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Hoven D, Inaoka M, McCoy R, Withers A, Owens RM, Malliaras GG. Simple dynamic cell culture system reduces recording noise in microelectrode array recordings. MRS COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 14:261-266. [PMID: 38966401 PMCID: PMC11219396 DOI: 10.1557/s43579-024-00554-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have applications in drug discovery, toxicology, and basic research. They measure the electrophysiological response of tissue cultures to quantify changes upon exposure to biochemical stimuli. Unfortunately, manual addition of chemicals introduces significant noise in the recordings. Here, we report a simple-to-fabricate fluidic system that addresses this issue. We show that cell cultures can be successfully established in the fluidic compartment under continuous flow conditions and that the addition of chemicals introduces minimal noise in the recordings. This dynamic cell culture system represents an improvement over traditional tissue culture wells used in MEAs, facilitating electrophysiology measurements. Graphical abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Darius Hoven
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FA UK
| | - Misaki Inaoka
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FA UK
| | - Reece McCoy
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0AS UK
| | - Aimee Withers
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0AS UK
| | - Róisín M. Owens
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0AS UK
| | - George G. Malliaras
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FA UK
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2
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Rousseau CR, Kumakli H, White RJ. Perspective-Assessing Electrochemical, Aptamer-Based Sensors for Dynamic Monitoring of Cellular Signaling. ECS SENSORS PLUS 2023; 2:042401. [PMID: 38152504 PMCID: PMC10750225 DOI: 10.1149/2754-2726/ad15a1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical, aptamer-based (E-AB) sensors provide a generalizable strategy to quantitatively detect a variety of targets including small molecules and proteins. The key signaling attributes of E-AB sensors (sensitivity, selectivity, specificity, and reagentless and dynamic sensing ability) make them well suited to monitor dynamic processes in complex environments. A key bioanalytical challenge that could benefit from the detection capabilities of E-AB sensors is that of cell signaling, which involves the release of molecular messengers into the extracellular space. Here, we provide a perspective on why E-AB sensors are suited for this measurement, sensor requirements, and pioneering examples of cellular signaling measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste R. Rousseau
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States of America
| | - Hope Kumakli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States of America
| | - Ryan J. White
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States of America
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States of America
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3
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D'Amico D, Barone R, Di Felice V, Ances B, Prideaux B, Eugenin EA. Chronic brain damage in HIV-infected individuals under antiretroviral therapy is associated with viral reservoirs, sulfatide release, and compromised cell-to-cell communication. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:116. [PMID: 37016051 PMCID: PMC11071786 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04757-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
HIV infection has become a chronic and manageable disease due to the effective use of antiretroviral therapies (ART); however, several chronic aging-related comorbidities, including cognitive impairment, remain a major public health issue. However, these mechanisms are unknown. Here, we identified that glial and myeloid viral reservoirs are associated with local myelin damage and the release of several myelin components, including the lipid sulfatide. Soluble sulfatide compromised gap junctional communication and calcium wave coordination, essential for proper cognition. We propose that soluble sulfatide could be a potential biomarker and contributor to white matter compromise observed in HIV-infected individuals even in the current ART era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela D'Amico
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Research Building 17, Fifth Floor, 11Th Street, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Rosario Barone
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Valentina Di Felice
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Beau Ances
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brendan Prideaux
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Research Building 17, Fifth Floor, 11Th Street, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
| | - Eliseo A Eugenin
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Research Building 17, Fifth Floor, 11Th Street, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
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Lawson J, LaVancher E, DeAlmeida M, Black BJ. Electrically-evoked oscillating calcium transients in mono- and co-cultures of iPSC glia and sensory neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1094070. [PMID: 37006467 PMCID: PMC10060658 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1094070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Activated glia are known to exhibit either neuroprotective or neurodegenerative effects, depending on their phenotype, while participating in chronic pain regulation. Until recently, it has been believed that satellite glial cells and astrocytes are electrically slight and process stimuli only through intracellular calcium flux that triggers downstream signaling mechanisms. Though glia do not exhibit action potentials, they do express both voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels that facilitate measurable calcium transients, a measure of their own phenotypic excitability, and support and modulate sensory neuron excitability through ion buffering and secretion of excitatory or inhibitory neuropeptides (i.e., paracrine signaling). We recently developed a model of acute and chronic nociception using co-cultures of iPSC sensory neurons (SN) and spinal astrocytes on microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Until recently, only neuronal extracellular activity has been recorded using MEAs with a high signal-to-noise ratio and in a non-invasive manner. Unfortunately, this method has limited compatibility with simultaneous calcium transient imaging techniques, which is the most common method for monitoring the phenotypic activity of astrocytes. Moreover, both dye-based and genetically encoded calcium indicator imaging rely on calcium chelation, affecting the culture’s long-term physiology. Therefore, it would be ideal to allow continuous and simultaneous direct phenotypic monitoring of both SNs and astrocytes in a high-to-moderate throughput non-invasive manner and would significantly advance the field of electrophysiology. Here, we characterize astrocytic oscillating calcium transients (OCa2+Ts) in mono- and co-cultures of iPSC astrocytes as well as iPSC SN-astrocyte co-cultures on 48 well plate MEAs. We demonstrate that astrocytes exhibit OCa2+Ts in an electrical stimulus amplitude- and duration-dependent manner. We show that OCa2+Ts can be pharmacologically inhibited with the gap junction antagonist, carbenoxolone (100 μM). Most importantly, we demonstrate that both neurons and glia can be phenotypically characterized in real time, repeatedly, over the duration of the culture. In total, our findings suggest that calcium transients in glial populations may serve as a stand-alone or supplemental screening technique for identifying potential analgesics or compounds targeting other glia-mediated pathologies.
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Saracino E, Maiolo L, Polese D, Semprini M, Borrachero-Conejo AI, Gasparetto J, Murtagh S, Sola M, Tomasi L, Valle F, Pazzini L, Formaggio F, Chiappalone M, Hussain S, Caprini M, Muccini M, Ambrosio L, Fortunato G, Zamboni R, Convertino A, Benfenati V. A Glial-Silicon Nanowire Electrode Junction Enabling Differentiation and Noninvasive Recording of Slow Oscillations from Primary Astrocytes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 4:e1900264. [PMID: 32293156 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.201900264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The correct human brain function is dependent on the activity of non-neuronal cells called astrocytes. The bioelectrical properties of astrocytes in vitro do not closely resemble those displayed in vivo and the former are incapable of generating action potential; thus, reliable approaches in vitro for noninvasive electrophysiological recording of astrocytes remain challenging for biomedical engineering. Here it is found that primary astrocytes grown on a device formed by a forest of randomly oriented gold coated-silicon nanowires, resembling the complex structural and functional phenotype expressed by astrocytes in vivo. The device enables noninvasive extracellular recording of the slow-frequency oscillations generated by differentiated astrocytes, while flat electrodes failed on recording signals from undifferentiated cells. Pathophysiological concentrations of extracellular potassium, occurring during epilepsy and spreading depression, modulate the power of slow oscillations generated by astrocytes. A reliable approach to study the role of astrocytes function in brain physiology and pathologies is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Saracino
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luca Maiolo
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere n.100, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Davide Polese
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere n.100, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - M Semprini
- Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Rehab Technologies IIT-INAIL Lab, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genova, Italy
| | - Ana Isabel Borrachero-Conejo
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jacopo Gasparetto
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Murtagh
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Margherita Sola
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Tomasi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesco Valle
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luca Pazzini
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere n.100, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Francesco Formaggio
- Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie FaBit, University of Bologna, via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Michela Chiappalone
- Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Rehab Technologies IIT-INAIL Lab, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genova, Italy
| | - Saber Hussain
- US Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH, 45433, USA
| | - Marco Caprini
- Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie FaBit, University of Bologna, via San Donato 19/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Michele Muccini
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luigi Ambrosio
- Istituto per i Polimeri Composti e i Biomateriali, Viale J.F. Kennedy 54, Mostra d'Oltremare, Pad 20, 80125, Napoli, Italy
| | - Guglielmo Fortunato
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere n.100, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Roberto Zamboni
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Convertino
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere n.100, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Valentina Benfenati
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività, via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
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Borrachero‐Conejo AI, Saracino E, Natali M, Prescimone F, Karges S, Bonetti S, Nicchia GP, Formaggio F, Caprini M, Zamboni R, Mercuri F, Toffanin S, Muccini M, Benfenati V. Electrical Stimulation by an Organic Transistor Architecture Induces Calcium Signaling in Nonexcitable Brain Cells. Adv Healthc Mater 2019; 8:e1801139. [PMID: 30565894 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201801139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Organic bioelectronics have a huge potential to generate interfaces and devices for the study of brain functions and for the therapy of brain pathologies. In this context, increasing efforts are needed to develop technologies for monitoring and stimulation of nonexcitable brain cells, called astrocytes. Astroglial calcium signaling plays, indeed, a pivotal role in the physiology and pathophysiology of the brain. Here, the use of transparent organic cell stimulating and sensing transistor (O-CST) architecture, fabricated with N,N'-ditridecylperylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (P13), to elicit and monitor intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+ ]i ) in primary rat neocortical astrocytes is demonstrated. The transparency of O-CST allows performing calcium imaging experiments, showing that extracellular electrical stimulation of astrocytes induces a drastic increase in [Ca2+ ]i . Pharmacological studies indicate that transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily are critical mediators of the [Ca2+ ]i increase. Experimental and computational analyses show that [Ca2+ ]i response is enabled by the O-CST device architecture. Noteworthy, the extracellular field application induces a slight but significant increase in the cell volume. Collectively, it is shown that the O-CST is capable of selectively evoking astrocytes [Ca2+ ]i , paving the way to the development of organic bioelectronic devices as glial interfaces to excite and control physiology of non-neuronal brain cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Isabel Borrachero‐Conejo
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Emanuela Saracino
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Marco Natali
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Federico Prescimone
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Saskia Karges
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Simone Bonetti
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Grazia Paola Nicchia
- Prof. G. P. Nicchia Biotecnologie e Biofarmaceutica University of Bari Aldo Moro Via Orabona 4 70125 Bari Italy
| | - Francesco Formaggio
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie (FaBit) University of Bologna Via San Donato 15 Bologna 40129 Italy
| | - Marco Caprini
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie (FaBit) University of Bologna Via San Donato 15 Bologna 40129 Italy
| | - Roberto Zamboni
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Francesco Mercuri
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Stefano Toffanin
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Michele Muccini
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
| | - Valentina Benfenati
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF) Via Gobetti 101 40129 Bologna Italy
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