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Tong ZB, Huang R, Braisted J, Chu PH, Simeonov A, Gerhold DL. 3D-Suspension culture platform for high throughput screening of neurotoxic chemicals using LUHMES dopaminergic neurons. SLAS Discov 2024; 29:100143. [PMID: 38280460 PMCID: PMC11056300 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2024.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture in vitro promises to improve representation of neuron physiology in vivo. This inspired development of a 3D culture platform for LUHMES (Lund Human Mesencephalic) dopaminergic neurons for high-throughput screening (HTS) of chemicals for neurotoxicity. Three culture platforms, adhesion (2D-monolayer), 3D-suspension, and 3D-shaken, were compared to monitor mRNA expression of seven neuronal marker genes, DCX, DRD2, ENO2, NEUROD4, SYN1, TH, and TUBB3. These seven marker genes reached similar maxima in all three formats, with the two 3D platforms showing similar kinetics, whereas several markers peaked earlier in 2D adhesion compared to both 3D culture platforms. The differentiated LUHMES (dLUHMES) neurons treated with ziram, methylmercury or thiram dynamically increased expression of metallothionein biomarker genes MT1G, MT1E and MT2A at 6 h. These gene expression increases were generally more dynamic in 2D adhesion cultures than in 3D cultures, but were generally comparable between 3D-suspension and 3D-u plate (low binding) platforms. Finally, we adapted 3D-suspension culture of dLUHMES and neural stem cells to 1536 well plates with a HTS cytotoxicity assay. This HTS assay revealed that cytotoxicity IC50 values were not significantly different between adhesion and 3D-suspension platforms for 31 of 34 (91%) neurotoxicants tested, whereas IC50 values were significantly different for at least two toxicants. In summary, the 3D-suspension culture platform for LUHMES dopaminergic neurons supported full differentiation and reproducible assay results, enabling quantitative HTS (qHTS) for cytotoxicity in 1536 well format with a Robust Z' score of 0.68.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Bin Tong
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, United States
| | - Ruili Huang
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, United States
| | - John Braisted
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, United States
| | - Pei-Hsuan Chu
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, United States
| | - Anton Simeonov
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, United States
| | - David L Gerhold
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, United States.
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Van Broeckhoven J, Erens C, Sommer D, Scheijen E, Sanchez S, Vidal PM, Dooley D, Van Breedam E, Quarta A, Ponsaerts P, Hendrix S, Lemmens S. Macrophage-based delivery of interleukin-13 improves functional and histopathological outcomes following spinal cord injury. J Neuroinflammation 2022; 19:102. [PMID: 35488301 PMCID: PMC9052547 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-022-02458-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spinal cord injury (SCI) elicits a robust neuroinflammatory reaction which, in turn, exacerbates the initial mechanical damage. Pivotal players orchestrating this response are macrophages (Mφs) and microglia. After SCI, the inflammatory environment is dominated by pro-inflammatory Mφs/microglia, which contribute to secondary cell death and prevent regeneration. Therefore, reprogramming Mφ/microglia towards a more anti-inflammatory and potentially neuroprotective phenotype has gained substantial therapeutic interest in recent years. Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a potent inducer of such an anti-inflammatory phenotype. In this study, we used genetically modified Mφs as carriers to continuously secrete IL-13 (IL-13 Mφs) at the lesion site. METHODS Mφs were genetically modified to secrete IL-13 (IL-13 Mφs) and were phenotypically characterized using qPCR, western blot, and ELISA. To analyze the therapeutic potential, the IL-13 Mφs were intraspinally injected at the perilesional area after hemisection SCI in female mice. Functional recovery and histopathological improvements were evaluated using the Basso Mouse Scale score and immunohistochemistry. Neuroprotective effects of IL-13 were investigated using different cell viability assays in murine and human neuroblastoma cell lines, human neurospheroids, as well as murine organotypic brain slice cultures. RESULTS In contrast to Mφs prestimulated with recombinant IL-13, perilesional transplantation of IL-13 Mφs promoted functional recovery following SCI in mice. This improvement was accompanied by reduced lesion size and demyelinated area. The local anti-inflammatory shift induced by IL-13 Mφs resulted in reduced neuronal death and fewer contacts between dystrophic axons and Mφs/microglia, suggesting suppression of axonal dieback. Using IL-4Rα-deficient mice, we show that IL-13 signaling is required for these beneficial effects. Whereas direct neuroprotective effects of IL-13 on murine and human neuroblastoma cell lines or human neurospheroid cultures were absent, IL-13 rescued murine organotypic brain slices from cell death, probably by indirectly modulating the Mφ/microglia responses. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our data suggest that the IL-13-induced anti-inflammatory Mφ/microglia phenotype can preserve neuronal tissue and ameliorate axonal dieback, thereby promoting recovery after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Van Broeckhoven
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Céline Erens
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Daniela Sommer
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Elle Scheijen
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Selien Sanchez
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Pia M Vidal
- Neuroimmunology and Regeneration of the Central Nervous System Unit, Biomedical Science Research Laboratory, Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, 4090541, Concepción, Chile
| | - Dearbhaile Dooley
- School of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.,UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Elise Van Breedam
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Alessandra Quarta
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Peter Ponsaerts
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Sven Hendrix
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Stefanie Lemmens
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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Van Breedam E, Nijak A, Buyle-Huybrecht T, Di Stefano J, Boeren M, Govaerts J, Quarta A, Swartenbroekx T, Jacobs EZ, Menten B, Gijsbers R, Delputte P, Alaerts M, Hassannia B, Loeys B, Berneman Z, Timmermans JP, Jorens PG, Vanden Berghe T, Fransen E, Wouters A, De Vos WH, Ponsaerts P. Luminescent Human iPSC-Derived Neurospheroids Enable Modeling of Neurotoxicity After Oxygen-glucose Deprivation. Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:550-569. [PMID: 35289376 PMCID: PMC9226265 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-022-01212-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the considerable impact of stroke on both the individual and on society, a neuroprotective therapy for stroke patients is missing. This is partially due to the current lack of a physiologically relevant human in vitro stroke model. To address this problem, we have developed a luminescent human iPSC-derived neurospheroid model that enables real-time read-out of neural viability after ischemia-like conditions. We subjected 1- and 4-week-old neurospheroids, generated from iPSC-derived neural stem cells, to 6 h of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and measured neurospheroid luminescence. For both, we detected a decrease in luminescent signal due to ensuing neurotoxicity, as confirmed by conventional LDH assay and flow cytometric viability analysis. Remarkably, 1-week-old, but not 4-week-old neurospheroids recovered from OGD-induced injury, as evidenced by their reduced but overall increasing luminescence over time. This underscores the need for more mature neurospheroids, more faithfully recapitulating the in vivo situation. Furthermore, treatment of oxygen- and glucose-deprived neurospheroids with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK did not increase overall neural survival, despite its successful attenuation of apoptosis, in a human-based 3D environment. Nevertheless, owing to its three-dimensional organization and real-time viability reporting potential, the luminescent neurospheroids may become readily adopted in high-throughput screens aimed at identification of new therapeutic agents to treat acute ischemic stroke patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Van Breedam
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Aleksandra Nijak
- Cardiogenomics Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Tamariche Buyle-Huybrecht
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Julia Di Stefano
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Marlies Boeren
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jonas Govaerts
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Alessandra Quarta
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Tine Swartenbroekx
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Eva Z Jacobs
- Center for Medical Genetics Ghent, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Björn Menten
- Center for Medical Genetics Ghent, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Rik Gijsbers
- Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Viral Vector Core (LVVC), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Maaike Alaerts
- Cardiogenomics Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Behrouz Hassannia
- Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), VIB-UGent, 9052, Zwijnaarde, Belgium
- Laboratory of Pathophysiology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Bart Loeys
- Cardiogenomics Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Zwi Berneman
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Philippe G Jorens
- Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics (LEMP), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Tom Vanden Berghe
- Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), VIB-UGent, 9052, Zwijnaarde, Belgium
- Laboratory of Pathophysiology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Erik Fransen
- StatUa Center for Statistics, University of Antwerp, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
- Human Molecular Genetics group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - An Wouters
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Winnok H De Vos
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Peter Ponsaerts
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
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Choi SK, Kim JH, Park JK, Lee KM, Kim E, Jeon WB. Cytotoxicity and inhibition of intercellular interaction in N2a neurospheroids by perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Food Chem Toxicol 2013; 60:520-9. [PMID: 23948355 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.07.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Revised: 07/17/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) on the neuronal lineage marker expression, cell-cell interaction, caspase-3 mRNA transcription and reactive oxygen species production by N2a neuronal cells were assesses in 3-dimensional (3D) spheroid cultures, and the cytotoxicity were thoroughly compared with those of a conventional 2D monolayer-based toxicity assay. Increasing concentrations of PFOA or PFOS resulted in an increase in cell death. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations measured with spheroids were approximately one and a half times greater than the respective values for monolayer cells. Necrosis was prevalent in spheroids regardless of the dose, whereas the major injury mechanism in monolayers was dependent on compound concentration. Both PFOA and PFOS inhibited neuronal, astrocyte and oligodendrocyte marker gene expression by monolayers and spheroids grown under undifferentiated and all-trans-retinoic acid-induced differentiating conditions. In the presence of PFOA or PFOS, expression levels of E-cadherin and connexin-43 mRNAs were significantly downregulated, and spheroids were dissociated into single cell populations, indicating that the compounds affect the synthesis of E-cadherin and connexin-43 at the transcriptional level. Results from 3D cultures may provide an insight into potential inhibitory mode of action on gap junctional intercellular communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Kyoon Choi
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Cellular Engineering, Division of NanoBio Technology, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu 711-873, South Korea
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