1 μg/mL. EdU (5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine) labeling showed that both Sch A and B treatments enhanced NSC proliferation. Real-time PCR analysis showed the mRNA abundances of telomerase gene Tert and cell cycle gene Cyclin D1 were significantly up-regulated after the treatments. During the neurosphere induction, Sch B enhanced the neurosphere formation and neuronal differentiation, and increased the neurosphere semidiameters. Detection of the neuron differentiation marker Mapt indicates that both Sch A and B, especially Sch B, benefits the induced neuronal differentiation. Sch B treatment also enhanced mRNA expressions of the neurosphere-specific adhesion molecule Cdh2 and Wnt pathway-related genes including Mmp9, Cyclin D1 and β-catenin. Together, Sch A especially Sch B, promotes the proliferation, affects the survival, differentiation and neurogenesis of NSCs, which is consistent with their in vivo effects. This study provides further clue on the potential neuropharmacological effects of S. chinensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning-Ning Cai
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China; Hebei Key Lab of Laboratory Animal Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
| | - Qi Geng
- Hebei Key Lab of Laboratory Animal Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yu Jiang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Wen-Qian Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Rui Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Bo-Yang Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Yu-Feng Xiao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Bo Tang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Xue-Ming Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
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13
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Förster N, Butke J, Keßel HE, Bendt F, Pahl M, Li L, Fan X, Leung PC, Klose J, Masjosthusmann S, Fritsche E, Mosig A. Reliable identification and quantification of neural cells in microscopic images of neurospheres. Cytometry A 2021; 101:411-422. [PMID: 34747115 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neurosphere cultures consisting of primary human neural stem/progenitor cells (hNPC) are used for studying the effects of substances on early neurodevelopmental processes in vitro. Differentiating hNPCs migrate and differentiate into radial glia, neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes upon plating on a suitable extracellular matrix and thus model processes of early neural development. In order to characterize alterations in hNPC development, it is thus an essential task to reliably identify the cell type of each migrated cell in the migration area of a neurosphere. To this end, we introduce and validate a deep learning approach for identifying and quantifying cell types in microscopic images of differentiated hNPC. As we demonstrate, our approach performs with high accuracy and is robust against typical potential confounders. We demonstrate that our deep learning approach reproduces the dose responses of well-established developmental neurotoxic compounds and controls, indicating its potential in medium or high throughput in vitro screening studies. Hence, our approach can be used for studying compound effects on neural differentiation processes in an automated and unbiased process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Förster
- Department of Bioinformatics, Center for Protein Diagnostics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Gesundheitscampus 4, Bochum, Germany
| | - Joshua Butke
- Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Hagen Eike Keßel
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Farina Bendt
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Melanie Pahl
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Lu Li
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin New Town, Hong Kong
- Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin New Town, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaohui Fan
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ping-Chung Leung
- Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin New Town, Hong Kong
| | - Jördis Klose
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Stefan Masjosthusmann
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Axel Mosig
- Department of Bioinformatics, Center for Protein Diagnostics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Gesundheitscampus 4, Bochum, Germany
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14
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Leu T, Fandrey J, Schreiber T. (H)IF applicable: promotion of neurogenesis by induced HIF-2 signalling after ischaemia. Pflugers Arch 2021; 473:1287-1299. [PMID: 34251509 PMCID: PMC8302505 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-021-02600-8] [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] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
HIF-2 represents a tissue-specific isoform of the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) which regulate oxygen homeostasis in the cell. In acute oxygen deficiency, HIF transcription factors ensure the timely restoration of adequate oxygen supply. Particularly in medical conditions such as stroke, which have a high mortality risk due to ischaemic brain damage, rapid recovery of oxygen supply is of extraordinary importance. Nevertheless, the endogenous mechanisms are often not sufficient to respond to severe hypoxic stress with restoring oxygenation and fail to protect the tissue. Herein, we analysed murine neurospheres without functioning HIF-2α and found that special importance in the differentiation of neurons can be attributed to HIF-2 in the brain. Other processes, such as cell migration and signal transduction of different signalling pathways, appear to be mediated to some extent via HIF-2 and illustrate the function of HIF-2 in brain remodelling. Without hypoxic stress, HIF-2 in the brain presumably focuses on the fine-tuning of the neural network. However, a therapeutically increase of HIF-2 has the potential to regenerate or replace destroyed brain tissue and help minimize the consequences of an ischaemic stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Leu
- Institute of Physiology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany
| | - Joachim Fandrey
- Institute of Physiology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
| | - Timm Schreiber
- Institute of Physiology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany
- Institute of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Toxicology and Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), University of Witten/Herdecke, 58453, Witten, Germany
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15
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Kapr J, Petersilie L, Distler T, Lauria I, Bendt F, Sauter CM, Boccaccini AR, Rose CR, Fritsche E. Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Progenitor Cells Produce Distinct Neural 3D In Vitro Models Depending on Alginate/Gellan Gum/Laminin Hydrogel Blend Properties. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2100131. [PMID: 34197049 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202100131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Stable and predictive neural cell culture models are a necessary premise for many research fields. However, conventional 2D models lack 3D cell-material/-cell interactions and hence do not reflect the complexity of the in vivo situation properly. Here two alginate/gellan gum/laminin (ALG/GG/LAM) hydrogel blends are presented for the fabrication of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based 3D neural models. For hydrogel embedding, hiPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (hiNPCs) are used either directly or after 3D neural pre-differentiation. It is shown that stiffness and stress relaxation of the gel blends, as well as the cell differentiation strategy influence 3D model development. The embedded hiNPCs differentiate into neurons and astrocytes within the gel blends and display spontaneous intracellular calcium signals. Two fit-for-purpose models valuable for i) applications requiring a high degree of complexity, but less throughput, such as disease modeling and long-term exposure studies and ii) higher throughput applications, such as acute exposures or substance screenings are proposed. Due to their wide range of applications, adjustability, and printing capabilities, the ALG/GG/LAM based 3D neural models are of great potential for 3D neural modeling in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Kapr
- IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
| | - Laura Petersilie
- Institute of Neurobiology Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
| | - Thomas Distler
- Institute of Biomaterials Department of Materials Science and Engineering Friedrich‐Alexander‐University Erlangen‐Nuremberg Erlangen 91054 Germany
| | - Ines Lauria
- IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
| | - Farina Bendt
- IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
| | - Clemens M. Sauter
- IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
| | - Aldo R. Boccaccini
- Institute of Biomaterials Department of Materials Science and Engineering Friedrich‐Alexander‐University Erlangen‐Nuremberg Erlangen 91054 Germany
| | - Christine R. Rose
- Institute of Neurobiology Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
- Medical Faculty Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf 40225 Germany
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16
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Renner H, Becker KJ, Kagermeier TE, Grabos M, Eliat F, Günther P, Schöler HR, Bruder JM. Cell-Type-Specific High Throughput Toxicity Testing in Human Midbrain Organoids. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:715054. [PMID: 34335182 PMCID: PMC8321240 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.715054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxicity testing is a crucial step in the development and approval of chemical compounds for human contact and consumption. However, existing model systems often fall short in their prediction of human toxicity in vivo because they may not sufficiently recapitulate human physiology. The complexity of three-dimensional (3D) human organ-like cell culture systems ("organoids") can generate potentially more relevant models of human physiology and disease, including toxicity predictions. However, so far, the inherent biological heterogeneity and cumbersome generation and analysis of organoids has rendered efficient, unbiased, high throughput evaluation of toxic effects in these systems challenging. Recent advances in both standardization and quantitative fluorescent imaging enabled us to dissect the toxicities of compound exposure to separate cellular subpopulations within human organoids at the single-cell level in a framework that is compatible with high throughput approaches. Screening a library of 84 compounds in standardized human automated midbrain organoids (AMOs) generated from two independent cell lines correctly recognized known nigrostriatal toxicants. This approach further identified the flame retardant 3,3',5,5'-tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) as a selective toxicant for dopaminergic neurons in the context of human midbrain-like tissues for the first time. Results were verified with high reproducibility in more detailed dose-response experiments. Further, we demonstrate higher sensitivity in 3D AMOs than in 2D cultures to the known neurotoxic effects of the pesticide lindane. Overall, the automated nature of our workflow is freely scalable and demonstrates the feasibility of quantitatively assessing cell-type-specific toxicity in human organoids in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Renner
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina J Becker
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Theresa E Kagermeier
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Martha Grabos
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Farsam Eliat
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Patrick Günther
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hans R Schöler
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Jan M Bruder
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
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17
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Abbott LC, Nigussie F. Mercury Toxicity and Neurogenesis in the Mammalian Brain. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22147520. [PMID: 34299140 PMCID: PMC8305137 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The mammalian brain is formed from billions of cells that include a wide array of neuronal and glial subtypes. Neural progenitor cells give rise to the vast majority of these cells during embryonic, fetal, and early postnatal developmental periods. The process of embryonic neurogenesis includes proliferation, differentiation, migration, the programmed death of some newly formed cells, and the final integration of differentiated neurons into neural networks. Adult neurogenesis also occurs in the mammalian brain, but adult neurogenesis is beyond the scope of this review. Developing embryonic neurons are particularly susceptible to neurotoxicants and especially mercury toxicity. This review focused on observations concerning how mercury, and in particular, methylmercury, affects neurogenesis in the developing mammalian brain. We summarized information on models used to study developmental mercury toxicity, theories of pathogenesis, and treatments that could be used to reduce the toxic effects of mercury on developing neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise C. Abbott
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4458 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4458, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-541-254-0779
| | - Fikru Nigussie
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, 700 SW 30th Street, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;
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18
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Herron JM, Tomita H, White CC, Kavanagh TJ, Xu L. Benzalkonium Chloride Disinfectants Induce Apoptosis, Inhibit Proliferation, and Activate the Integrated Stress Response in a 3-D in Vitro Model of Neurodevelopment. Chem Res Toxicol 2021; 34:1265-1274. [PMID: 33472002 PMCID: PMC8131244 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We previously found that the widely used disinfectants, benzalkonium chlorides (BACs), alter cholesterol and lipid homeostasis in neuronal cell lines and in neonatal mouse brains. Here, we investigate the effects of BACs on neurospheres, an in vitro three-dimensional model of neurodevelopment. Neurospheres cultured from mouse embryonic neural progenitor cells (NPCs) were exposed to increasing concentrations (from 1 to 100 nM) of a short-chain BAC (BAC C12), a long-chain BAC (BAC C16), and AY9944 (a known DHCR7 inhibitor). We found that the sizes of neurospheres were decreased by both BACs but not by AY9944. Furthermore, we observed potent inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis at the step of DHCR7 by BAC C12 but not by BAC C16, suggesting that cholesterol biosynthesis inhibition is not responsible for the observed reduction in neurosphere growth. By using immunostaining and cell cycle analysis, we found that both BACs induced apoptosis and decreased proliferation of NPCs. To explore the mechanisms underlying their effect on neurosphere growth, we carried out RNA sequencing on neurospheres exposed to each BAC at 50 nM for 24 h, which revealed the activation of the integrated stress response by both BACs. Overall, these results suggest that BACs affect neurodevelopment by inducing the integrated stress response in a manner independent of their effects on cholesterol biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josi M. Herron
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Hideaki Tomita
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Collin C. White
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Terrance J. Kavanagh
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Libin Xu
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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19
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Environmentally relevant developmental methylmercury exposures alter neuronal differentiation in a human-induced pluripotent stem cell model. Food Chem Toxicol 2021; 152:112178. [PMID: 33831500 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Developmental methylmercury (MeHg) exposure selectively targets the cerebral and cerebellar cortices, as seen by disruption of cytoarchitecture and glutamatergic (GLUergic) neuron hypoplasia. To begin to understand the mechanisms of this loss of GLUergic neurons, we aimed to develop a model of developmental MeHg neurotoxicity in human-induced pluripotent stem cells differentiating into cortical GLUergic neurons. Three dosing paradigms at 0.1 μM and 1.0 μM MeHg, which span different stages of neurodevelopment and reflect toxicologically relevant accumulation levels seen in human studies and mammalian models, were established. With these exposure paradigms, no changes were seen in commonly studied endpoints of MeHg toxicity, including viability, proliferation, and glutathione levels. However, MeHg exposure induced changes in mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis and in markers of neuronal differentiation. Our novel data suggests that GLUergic neuron hypoplasia seen with MeHg toxicity may be due to the partial inhibition of neuronal differentiation, given the increased expression of the early dorsal forebrain marker FOXG1 and corresponding decrease in expression on neuronal markers MAP2 and DCX and the deep layer cortical neuronal marker TBR1. Future studies should examine the persistent and latent functional effects of this MeHg-induced disruption of neuronal differentiation as well as transcriptomic and metabolomic alterations that may mediate MeHg toxicity.
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20
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Tunç BS, Toprak F, Toprak SF, Sozer S. In vitro investigation of growth factors including MGF and IGF-1 in neural stem cell activation, proliferation, and migration. Brain Res 2021; 1759:147366. [PMID: 33607046 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Neurogenesis is mainly activated after damage in adult tissues. This destruction activates the neural stem cells (NSCs) by exiting from a quiescent state and initiating proliferation, differentiation, and migration towards the damaged area. Although studies have investigated to clarify the process of NSC biology and neurogenesis, there are still significant artifacts in understanding the primary mechanism. It is known that only a small percentage of NSC become neurons and integrate into the brain tissue after this process. The significant proportion differentiates to become either astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, the quiescent stem cells in the niche are mainly activated by the stimuli affect. In recent years, many studies have been conducted with varying hormones, some of which might provide neuro-stimulation effect and/or involved in the regeneration of the brain tissue and/or neuroprotection from traumatic or ischemic pathologies, including Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), Mechano Growth Factor (MGF), Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF-2), Erythropoietin (EPO), Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). In this study, we examined the effects of FGF-2, MGF, IGF-1, EPO, EGF, NGF, and BDNF alone or with various combinations on rat hippocampal NSC by tracking the changes in the expression of Nestin, GFAP, TUBB3, and DCX genes during 24 h (h), 72 h and 168 h time frame. The apoptosis analysis revealed that FGF-2 and FGF-2 coupled growth factors effectively protect NSCs against apoptosis, whereas MGF coupled growth factors failed in this protection. The cell cycle analysis demonstrated that these growth factors had accumulated the NSCs exit from the quiescent phase to the Mitosis phase, mostly without being long in the Synthesis Phase. Neurosphere sizes were increased with MGF, signifying MGF being effective in neural progenitor cells. The combined use of MGF with FGF-2 was more effective in postmitotic neurons than MGF alone. We have comparatively demonstrated the effect of cytokines alone and combined administration on activation, proliferation, and migration of NSCs. Although many issues are still waiting to be investigated in adult neurogenesis, neural regeneration, and adult neural stem cell biology, the results provide vital resources to the researchers that are interested in the varying effect of growth factor on NSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burcu Sarya Tunç
- Department of Genetics, Aziz Sancar Research Institute of Experimental Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Fatih Toprak
- Department of Neurosurgery, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Selin Fulya Toprak
- Department of Genetics, Aziz Sancar Research Institute of Experimental Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Selcuk Sozer
- Department of Genetics, Aziz Sancar Research Institute of Experimental Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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21
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Trout AL, Kahle MP, Roberts JM, Marcelo A, de Hoog L, Boychuk JA, Grupke SL, Berretta A, Gowing EK, Boychuk CR, Gorman AA, Edwards DN, Rutkai I, Biose IJ, Ishibashi-Ueda H, Ihara M, Smith BN, Clarkson AN, Bix GJ. Perlecan Domain-V Enhances Neurogenic Brain Repair After Stroke in Mice. Transl Stroke Res 2021; 12:72-86. [PMID: 32253702 PMCID: PMC7803718 DOI: 10.1007/s12975-020-00800-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The extracellular matrix fragment perlecan domain V is neuroprotective and functionally restorative following experimental stroke. As neurogenesis is an important component of chronic post-stroke repair, and previous studies have implicated perlecan in developmental neurogenesis, we hypothesized that domain V could have a broad therapeutic window by enhancing neurogenesis after stroke. We demonstrated that domain V is chronically increased in the brains of human stroke patients, suggesting that it is present during post-stroke neurogenic periods. Furthermore, perlecan deficient mice had significantly less neuroblast precursor cells after experimental stroke. Seven-day delayed domain V administration enhanced neurogenesis and restored peri-infarct excitatory synaptic drive to neocortical layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons after experimental stroke. Domain V's effects were inhibited by blockade of α2β1 integrin, suggesting the importance of α2β1 integrin to neurogenesis and domain V neurogenic effects. Our results demonstrate that perlecan plays a previously unrecognized role in post-stroke neurogenesis and that delayed DV administration after experimental stroke enhances neurogenesis and improves recovery in an α2β1 integrin-mediated fashion. We conclude that domain V is a clinically relevant neuroprotective and neuroreparative novel stroke therapy with a broad therapeutic window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Trout
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Michael P Kahle
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Jill M Roberts
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Aileen Marcelo
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Leon de Hoog
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Jeffery A Boychuk
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Stephen L Grupke
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Antonio Berretta
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Center and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Emma K Gowing
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Center and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Carie R Boychuk
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Amanda A Gorman
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Danielle N Edwards
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Ibolya Rutkai
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Ifechukwude J Biose
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | | | - Masafumi Ihara
- Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan
| | - Bret N Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Andrew N Clarkson
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Center and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Gregory J Bix
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
- Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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22
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DNA methyltransferase- and histone deacetylase-mediated epigenetic alterations induced by low-level methylmercury exposure disrupt neuronal development. Arch Toxicol 2021; 95:1227-1239. [PMID: 33454822 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-021-02984-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a chemical substance that causes adverse effects on fetal development. However, the molecular mechanisms by which environmental MeHg affects fetal development have not been clarified. Recently, it has been suggested that the toxic effects of chemicals on fetal development are related alterations in epigenetics, such as DNA methylation and histone modification. In order to analyze the epigenetic effects of low-level MeHg exposure on neuronal development, we evaluated neuronal development both in vivo and in vitro. Pregnant mice (C57BL/6J) were orally administrated 3 mg/kg of MeHg once daily from embryonic day 12-14. Fetuses were removed on embryonic day 19 and brain tissues were collected. LUHMES cells were treated with 1 nM of MeHg for 6 days and collected on the last day of treatment. In both in vivo and in vitro samples, MeHg significantly suppressed neurite outgrowth. Decreased acetylated histone H3 (AcH3) levels and increased histone deacetylase (HDAC) 3 and HDAC6 levels were observed in response to MeHg treatment in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. In addition, increased DNA methylation and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) levels were observed in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. The inhibition of neurite outgrowth resulting from MeHg exposure was restored by co-treatment with DNMT inhibitor or HDAC inhibitors. Our results suggest that neurological effects such as reduced neurite outgrowth due to low-level MeHg exposure result from epigenetic changes, including a decrease in AcH3 via increased HDAC levels and an increase in DNA methylation via increased DNMT1 levels.
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23
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Rosca A, Coronel R, Moreno M, González R, Oniga A, Martín A, López V, González MDC, Liste I. Impact of environmental neurotoxic: current methods and usefulness of human stem cells. Heliyon 2020; 6:e05773. [PMID: 33376823 PMCID: PMC7758368 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of central nervous system is a highly coordinated and complex process. Any alteration of this process can lead to disturbances in the structure and function of the brain, which can cause deficits in neurological development, resulting in neurodevelopmental disorders, including, for example, autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Exposure to certain chemicals during the fetal period and childhood is known to cause developmental neurotoxicity and has serious consequences that persist into adult life. For regulatory purposes, determination of the potential for developmental neurotoxicity is performed according the OECD Guideline 426, in which the test substance is administered to animals during gestation and lactation. However, these animal models are expensive, long-time consuming and may not reflect the physiology in humans; that makes it an unsustainable model to test the large amount of existing chemical products, hence alternative models to the use of animals are needed. One of the most promising methods is based on the use of stem cell technology. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with the ability to self-renew and differentiate into more specialized cell types. Because of these properties, these cells have gained increased attention as possible therapeutic agents or as disease models. Here, we provide an overview of the current models both animal and cellular, available to study developmental neurotoxicity and review in more detail the usefulness of human stem cells, their properties and how they are becoming an alternative to evaluate and study the mechanisms of action of different environmental toxicants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Rosca
- Unidad de Regeneración Neural, Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Toxicología Ambiental, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Coronel
- Unidad de Regeneración Neural, Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miryam Moreno
- Unidad de Regeneración Neural, Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa González
- Unidad de Biología Computacional, Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andreea Oniga
- Toxicología Ambiental, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Martín
- Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Raras (IIER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Victoria López
- Unidad de Biología Computacional, Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - María del Carmen González
- Toxicología Ambiental, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Liste
- Unidad de Regeneración Neural, Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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24
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Raposo RDS, Pinto DV, Moreira R, Dias RP, Fontes Ribeiro CA, Oriá RB, Malva JO. Methylmercury Impact on Adult Neurogenesis: Is the Worst Yet to Come From Recent Brazilian Environmental Disasters? Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:591601. [PMID: 33328968 PMCID: PMC7719787 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.591601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Worldwide environmental tragedies of anthropogenic origin causing massive release of metals and other pollutants have been increasing considerably. These pollution outbreaks affect the ecosystems and impact human health. Among those tragedies, recent large-scale environmental disasters in Brazil strongly affected riverside populations, leading to high-risk exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). MeHg is highly neurotoxic to the developing brain. This toxicant causes neural stem cell dysfunction and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. However, less is known about the effects of MeHg in the postnatal neurogenic niche, which harbors neural stem cells and their progeny, in the adult brain. Therefore, taking in consideration the impact of MeHg in human health it is urgent to clarify possible associations between exposure to mercury, accelerated cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative diseases. In this perspectives paper, we discuss the neurotoxic mechanisms of MeHg on postnatal neurogenesis and the putative implications associated with accelerated brain aging and early-onset cognitive decline in populations highly exposed to this environmental neurotoxicant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon da Silva Raposo
- Faculty of Medicine, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB) and Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Experimental Biology Core, Health Sciences Center, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Daniel Vieira Pinto
- Laboratory of Tissue Healing, Ontogeny and Nutrition, Department of Morphology, School of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Moreira
- Faculty of Medicine, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB) and Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ronaldo Pereira Dias
- Laboratory of Tissue Healing, Ontogeny and Nutrition, Department of Morphology, School of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Carlos Alberto Fontes Ribeiro
- Faculty of Medicine, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB) and Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Reinaldo Barreto Oriá
- Laboratory of Tissue Healing, Ontogeny and Nutrition, Department of Morphology, School of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - João Oliveira Malva
- Faculty of Medicine, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB) and Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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25
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Hypoxia-inducible factor-2α is crucial for proper brain development. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19146. [PMID: 33154420 PMCID: PMC7644612 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75838-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Sufficient tissue oxygenation is required for regular brain function; thus oxygen supply must be tightly regulated to avoid hypoxia and irreversible cell damage. If hypoxia occurs the transcription factor complex hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) will accumulate and coordinate adaptation of cells to hypoxia. However, even under atmospheric O2 conditions stabilized HIF-2α protein was found in brains of adult mice. Mice with a neuro-specific knockout of Hif-2α showed a reduction of pyramidal neurons in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a brain region responsible for a range of cognitive functions, including memory and navigation. Accordingly, behavioral studies showed disturbed cognitive abilities in these mice. In search of the underlying mechanisms for the specific loss of pyramidal cells in the RSC, we found deficits in migration in neural stem cells from Hif-2α knockout mice due to altered expression patterns of genes highly associated with neuronal migration and positioning.
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26
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Renner H, Grabos M, Becker KJ, Kagermeier TE, Wu J, Otto M, Peischard S, Zeuschner D, TsyTsyura Y, Disse P, Klingauf J, Leidel SA, Seebohm G, Schöler HR, Bruder JM. A fully automated high-throughput workflow for 3D-based chemical screening in human midbrain organoids. eLife 2020; 9:52904. [PMID: 33138918 PMCID: PMC7609049 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) culture systems have fueled hopes to bring about the next generation of more physiologically relevant high-throughput screens (HTS). However, current protocols yield either complex but highly heterogeneous aggregates (‘organoids’) or 3D structures with less physiological relevance (‘spheroids’). Here, we present a scalable, HTS-compatible workflow for the automated generation, maintenance, and optical analysis of human midbrain organoids in standard 96-well-plates. The resulting organoids possess a highly homogeneous morphology, size, global gene expression, cellular composition, and structure. They present significant features of the human midbrain and display spontaneous aggregate-wide synchronized neural activity. By automating the entire workflow from generation to analysis, we enhance the intra- and inter-batch reproducibility as demonstrated via RNA sequencing and quantitative whole mount high-content imaging. This allows assessing drug effects at the single-cell level within a complex 3D cell environment in a fully automated HTS workflow. In 1907, the American zoologist Ross Granville Harrison developed the first technique to artificially grow animal cells outside the body in a liquid medium. Cells are still grown in much the same way in modern laboratories: a single layer of cells is placed in a warm incubator with nutrient-rich broth. These cell layers are often used to test new drugs, but they cannot recapitulate the complexity of a real organ made from multiple cell types within a living, breathing human body. Growing three-dimensional miniature organs or 'organoids' that behave in a similar way to real organs is the next step towards creating better platforms for drug screening, but there are several difficulties inherent to this process. For one thing, it is hard to recreate the multitude of cell types that make up an organ. For another, the cells that do grow often fail to connect and communicate with each other in biologically realistic ways. It is also tough to grow a large number of organoids that all behave in the same way, making it hard to know whether a particular drug works or whether it is just being tested on a 'good' organoid. Renner et al. have been able to overcome these issues by using robotic technology to create thousands of identical, mid-brain organoids from human cells in the lab. The robots perform a series of precisely controlled tasks – including dispensing the initial cells into wells, feeding organoids as they grow and testing them at different stages of development. These mini-brains, which are the size of the head of a pin, mimic the part of the brain where Parkinson's disease first manifests. They can be used to test new drugs for Parkinson's, and to better understand the biology of the brain. Perhaps more importantly, other types of organoids can be created using the same technique to model diseases that affect other areas of the brain, or other organs altogether. For example, Renner et al. also generated forebrain organoids using an automated approach for both generation and analysis. This research, which shows that organoids can be grown and tested in a fully automated, reproducible and scalable way, creates a platform to quickly, cheaply and easily test thousands of drugs for Parkinson's and other difficult-to-treat diseases in a human setting. This approach has the potential to reduce research waste by increasing the chances that a drug that works in the lab will also ultimately work in a patient; and reduce animal experiments, as drugs that do not work in human tissues will not proceed to animal testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Renner
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Martha Grabos
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina J Becker
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Theresa E Kagermeier
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Jie Wu
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Research Group for RNA Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mandy Otto
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Stefan Peischard
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Dagmar Zeuschner
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Yaroslav TsyTsyura
- Cellular Biophysics Group, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Paul Disse
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Jürgen Klingauf
- Cellular Biophysics Group, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sebastian A Leidel
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Research Group for RNA Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Guiscard Seebohm
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hans R Schöler
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Jan M Bruder
- Department for Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
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27
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Barenys M, Illa M, Hofrichter M, Loreiro C, Pla L, Klose J, Kühne BA, Gómez-Catalán J, Braun JM, Crispi F, Gratacós E, Fritsche E. Rabbit neurospheres as a novel in vitro tool for studying neurodevelopmental effects induced by intrauterine growth restriction. Stem Cells Transl Med 2020; 10:209-221. [PMID: 33034168 PMCID: PMC7848321 DOI: 10.1002/sctm.20-0223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop a rabbit neurosphere culture to characterize differences in basic processes of neurogenesis induced by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). A novel in vitro neurosphere culture has been established using fresh or frozen neural progenitor cells from newborn (PND0) rabbit brains. After surgical IUGR induction in pregnant rabbits and cesarean section 5 days later, neural progenitor cells from both control and IUGR groups were isolated and directly cultured or frozen at −80°C. These neural progenitor cells spontaneously formed neurospheres after 7 days in culture. The ability of control and IUGR neurospheres to migrate, proliferate, differentiate to neurons, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes was compared and the possibility to modulate their responses was tested by exposure to several positive and negative controls. Neurospheres obtained from IUGR brains have a significant impairment in oligodendrocyte differentiation, whereas no significant differences are observed in other basic processes of neurogenesis. This impairment can be reverted by in vitro exposure of IUGR neurospheres to thyroid hormone, which is known to play an essential role in white matter maturation in vivo. Our new rabbit neurosphere model and the results of this study open the possibility to test several substances in vitro as neuroprotective candidates against IUGR induced neurodevelopmental damage while decreasing the number of animals and resources and allowing a more mechanistic approach at a cellular functional level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Barenys
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany.,GRET, INSA-UB and Toxicology Unit, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam Illa
- BCNatal-Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Fetal i+D Fetal Medicine Research Center, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maxi Hofrichter
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Carla Loreiro
- BCNatal-Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Fetal i+D Fetal Medicine Research Center, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Pla
- BCNatal-Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Fetal i+D Fetal Medicine Research Center, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jördis Klose
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Britta Anna Kühne
- GRET, INSA-UB and Toxicology Unit, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,BCNatal-Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Fetal i+D Fetal Medicine Research Center, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jesús Gómez-Catalán
- GRET, INSA-UB and Toxicology Unit, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jan Matthias Braun
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Fatima Crispi
- BCNatal-Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Fetal i+D Fetal Medicine Research Center, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eduard Gratacós
- BCNatal-Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Fetal i+D Fetal Medicine Research Center, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany
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28
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Wu YY, Chiu FL, Yeh CS, Kuo HC. Opportunities and challenges for the use of induced pluripotent stem cells in modelling neurodegenerative disease. Open Biol 2020; 9:180177. [PMID: 30958120 PMCID: PMC6367134 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.180177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases are among the most difficult human health conditions to model for drug development. Most genetic or toxin-induced cell and animal models cannot faithfully recapitulate pathology in disease-relevant cells, making it excessively challenging to explore the potential mechanisms underlying sporadic disease. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into disease-relevant neurons, providing an unparalleled platform for in vitro modelling and development of therapeutic strategies. Here, we review recent progress in generating Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease models from patient-derived iPSCs. We also describe novel discoveries of pathological mechanisms and drug evaluations that have used these patient iPSC-derived neuronal models. Additionally, current human iPSC technology allows researchers to model diseases with 3D brain organoids, which are more representative of tissue architecture than traditional neuronal cultures. We discuss remaining challenges and emerging opportunities for the use of three-dimensional brain organoids in modelling brain development and neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ying Wu
- 1 Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica , Taipei 11529 , Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Feng-Lan Chiu
- 1 Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica , Taipei 11529 , Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chan-Shien Yeh
- 1 Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica , Taipei 11529 , Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hung-Chih Kuo
- 1 Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica , Taipei 11529 , Taiwan, Republic of China.,2 Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica , Taipei 11529 , Taiwan, Republic of China.,3 Graduate Institute of Medical Genomics and Proteomics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University , Taipei , Taiwan, Republic of China
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29
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Masjosthusmann S, Siebert C, Hübenthal U, Bendt F, Baumann J, Fritsche E. Arsenite interrupts neurodevelopmental processes of human and rat neural progenitor cells: The role of reactive oxygen species and species-specific antioxidative defense. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 235:447-456. [PMID: 31272005 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic exposure disturbs brain development in humans. Although developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) of arsenic has been studied in vivo and in vitro, its mode-of-action (MoA) is not completely understood. Here, we characterize the adverse neurodevelopmental effects of sodium arsenite on developing human and rat neural progenitor cells (hNPC, rNPC). Moreover, we analyze the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the role of the glutathione (GSH)-dependent antioxidative defense for arsenite-induced DNT in a species-specific manner. We determined IC50 values for sodium arsenite-dependent (0.1-10 μM) inhibition of hNPC and rNPC migration (6.0 μM; >10 μM), neuronal (2.7 μM; 4.4 μM) and oligodendrocyte (1.1 μM; 2.0 μM) differentiation. ROS involvement was studied by quantifying the expression of ROS-regulated genes, measuring glutathione (GSH) levels, inhibiting GSH synthesis and co-exposing cells to the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. Arsenite reduces NPC migration, neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis of differentiating hNPC and rNPC at sub-cytotoxic concentrations. Species-specific arsenite cytotoxicity and induction of antioxidative gene expression is inversely related to GSH levels with rNPC possessing >3-fold the amount of GSH than hNPC. Inhibition of GSH synthesis increased the sensitivity towards arsenite in rNPC > hNPC. N-acetylcysteine antagonized arsenite-mediated induction of HMOX1 expression as well as reduction of neuronal and oligodendrocyte differentiation in hNPC suggesting involvement of oxidative stress in arsenite DNT. hNPC are more sensitive towards arsenite-induced neurodevelopmental toxicity than rNPC, probably due to their lower antioxidative defense capacities. This species-specific MoA data might be useful for adverse outcome pathway generation and future integrated risk assessment strategies concerning DNT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Masjosthusmann
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Clara Siebert
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ulrike Hübenthal
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Farina Bendt
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Jenny Baumann
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany; Heinrich-Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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30
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Birch H, Kramer NI, Mayer P. Time-Resolved Freely Dissolved Concentrations of Semivolatile and Hydrophobic Test Chemicals in In Vitro Assays-Measuring High Losses and Crossover by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction. Chem Res Toxicol 2019; 32:1780-1790. [PMID: 31426631 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.9b00133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
In vitro assays are normally conducted in plastic multiwell plates open to exchange with the ambient air. The concentration of test substances freely available to cells is often not known, can change over time, and is difficult to measure in the small volumes in microplates. However, even a well-characterized toxicological response is of limited value if it cannot be linked to a well-defined exposure level. The aim of this study was to develop and apply an approach for determining time-resolved freely dissolved concentrations of semivolatile and hydrophobic organic chemicals (SVHOCs) in in vitro assays: (1) free fractions were measured by a new medium dilution method and (2) time-resolved loss curves were obtained by measurements of total concentrations in 96-well plates during incubations at 37 °C. Headspace solid-phase microextraction was used as an analytical technique for 24 model chemicals spanning 6 chemical groups and 4-5 orders of magnitude in Kow and Kaw. Free fractions were >30% for chemicals with log Kow < 3.5 and then decreased with increasing log Kow. Medium concentrations declined significantly (>50%) within 24 h of incubation for all 20 chemicals having log Kow > 4 or log Kaw > -3.5 in serum-free medium. Losses of chemicals were lower for medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, most significantly for chemicals with log Kow > 4. High crossover to neighboring wells also was observed below log Kow of 4 and log Kaw of -3.5. Sealing the well plates had limited effect on the losses but clearly reduced crossover. The high losses and crossover of most tested chemicals question the suitability of multiwell plates for in vitro testing of SVHOCs and call for (1) test systems that minimize losses, (2) methods to control in vitro exposure, (3) analytical confirmation of exposure, and (4) exposure control and confirmation being included in good in vitro reporting standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Birch
- Department of Environmental Engineering , Technical University of Denmark , Bygningstorvet, Building 115 , 2800 Kongens Lyngby , Denmark
| | - Nynke I Kramer
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences , Utrecht University , 3508 TC Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | - Philipp Mayer
- Department of Environmental Engineering , Technical University of Denmark , Bygningstorvet, Building 115 , 2800 Kongens Lyngby , Denmark
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31
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Li J, Settivari R, LeBaron MJ, Marty MS. An industry perspective: A streamlined screening strategy using alternative models for chemical assessment of developmental neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicology 2019; 73:17-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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32
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Raciti M, Salma J, Spulber S, Gaudenzi G, Khalajzeyqami Z, Conti M, Anderlid BM, Falk A, Hermanson O, Ceccatelli S. NRXN1 Deletion and Exposure to Methylmercury Increase Astrocyte Differentiation by Different Notch-Dependent Transcriptional Mechanisms. Front Genet 2019; 10:593. [PMID: 31316548 PMCID: PMC6610538 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Controversial evidence points to a possible involvement of methylmercury (MeHg) in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the present study, we used human neuroepithelial stem cells from healthy donors and from an autistic patient bearing a bi-allelic deletion in the gene encoding for NRXN1 to evaluate whether MeHg would induce cellular changes comparable to those seen in cells derived from the ASD patient. In healthy cells, a subcytotoxic concentration of MeHg enhanced astroglial differentiation similarly to what observed in the diseased cells (N1), as shown by the number of GFAP positive cells and immunofluorescence signal intensity. In both healthy MeHg-treated and N1 untreated cells, aberrations in Notch pathway activity seemed to play a critical role in promoting the differentiation toward glia. Accordingly, treatment with the established Notch inhibitor DAPT reversed the altered differentiation. Although our data are not conclusive since only one of the genes involved in ASD is considered, the results provide novel evidence suggesting that developmental exposure to MeHg, even at subcytotoxic concentrations, induces alterations in astroglial differentiation similar to those observed in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilena Raciti
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jahan Salma
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stefan Spulber
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Giulia Gaudenzi
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Mirko Conti
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Britt-Marie Anderlid
- Centre for Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Falk
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ola Hermanson
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sandra Ceccatelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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33
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Yildirimer L, Zhang Q, Kuang S, Cheung CWJ, Chu KA, He Y, Yang M, Zhao X. Engineering three-dimensional microenvironments towards
in vitro
disease models of the central nervous system. Biofabrication 2019; 11:032003. [DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ab17aa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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34
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Liang S, Yin N, Faiola F. Human Pluripotent Stem Cells as Tools for Predicting Developmental Neural Toxicity of Chemicals: Strategies, Applications, and Challenges. Stem Cells Dev 2019; 28:755-768. [PMID: 30990109 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2019.0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The human central nervous system (CNS) is very sensitive to perturbations, since it performs sophisticated biological processes and requires cooperation from multiple neural cell types. Subtle interference from exogenous chemicals, such as environmental pollutants, industrial chemicals, drug components, food additives, and cosmetic constituents, may initiate severe developmental neural toxicity (DNT). Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-based neural differentiation assays provide effective and promising tools to help evaluate potential DNT caused by those toxicants. In fact, the specification of neural lineages in vitro recapitulates critical CNS developmental processes, such as patterning, differentiation, neurite outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and myelination. Hence, the established protocols to generate a repertoire of neural derivatives from hPSCs greatly benefit the in vitro evaluation of DNT. In this review, we first dissect the various differentiation protocols inducing neural cells from hPSCs, with an emphasis on the signaling pathways and endpoint markers defining each differentiation stage. We then highlight the studies with hPSC-based protocols predicting developmental neural toxicants, and discuss remaining challenges. We hope this review can provide insights for the further progress of DNT studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengxian Liang
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,2 College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Nuoya Yin
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,2 College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Francesco Faiola
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,2 College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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35
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Kühne BA, Puig T, Ruiz-Martínez S, Crous-Masó J, Planas M, Feliu L, Cano A, García ML, Fritsche E, Llobet JM, Gómez-Catalán J, Barenys M. Comparison of migration disturbance potency of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) synthetic analogs and EGCG PEGylated PLGA nanoparticles in rat neurospheres. Food Chem Toxicol 2019; 123:195-204. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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36
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Culture of human neurospheres in 3D scaffolds for developmental neurotoxicity testing. Toxicol In Vitro 2018; 52:106-115. [PMID: 29883730 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2018.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Human neural progenitor cells cultured as neurospheres are a promising tool for developmental neurotoxicity testing in vitro. In order to obtain a human cell-based tissue culture system as close to the organ as possible, it is desirable to improve the spatial organization of the "Neurosphere Assay" and use 3D scaffolds to better mimic the in vivo three dimensional cell microenvironment. For this reason we have established the conditions for short-term culture (up to 6 days) in matrigel or in IKVAV-3 peptide-functionalized hydrogels, and for long-term culture (>25 days) in IKVAV-3 peptide-functionalized hydrogels showing that these conditions support human neural progenitor cells' migration, differentiation to neurons and formation of neuronal networks. Moreover, we assessed if neurospheres grown in 3D scaffolds allow for developmental neurotoxicity compound testing. At concentrations not affecting cell viability the known developmental neurotoxic compound MeHgCl inhibits migration of human neural progenitor cells grown in 3D scaffolds with a higher potency than when the same cells are cultured on a laminin-coated surface as secondary 3D structures. Thus, this work opens the door to functional assessment of compound effects on short- and long-term cultured human neurospheres embedded in 3D scaffolds for developmental neurotoxicity testing.
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37
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Go S, Kurita H, Matsumoto K, Hatano M, Inden M, Hozumi I. Methylmercury causes epigenetic suppression of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene in an in vitro neuronal differentiation model. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 502:435-441. [PMID: 29856999 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.05.162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is the causative substance of Minamata disease, which is associated with various neurological disorders such as sensory disturbance and ataxia. It has been suggested low-level dietary intake of MeHg from MeHg-containing fish during gestation adversely affects the fetus. In our study, we investigated the toxicological effects of MeHg exposure on neuronal differentiation focusing on epigenetics. We used human fetal brain-derived immortalized cells (LUHMES cells) as a human neuronal differentiation model. Cell viability, neuronal, and catecholamine markers in LUHMES cells were assessed after exposure to MeHg (0-1000 nM) for 6 days (from day 2 to day 8 of neuronal differentiation). Cell viability on day 8 was not affected by exposure to 1 nM MeHg for 6 days. mRNA levels of AADC, DBH, TUJ1, and SYN1 also were unaffected by MeHg exposure. In contrast, levels of TH, the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine synthesis, were significantly decreased after MeHg exposure. Acetylated histone H3, acetylated histone H3 lysine 9, and tri-methyl histone H3 lysine 9 levels at the TH gene promoter were not altered by MeHg exposure. However, tri-methylation of histone H3 lysine 27 levels, related to transcriptional repression, were significantly increased at the TH gene promotor after MeHg exposure. In summary, MeHg exposure during neuronal differentiation led to epigenetic changes that repressed TH gene expression. This study provides useful insights into the toxicological mechanisms underlying the effects of developmental MeHg exposure during neuronal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzuna Go
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi Gifu City, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Hisaka Kurita
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi Gifu City, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Kana Matsumoto
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi Gifu City, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Manami Hatano
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi Gifu City, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Inden
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi Gifu City, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Isao Hozumi
- Laboratory of Medical Therapeutics and Molecular Therapeutics, Department Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi Gifu City, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan.
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38
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Masjosthusmann S, Becker D, Petzuch B, Klose J, Siebert C, Deenen R, Barenys M, Baumann J, Dach K, Tigges J, Hübenthal U, Köhrer K, Fritsche E. A transcriptome comparison of time-matched developing human, mouse and rat neural progenitor cells reveals human uniqueness. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2018; 354:40-55. [PMID: 29753005 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
It is widely accepted that human brain development has unique features that cannot be represented by rodents. Obvious reasons are the evolutionary distance and divergent physiology. This might lead to false predictions when rodents are used for safety or pharmacological efficacy studies. For a better translation of animal-based research to the human situation, human in vitro systems might be useful. In this study, we characterize developing neural progenitor cells from prenatal human and time-matched rat and mouse brains by analyzing the changes in their transcriptome profile during neural differentiation. Moreover, we identify hub molecules that regulate neurodevelopmental processes like migration and differentiation. Consequences of modulation of three of those hubs on these processes were studied in a species-specific context. We found that although the gene expression profiles of the three species largely differ qualitatively and quantitatively, they cluster in similar GO terms like cell migration, gliogenesis, neurogenesis or development of multicellular organism. Pharmacological modulation of the identified hub molecules triggered species-specific cellular responses. This study underlines the importance of understanding species differences on the molecular level and advocates the use of human based in vitro models for pharmacological and toxicological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Masjosthusmann
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Daniel Becker
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany
| | - Barbara Petzuch
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Jördis Klose
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Clara Siebert
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Rene Deenen
- Biological and Medical Research Centre (BMFZ), Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Marta Barenys
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Jenny Baumann
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany
| | - Katharina Dach
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany; Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | - Julia Tigges
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Ulrike Hübenthal
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Karl Köhrer
- Biological and Medical Research Centre (BMFZ), Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany; Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, NRW, Germany.
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39
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Characterization of 3D embryonic C57BL/6 and A/J mouse midbrain micromass in vitro culture systems for developmental neurotoxicity testing. Toxicol In Vitro 2018; 48:33-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2017.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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40
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Hessel EVS, Staal YCM, Piersma AH. Design and validation of an ontology-driven animal-free testing strategy for developmental neurotoxicity testing. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2018; 354:136-152. [PMID: 29544899 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2018.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Developmental neurotoxicity entails one of the most complex areas in toxicology. Animal studies provide only limited information as to human relevance. A multitude of alternative models have been developed over the years, providing insights into mechanisms of action. We give an overview of fundamental processes in neural tube formation, brain development and neural specification, aiming at illustrating complexity rather than comprehensiveness. We also give a flavor of the wealth of alternative methods in this area. Given the impressive progress in mechanistic knowledge of human biology and toxicology, the time is right for a conceptual approach for designing testing strategies that cover the integral mechanistic landscape of developmental neurotoxicity. The ontology approach provides a framework for defining this landscape, upon which an integral in silico model for predicting toxicity can be built. It subsequently directs the selection of in vitro assays for rate-limiting events in the biological network, to feed parameter tuning in the model, leading to prediction of the toxicological outcome. Validation of such models requires primary attention to coverage of the biological domain, rather than classical predictive value of individual tests. Proofs of concept for such an approach are already available. The challenge is in mining modern biology, toxicology and chemical information to feed intelligent designs, which will define testing strategies for neurodevelopmental toxicity testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen V S Hessel
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and The Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Yvonne C M Staal
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and The Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Aldert H Piersma
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and The Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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41
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Bal-Price A, Hogberg HT, Crofton KM, Daneshian M, FitzGerald RE, Fritsche E, Heinonen T, Hougaard Bennekou S, Klima S, Piersma AH, Sachana M, Shafer TJ, Terron A, Monnet-Tschudi F, Viviani B, Waldmann T, Westerink RHS, Wilks MF, Witters H, Zurich MG, Leist M. Recommendation on test readiness criteria for new approach methods in toxicology: Exemplified for developmental neurotoxicity. ALTEX-ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION 2018; 35:306-352. [PMID: 29485663 DOI: 10.14573/altex.1712081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Multiple non-animal-based test methods have never been formally validated. In order to use such new approach methods (NAMs) in a regulatory context, criteria to define their readiness are necessary. The field of developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) testing is used to exemplify the application of readiness criteria. The costs and number of untested chemicals are overwhelming for in vivo DNT testing. Thus, there is a need for inexpensive, high-throughput NAMs, to obtain initial information on potential hazards, and to allow prioritization for further testing. A background on the regulatory and scientific status of DNT testing is provided showing different types of test readiness levels, depending on the intended use of data from NAMs. Readiness criteria, compiled during a stakeholder workshop, uniting scientists from academia, industry and regulatory authorities are presented. An important step beyond the listing of criteria, was the suggestion for a preliminary scoring scheme. On this basis a (semi)-quantitative analysis process was assembled on test readiness of 17 NAMs with respect to various uses (e.g. prioritization/screening, risk assessment). The scoring results suggest that several assays are currently at high readiness levels. Therefore, suggestions are made on how DNT NAMs may be assembled into an integrated approach to testing and assessment (IATA). In parallel, the testing state in these assays was compiled for more than 1000 compounds. Finally, a vision is presented on how further NAM development may be guided by knowledge of signaling pathways necessary for brain development, DNT pathophysiology, and relevant adverse outcome pathways (AOP).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bal-Price
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EC JRC), Ispra (VA), Italy
| | - Helena T Hogberg
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin M Crofton
- National Centre for Computational Toxicology, US EPA, RTP, Washington, NC, USA
| | - Mardas Daneshian
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, CAAT-Europe, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Rex E FitzGerald
- Swiss Centre for Human Applied Toxicology, SCAHT, University of Basle, Switzerland
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine & Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tuula Heinonen
- Finnish Centre for Alternative Methods (FICAM), University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
| | | | - Stefanie Klima
- In vitro Toxicology and Biomedicine, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Aldert H Piersma
- RIVM, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, and Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Magdalini Sachana
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, France
| | - Timothy J Shafer
- National Centre for Computational Toxicology, US EPA, RTP, Washington, NC, USA
| | | | - Florianne Monnet-Tschudi
- Swiss Centre for Human Applied Toxicology, SCAHT, University of Basle, Switzerland.,Department of Physiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Viviani
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Tanja Waldmann
- In vitro Toxicology and Biomedicine, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Remco H S Westerink
- Neurotoxicology Research Group, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Martin F Wilks
- Swiss Centre for Human Applied Toxicology, SCAHT, University of Basle, Switzerland
| | - Hilda Witters
- VITO, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Environmental Risk and Health, Mol, Belgium
| | - Marie-Gabrielle Zurich
- Swiss Centre for Human Applied Toxicology, SCAHT, University of Basle, Switzerland.,Department of Physiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Leist
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, CAAT-Europe, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,In vitro Toxicology and Biomedicine, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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42
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Langhans SA. Three-Dimensional in Vitro Cell Culture Models in Drug Discovery and Drug Repositioning. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:6. [PMID: 29410625 PMCID: PMC5787088 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 891] [Impact Index Per Article: 148.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug development is a lengthy and costly process that proceeds through several stages from target identification to lead discovery and optimization, preclinical validation and clinical trials culminating in approval for clinical use. An important step in this process is high-throughput screening (HTS) of small compound libraries for lead identification. Currently, the majority of cell-based HTS is being carried out on cultured cells propagated in two-dimensions (2D) on plastic surfaces optimized for tissue culture. At the same time, compelling evidence suggests that cells cultured in these non-physiological conditions are not representative of cells residing in the complex microenvironment of a tissue. This discrepancy is thought to be a significant contributor to the high failure rate in drug discovery, where only a low percentage of drugs investigated ever make it through the gamut of testing and approval to the market. Thus, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technologies that more closely resemble in vivo cell environments are now being pursued with intensity as they are expected to accommodate better precision in drug discovery. Here we will review common approaches to 3D culture, discuss the significance of 3D cultures in drug resistance and drug repositioning and address some of the challenges of applying 3D cell cultures to high-throughput drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrid A. Langhans
- Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research and Nemours Center for Neuroscience Research, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, United States
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43
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Hofrichter M, Nimtz L, Tigges J, Kabiri Y, Schröter F, Royer-Pokora B, Hildebrandt B, Schmuck M, Epanchintsev A, Theiss S, Adjaye J, Egly JM, Krutmann J, Fritsche E. Comparative performance analysis of human iPSC-derived and primary neural progenitor cells (NPC) grown as neurospheres in vitro. Stem Cell Res 2017; 25:72-82. [PMID: 29112887 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2017.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) testing performed in rats is resource-intensive (costs, time, animals) and bears the issue of species extrapolation. Thus, reliable alternative human-based approaches are needed for predicting neurodevelopmental toxicity. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) represent a basis for an alternative method possibly being part of an alternative DNT testing strategy. Here, we compared two hiPSC neural induction protocols resulting in 3D neurospheres: one using noggin and one cultivating cells in neural induction medium (NIM protocol). Performance of Nestin+/SOX2+ hiPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) was compared to primary human NPCs. Generally, primary hNPCs first differentiate into Nestin+ and/or GFAP+ radial glia-like cells, while the hiPSC-derived NPCs (hiPSC-NPC) first differentiate into βIII-Tubulin+ neurons suggesting an earlier developmental stage of hiPSC-NPC. In the 'Neurosphere Assay', NIM generated hiPSC-NPC produced neurons with higher performance than with the noggin protocol. After long-term differentiation, hiPSC-NPC form neuronal networks, which become electrically active on microelectrode arrays after 85days. Finally, methylmercury chloride inhibits hiPSC-NPC and hNPC migration with similar potencies. hiPSC-NPCs-derived neurospheres seem to be useful for DNT evaluation representing early neural development in vitro. More system characterization by compound testing is needed to gain higher confidence in this method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxi Hofrichter
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Laura Nimtz
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Tigges
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Yaschar Kabiri
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Friederike Schröter
- Institute for Stem Cell Research & Regenerative Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Brigitte Royer-Pokora
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Barbara Hildebrandt
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin Schmuck
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Alexey Epanchintsev
- Department of Functional Genomics and Cancer, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire: IGBMC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, INSERUM, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Stephan Theiss
- Institute of clinical neuroscience and medical psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - James Adjaye
- Institute for Stem Cell Research & Regenerative Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Jean-Marc Egly
- Department of Functional Genomics and Cancer, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire: IGBMC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, INSERUM, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean Krutmann
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany; Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany; Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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44
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Gliga AR, Edoff K, Caputo F, Källman T, Blom H, Karlsson HL, Ghibelli L, Traversa E, Ceccatelli S, Fadeel B. Cerium oxide nanoparticles inhibit differentiation of neural stem cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9284. [PMID: 28839176 PMCID: PMC5570910 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09430-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) display antioxidant properties and have shown cytoprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we explored the effects of nanoceria on neural progenitor cells using the C17.2 murine cell line as a model. First, we assessed the effects of nanoceria versus samarium (Sm) doped nanoceria on cell viability in the presence of the prooxidant, DMNQ. Both particles were taken up by cells and nanoceria, but not Sm-doped nanoceria, elicited a temporary cytoprotective effect upon exposure to DMNQ. Next, we employed RNA sequencing to explore the transcriptional responses induced by nanoceria or Sm-doped nanoceria during neuronal differentiation. Detailed computational analyses showed that nanoceria altered pathways and networks relevant for neuronal development, leading us to hypothesize that nanoceria inhibits neuronal differentiation, and that nanoceria and Sm-doped nanoceria both interfere with cytoskeletal organization. We confirmed that nanoceria reduced neuron specific β3-tubulin expression, a marker of neuronal differentiation, and GFAP, a neuroglial marker. Furthermore, using super-resolution microscopy approaches, we could show that both particles interfered with cytoskeletal organization and altered the structure of neural growth cones. Taken together, these results reveal that nanoceria may impact on neuronal differentiation, suggesting that nanoceria could pose a developmental neurotoxicity hazard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anda R Gliga
- Division of Molecular Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karin Edoff
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fanny Caputo
- Department of Biology, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy
| | - Thomas Källman
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Bioinformatics Infrastructure for Life Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hans Blom
- Science for Life Laboratory, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Hanna L Karlsson
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lina Ghibelli
- Department of Biology, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Traversa
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy
- International Research Center for Renewable Energy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Sandra Ceccatelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bengt Fadeel
- Division of Molecular Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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45
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Edoff K, Raciti M, Moors M, Sundström E, Ceccatelli S. Gestational Age and Sex Influence the Susceptibility of Human Neural Progenitor Cells to Low Levels of MeHg. Neurotox Res 2017; 32:683-693. [PMID: 28756503 PMCID: PMC5602033 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-017-9786-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 07/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The developing nervous system is highly susceptible to methylmercury (MeHg), a widespread environmental neurotoxic contaminant. A wide range of morphological and functional outcomes have been described; however, there are still open questions regarding the mechanisms behind the developmental neurotoxic effects induced by low-level exposure. In the present study, we have examined the effects of nanomolar concentrations of MeHg on primary fetal human progenitor cells (hNPCs) with special focus on the role played by developmental stage and sex on the neurotoxic outcome. We found that neurospheres derived from earlier gestational time points exhibit higher susceptibility to MeHg, as they undergo apoptosis at a much lower dose (25 nM) as compared to neurospheres established from older fetuses (100 nM). At subapoptotic concentrations (10 nM), MeHg inhibited neuronal differentiation and maturation of hNPCs, as shown by a reduced number of Tuj1-positive cells and a visible reduction in neurite extension and cell migration, associated with a misregulation of Notch1 and BDNF signaling pathways. Interestingly, cells derived from male fetuses showed more severe alterations of neuronal morphology as compared to cells from females, indicating that the MeHg-induced impairment of neurite extension and cell migration is sex-dependent. Accordingly, the expression of the CDKL5 gene, a major factor regulating neurite outgrowth, was significantly more downregulated in male-derived cells. Altogether, gestational age and sex appear to be critical factors influencing in vitro hNPC sensitivity to low levels of MeHg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Edoff
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marilena Raciti
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Michaela Moors
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Erik Sundström
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Geriatrik-lab plan 5, SE-141 52, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Sandra Ceccatelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
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46
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Combination of multiple neural crest migration assays to identify environmental toxicants from a proof-of-concept chemical library. Arch Toxicol 2017; 91:3613-3632. [PMID: 28477266 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-017-1977-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many in vitro tests have been developed to screen for potential neurotoxicity. However, only few cell function-based tests have been used for comparative screening, and thus experience is scarce on how to confirm and evaluate screening hits. We addressed these questions for the neural crest cell migration test (cMINC). After an initial screen, a hit follow-up strategy was devised. A library of 75 compounds plus internal controls (NTP80-list), assembled by the National Toxicology Program of the USA (NTP) was used. It contained some known classes of (developmental) neurotoxic compounds. The primary screen yielded 23 confirmed hits, which comprised ten flame retardants, seven pesticides and six drug-like compounds. Comparison of concentration-response curves for migration and viability showed that all hits were specific. The extent to which migration was inhibited was 25-90%, and two organochlorine pesticides (DDT, heptachlor) were most efficient. In the second part of this study, (1) the cMINC assay was repeated under conditions that prevent proliferation; (2) a transwell migration assay was used as a different type of migration assay; (3) cells were traced to assess cell speed. Some toxicants had largely varying effects between assays, but each hit was confirmed in at least one additional test. This comparative study allows an estimate on how confidently the primary hits from a cell function-based screen can be considered as toxicants disturbing a key neurodevelopmental process. Testing of the NTP80-list in more assays will be highly interesting to assemble a test battery and to build prediction models for developmental toxicity.
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47
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Application of advanced preclinical models and methods in anesthetic neurotoxicity research. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2017; 61:1-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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48
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Dach K, Bendt F, Huebenthal U, Giersiefer S, Lein PJ, Heuer H, Fritsche E. BDE-99 impairs differentiation of human and mouse NPCs into the oligodendroglial lineage by species-specific modes of action. Sci Rep 2017; 7:44861. [PMID: 28317842 PMCID: PMC5357893 DOI: 10.1038/srep44861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are bioaccumulating flame retardants causing developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) in humans and rodents. Their DNT effects are suspected to involve thyroid hormone (TH) signaling disruption. Here, we tested the hypothesis whether disturbance of neural progenitor cell (NPC) differentiation into the oligodendrocyte lineage (O4+ cells) by BDE-99 involves disruption of TH action in human and mouse (h,m)NPCs. Therefore, we quantified differentiation of NPCs into O4+ cells and measured their maturation via expression of myelin-associated genes (hMBP, mMog) in presence and absence of TH and/or BDE-99. T3 promoted O4+ cell differentiation in mouse, but not hNPCs, and induced hMBP/mMog gene expression in both species. BDE-99 reduced generation of human and mouse O4+ cells, but there is no indication for BDE-99 interfering with cellular TH signaling during O4+ cell formation. BDE-99 reduced hMBP expression due to oligodendrocyte reduction, but concentrations that did not affect the number of mouse O4+ cells inhibited TH-induced mMog transcription by a yet unknown mechanism. In addition, ascorbic acid antagonized only the BDE-99-dependent loss of human, not mouse, O4+ cells by a mechanism probably independent of reactive oxygen species. These data point to species-specific modes of action of BDE-99 on h/mNPC development into the oligodendrocyte lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Dach
- IUF- Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Farina Bendt
- IUF- Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ulrike Huebenthal
- IUF- Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Susanne Giersiefer
- IUF- Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Pamela J Lein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Heike Heuer
- IUF- Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF- Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
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49
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Schmuck MR, Temme T, Dach K, de Boer D, Barenys M, Bendt F, Mosig A, Fritsche E. Omnisphero: a high-content image analysis (HCA) approach for phenotypic developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) screenings of organoid neurosphere cultures in vitro. Arch Toxicol 2016; 91:2017-2028. [DOI: 10.1007/s00204-016-1852-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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50
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Functional metabolic interactions of human neuron-astrocyte 3D in vitro networks. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33285. [PMID: 27619889 PMCID: PMC5020407 DOI: 10.1038/srep33285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The generation of human neural tissue-like 3D structures holds great promise for disease modeling, drug discovery and regenerative medicine strategies. Promoting the establishment of complex cell-cell interactions, 3D culture systems enable the development of human cell-based models with increased physiological relevance, over monolayer cultures. Here, we demonstrate the establishment of neuronal and astrocytic metabolic signatures and shuttles in a human 3D neural cell model, namely the glutamine-glutamate-GABA shuttle. This was indicated by labeling of neuronal GABA following incubation with the glia-specific substrate [2-(13)C]acetate, which decreased by methionine sulfoximine-induced inhibition of the glial enzyme glutamine synthetase. Cell metabolic specialization was further demonstrated by higher pyruvate carboxylase-derived labeling in glutamine than in glutamate, indicating its activity in astrocytes and not in neurons. Exposure to the neurotoxin acrylamide resulted in intracellular accumulation of glutamate and decreased GABA synthesis. These results suggest an acrylamide-induced impairment of neuronal synaptic vesicle trafficking and imbalanced glutamine-glutamate-GABA cycle, due to loss of cell-cell contacts at synaptic sites. This work demonstrates, for the first time to our knowledge, that neural differentiation of human cells in a 3D setting recapitulates neuronal-astrocytic metabolic interactions, highlighting the relevance of these models for toxicology and better understanding the crosstalk between human neural cells.
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