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Chu WY, Tsia KK. EuniceScope: Low-Cost Imaging Platform for Studying Microgravity Cell Biology. IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 4:204-211. [PMID: 38274779 PMCID: PMC10810312 DOI: 10.1109/ojemb.2023.3257991] [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: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Microgravity is proven to impact a wide range of human physiology, from stimulating stem cell differentiation to confounding cell health in bones, skeletal muscles, and blood cells. The research in this arena is progressively intensified by the increasing promises of human spaceflights. Considering the limited access to spaceflight, ground-based microgravity-simulating platforms have been indispensable for microgravity-biology research. However, they are generally complex, costly, hard to replicate and reconfigure - hampering the broad adoption of microgravity biology and astrobiology. To address these limitations, we developed a low-cost reconfigurable 3D-printed microscope coined EuniceScope to allow the democratization of astrobiology, especially for educational use. EuniceScope is a compact 2D clinostat system integrated with a modularized brightfield microscope, built upon 3D-printed toolbox. We demonstrated that this compact system offers plausible imaging quality and microgravity-simulating performance. Its high degree of reconfigurability thus holds great promise in the wide dissemination of microgravity-cell-biology research in the broader community, including Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational and scientific community in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing Yan Chu
- University of Hong KongHong Kong
- University of TorontoTorontoONM5SCanada
| | - Kevin K. Tsia
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of EngineeringUniversity of Hong KongHong Kong
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Tsiklin IL, Shabunin AV, Kolsanov AV, Volova LT. In Vivo Bone Tissue Engineering Strategies: Advances and Prospects. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14153222. [PMID: 35956735 PMCID: PMC9370883 DOI: 10.3390/polym14153222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstruction of critical-sized bone defects remains a tremendous challenge for surgeons worldwide. Despite the variety of surgical techniques, current clinical strategies for bone defect repair demonstrate significant limitations and drawbacks, including donor-site morbidity, poor anatomical match, insufficient bone volume, bone graft resorption, and rejection. Bone tissue engineering (BTE) has emerged as a novel approach to guided bone tissue regeneration. BTE focuses on in vitro manipulations with seed cells, growth factors and bioactive scaffolds using bioreactors. The successful clinical translation of BTE requires overcoming a number of significant challenges. Currently, insufficient vascularization is the critical limitation for viability of the bone tissue-engineered construct. Furthermore, efficacy and safety of the scaffolds cell-seeding and exogenous growth factors administration are still controversial. The in vivo bioreactor principle (IVB) is an exceptionally promising concept for the in vivo bone tissue regeneration in a predictable patient-specific manner. This concept is based on the self-regenerative capacity of the human body, and combines flap prefabrication and axial vascularization strategies. Multiple experimental studies on in vivo BTE strategies presented in this review demonstrate the efficacy of this approach. Routine clinical application of the in vivo bioreactor principle is the future direction of BTE; however, it requires further investigation for overcoming some significant limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya L. Tsiklin
- Biotechnology Center “Biotech”, Samara State Medical University, 443079 Samara, Russia
- City Clinical Hospital Botkin, Moscow Healthcare Department, 125284 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +7-903-621-81-88
| | - Aleksey V. Shabunin
- City Clinical Hospital Botkin, Moscow Healthcare Department, 125284 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexandr V. Kolsanov
- Biotechnology Center “Biotech”, Samara State Medical University, 443079 Samara, Russia
| | - Larisa T. Volova
- Biotechnology Center “Biotech”, Samara State Medical University, 443079 Samara, Russia
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Bernareggi A, Bosutti A, Massaria G, Giniatullin R, Malm T, Sciancalepore M, Lorenzon P. The State of the Art of Piezo1 Channels in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23126616. [PMID: 35743058 PMCID: PMC9224226 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Piezo1 channels are highly mechanically-activated cation channels that can sense and transduce the mechanical stimuli into physiological signals in different tissues including skeletal muscle. In this focused review, we summarize the emerging evidence of Piezo1 channel-mediated effects in the physiology of skeletal muscle, with a particular focus on the role of Piezo1 in controlling myogenic precursor activity and skeletal muscle regeneration and vascularization. The disclosed effects reported by pharmacological activation of Piezo1 channels with the selective agonist Yoda1 indicate a potential impact of Piezo1 channel activity in skeletal muscle regeneration, which is disrupted in various muscular pathological states. All findings reported so far agree with the idea that Piezo1 channels represent a novel, powerful molecular target to develop new therapeutic strategies for preventing or ameliorating skeletal muscle disorders characterized by an impairment of tissue regenerative potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Bernareggi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.B.); (G.M.); (M.S.); (P.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Alessandra Bosutti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.B.); (G.M.); (M.S.); (P.L.)
| | - Gabriele Massaria
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.B.); (G.M.); (M.S.); (P.L.)
| | - Rashid Giniatullin
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; (R.G.); (T.M.)
| | - Tarja Malm
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; (R.G.); (T.M.)
| | - Marina Sciancalepore
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.B.); (G.M.); (M.S.); (P.L.)
| | - Paola Lorenzon
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.B.); (G.M.); (M.S.); (P.L.)
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Takahashi H, Nakamura A, Shimizu T. Simulated microgravity accelerates aging of human skeletal muscle myoblasts at the single cell level. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 578:115-121. [PMID: 34562651 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Earth's gravity is essential for maintaining skeletal muscle mass and function in the body. The role of gravity in the myogenic mechanism has been studied with animal experiments in the International Space Station. Recently, gravity-control devices allow to study the effects of gravity on cultured cells on the ground. This study demonstrated that simulated microgravity accelerated aging of human skeletal muscle myoblasts in an in-vitro culture. The microgravity culture induced a significant decrease in cell proliferation and an enlargement of the cytoskeleton and nucleus of cells. Similar changes are often observed in aged myoblasts following several passages. In fact, by the microgravity culture the expression of senescence associated β-Gal was significantly enhanced, and some muscle-specific proteins decreased in the enlarged cells. Importantly, these microgravity effects remained with the cells even after a return to normal gravity conditions. Consequently, the microgravity-affected myoblasts demonstrated a reduced capability of differentiation into myotubes. In the body, it is difficult to interpret the disability of microgravity-affected myoblasts, since muscle regeneration is linked to the supply of new myogenic cells. Therefore, our in-vitro cell culture study will be advantageous to better understand the role of each type of myogenic cell in human muscle without gravitational stress at the single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hironobu Takahashi
- Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan.
| | - Asuka Nakamura
- Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Shimizu
- Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
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ElGindi M, Ibrahim IH, Sapudom J, Garcia-Sabate A, Teo JC. Engineered Microvessel for Cell Culture in Simulated Microgravity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126331. [PMID: 34199262 PMCID: PMC8231837 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As the number of manned space flights increase, studies on the effects of microgravity on the human body are becoming more important. Due to the high expense and complexity of sending samples into space, simulated microgravity platforms have become a popular way to study these effects on earth. In addition, simulated microgravity has recently drawn the attention of regenerative medicine by increasing cell differentiation capability. These platforms come with many advantages as well as limitations. A main limitation for usage of these platforms is the lack of high-throughput capability due to the use of large cell culture vessels. Therefore, there is a requirement for microvessels for microgravity platforms that limit waste and increase throughput. In this work, a microvessel for commercial cell culture plates was designed. Four 3D printable (polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA) and resin) and castable (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)) materials were assessed for biocompatibility with adherent and suspension cell types. PDMS was found to be the most suitable material for microvessel fabrication, long-term cell viability and proliferation. It also allows for efficient gas exchange, has no effect on cell culture media pH and does not induce hypoxic conditions. Overall, the designed microvessel can be used on simulated microgravity platforms as a method for long-term high-throughput biomedical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei ElGindi
- Laboratory for Immuno Bioengineering Research and Applications, Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates; (M.E.); (I.H.I.); (J.S.); (A.G.-S.)
| | - Ibrahim Hamed Ibrahim
- Laboratory for Immuno Bioengineering Research and Applications, Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates; (M.E.); (I.H.I.); (J.S.); (A.G.-S.)
| | - Jiranuwat Sapudom
- Laboratory for Immuno Bioengineering Research and Applications, Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates; (M.E.); (I.H.I.); (J.S.); (A.G.-S.)
| | - Anna Garcia-Sabate
- Laboratory for Immuno Bioengineering Research and Applications, Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates; (M.E.); (I.H.I.); (J.S.); (A.G.-S.)
| | - Jeremy C.M. Teo
- Laboratory for Immuno Bioengineering Research and Applications, Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates; (M.E.); (I.H.I.); (J.S.); (A.G.-S.)
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +971-2-6286689
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Zocchi M, Béchet D, Mazur A, Maier JA, Castiglioni S. Magnesium Influences Membrane Fusion during Myogenesis by Modulating Oxidative Stress in C2C12 Myoblasts. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13041049. [PMID: 33804939 PMCID: PMC8063816 DOI: 10.3390/nu13041049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnesium (Mg) is essential to skeletal muscle where it plays a key role in myofiber relaxation. Although the importance of Mg in the mature skeletal muscle is well established, little is known about the role of Mg in myogenesis. We studied the effects of low and high extracellular Mg in C2C12 myogenic differentiation. Non-physiological Mg concentrations induce oxidative stress in myoblasts. The increase of reactive oxygen species, which occurs during the early phase of the differentiation process, inhibits myoblast membrane fusion, thus impairing myogenesis. Therefore, correct Mg homeostasis, also maintained through a correct dietary intake, is essential to assure the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Zocchi
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Università di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy; (M.Z.); (J.A.M.)
| | - Daniel Béchet
- INRAE, UNH, Unitéde Nutrition Humaine, Université Clermont Auvergne, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (D.B.); (A.M.)
| | - André Mazur
- INRAE, UNH, Unitéde Nutrition Humaine, Université Clermont Auvergne, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (D.B.); (A.M.)
| | - Jeanette A. Maier
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Università di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy; (M.Z.); (J.A.M.)
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces (CIMaINa), Università di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Università di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy; (M.Z.); (J.A.M.)
- Correspondence:
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The Emerging Role of Macrophages in Immune System Dysfunction under Real and Simulated Microgravity Conditions. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052333. [PMID: 33652750 PMCID: PMC7956436 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In the process of exploring space, the astronaut's body undergoes a series of physiological changes. At the level of cellular behavior, microgravity causes significant alterations, including bone loss, muscle atrophy, and cardiovascular deconditioning. At the level of gene expression, microgravity changes the expression of cytokines in many physiological processes, such as cell immunity, proliferation, and differentiation. At the level of signaling pathways, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway participates in microgravity-induced immune malfunction. However, the mechanisms of these changes have not been fully elucidated. Recent studies suggest that the malfunction of macrophages is an important breakthrough for immune disorders in microgravity. As the first line of immune defense, macrophages play an essential role in maintaining homeostasis. They activate specific immune responses and participate in large numbers of physiological activities by presenting antigen and secreting cytokines. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent advances on the dysfunction of macrophages arisen from microgravity and to discuss the mechanisms of these abnormal responses. Hopefully, our work will contribute not only to the future exploration on the immune system in space, but also to the development of preventive and therapeutic drugs against the physiological consequences of spaceflight.
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