Establishing an effective three-dimensional(3D) in vitro culture system to better model human neurological diseases is desirable, since the human brain is a 3D structure. Here, we demonstrated the development of a pol...Establishing an effective three-dimensional(3D) in vitro culture system to better model human neurological diseases is desirable, since the human brain is a 3D structure. Here, we demonstrated the development of a polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) pillar-based 3D scaffold that mimicked the 3D microenvironment of the brain. We utilized this scaffold for the growth of human cortical glutamatergic neurons that were differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells. In comparison with the 2D culture, we demonstrated that the developed 3D culture promoted the maturation of human cortical glutamatergic neurons by showing significantly more MAP2 and less Ki67 expression. Based on this 3D culture system,we further developed an in vitro disease-like model of traumatic brain injury(TBI), which showed a robust increase of glutamate-release from the neurons, in response to mechanical impacts, recapitulating the critical pathology of TBI. The increased glutamate-release from our 3D culture model was attenuated by the treatment of neural protective drugs, memantine or nimodipine. The established 3D in vitro human neural culture system and TBI-like model may be used to facilitate mechanistic studies and drug screening for neurotrauma or other neurological diseases.展开更多
The research of TiO2 nanotubes(TNTs)in the field of biomedicine has been increasingly active.However,given the diversity of the nanoscale dimension and controversial reports,our understanding of the structure-property...The research of TiO2 nanotubes(TNTs)in the field of biomedicine has been increasingly active.However,given the diversity of the nanoscale dimension and controversial reports,our understanding of the structure-property relationships of TNTs is not yet complete.In this paper,gradient TNTs with a wide diameter range of 20-350 nm were achieved by bipolar electrochemistry and utilized for a thorough high-throughput study of the effect of nanotube dimension and crystalline phase on protein adsorption and cell behaviors.Results indicated that protein adsorption escalated with nanotube dimension whereas cell proliferation and differentiation are preferred on small diameter(<70 nm)nanotubes.Large diameter anatase nanotubes had higher adsorption of serum proteins than as-prepared ones.But only as-prepared small diameter nanotubes presented slightly higher cell proliferation than corresponding annealed nanotubes whereas there was no discernible difference between as-prepared and annealed nanotubes on cell differentiation for the entire gradient.Those findings replenish previous research about how cell responses to TNTs with a wide diameter range and provide scientific guidance for the optimal design of biomedical materials.展开更多
Neural cells differentiated from pluripotent stem cells(PSCs), including both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, provide a powerful tool for drug screening, disease modeling and regenerative medi...Neural cells differentiated from pluripotent stem cells(PSCs), including both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, provide a powerful tool for drug screening, disease modeling and regenerative medicine. High-purity oligodendrocyte progenitor cells(OPCs) and neural progenitor cells(NPCs) have been derived from PSCs recently due to the advancements in understanding the developmental signaling pathways. Extracellular matrices(ECM) have been shown to play important roles in regulating the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of neural cells. To improve the function and maturation of the derived neural cells from PSCs, understanding the effects of ECM over the course of neural differentiation of PSCs is critical. During neural differentiation of PSCs, the cells are sensitive to the properties of natural or synthetic ECMs, including biochemical composition, biomechanical properties, and structural/topographical features. This review summarizes recent advances in neural differentiation of humanPSCs into OPCs and NPCs, focusing on the role of ECM in modulating the composition and function of the differentiated cells. Especially, the importance of using three-dimensional ECM scaffolds to simulate the in vivo microenvironment for neural differentiation of PSCs is highlighted. Future perspectives including the immediate applications of PSC-derived neural cells in drug screening and disease modeling are also discussed.展开更多
Over the past few decades,high-throughput screening(HTS)has made great contributions to new drug discovery.HTS technology is equipped with higher throughput,minimized platforms,more automated and computerized operatin...Over the past few decades,high-throughput screening(HTS)has made great contributions to new drug discovery.HTS technology is equipped with higher throughput,minimized platforms,more automated and computerized operating systems,more efficient and sensitive detection devices,and rapid data processing systems.At the same time,in vitro neurogenesis is gradually becoming important in establishing models to investigate the mechanisms of neural disease or developmental processes.However,challenges remain in generating more mature and functional neurons with specific subtypes and in establishing robust and standardized three-dimensional(3D)in vitro models with neural cells cultured in 3D matrices or organoids representing specific brain regions.Here,we review the applications of HTS technologies on in vitro neurogenesis,especially aiming at identifying the essential genes,chemical small molecules and adaptive microenvironments that hold great prospects for generating functional neurons or more reproductive and homogeneous 3D organoids.We also discuss the developmental tendency of HTS technology,e.g.,so-called next-generation screening,which utilizes 3D organoid-based screening combined with microfluidic devices to narrow the gap between in vitro models and in vivo situations both physiologically and pathologically.展开更多
The purpose of this study was to establish a drug screening method for small molecules extracted from traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) that have neuronal differentiation promoting effects, using P19 embryonic carcin...The purpose of this study was to establish a drug screening method for small molecules extracted from traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) that have neuronal differentiation promoting effects, using P19 embryonic carcinoma cell as a cell-based model. First, the constructed plasmid(p Tα1-Luc) was transfected into P19 cells to establish a screening model. Second, several TCMs were screened using the established model and all-trans-retinoic acid as a positive control. Finally, the underlying molecular mechanism was explored using immunofluorescence staining, q T-PCR, and Western blot analysis. Our results indicated that the drug screen model was established successfully and that both honokiol and hyperoside induced P19 differentiation into neurons, with the possible molecular mechanism being modulating the Wnt signaling pathway. In conclusion, the drug screening model developed in the present study provides a rapid, cell-based screening platform for identifying natural compounds with neuronal differentiation effects.展开更多
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA16010306)the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants (91849117 and 81471301)+3 种基金Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1306703)The National Jiangsu Outstanding Young Investigator Program (BK20160044, China)Jiangsu Province’s Innovation Person (China)the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China Project (Grant No. 17KJB180010)
文摘Establishing an effective three-dimensional(3D) in vitro culture system to better model human neurological diseases is desirable, since the human brain is a 3D structure. Here, we demonstrated the development of a polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) pillar-based 3D scaffold that mimicked the 3D microenvironment of the brain. We utilized this scaffold for the growth of human cortical glutamatergic neurons that were differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells. In comparison with the 2D culture, we demonstrated that the developed 3D culture promoted the maturation of human cortical glutamatergic neurons by showing significantly more MAP2 and less Ki67 expression. Based on this 3D culture system,we further developed an in vitro disease-like model of traumatic brain injury(TBI), which showed a robust increase of glutamate-release from the neurons, in response to mechanical impacts, recapitulating the critical pathology of TBI. The increased glutamate-release from our 3D culture model was attenuated by the treatment of neural protective drugs, memantine or nimodipine. The established 3D in vitro human neural culture system and TBI-like model may be used to facilitate mechanistic studies and drug screening for neurotrauma or other neurological diseases.
基金the State Key Project of Research and Development(2016YFC1100300)National Natural Science Foundation of China(11904301,21773199)+1 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,China(2016A030310370)111 Project(B16029)。
文摘The research of TiO2 nanotubes(TNTs)in the field of biomedicine has been increasingly active.However,given the diversity of the nanoscale dimension and controversial reports,our understanding of the structure-property relationships of TNTs is not yet complete.In this paper,gradient TNTs with a wide diameter range of 20-350 nm were achieved by bipolar electrochemistry and utilized for a thorough high-throughput study of the effect of nanotube dimension and crystalline phase on protein adsorption and cell behaviors.Results indicated that protein adsorption escalated with nanotube dimension whereas cell proliferation and differentiation are preferred on small diameter(<70 nm)nanotubes.Large diameter anatase nanotubes had higher adsorption of serum proteins than as-prepared ones.But only as-prepared small diameter nanotubes presented slightly higher cell proliferation than corresponding annealed nanotubes whereas there was no discernible difference between as-prepared and annealed nanotubes on cell differentiation for the entire gradient.Those findings replenish previous research about how cell responses to TNTs with a wide diameter range and provide scientific guidance for the optimal design of biomedical materials.
基金Supported by FSU start up fund and FSU Research Foundation GAP awardpartial support from National Science Foundation,No.1342192
文摘Neural cells differentiated from pluripotent stem cells(PSCs), including both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, provide a powerful tool for drug screening, disease modeling and regenerative medicine. High-purity oligodendrocyte progenitor cells(OPCs) and neural progenitor cells(NPCs) have been derived from PSCs recently due to the advancements in understanding the developmental signaling pathways. Extracellular matrices(ECM) have been shown to play important roles in regulating the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of neural cells. To improve the function and maturation of the derived neural cells from PSCs, understanding the effects of ECM over the course of neural differentiation of PSCs is critical. During neural differentiation of PSCs, the cells are sensitive to the properties of natural or synthetic ECMs, including biochemical composition, biomechanical properties, and structural/topographical features. This review summarizes recent advances in neural differentiation of humanPSCs into OPCs and NPCs, focusing on the role of ECM in modulating the composition and function of the differentiated cells. Especially, the importance of using three-dimensional ECM scaffolds to simulate the in vivo microenvironment for neural differentiation of PSCs is highlighted. Future perspectives including the immediate applications of PSC-derived neural cells in drug screening and disease modeling are also discussed.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81870844,No.82001167 and No.82101394
文摘Over the past few decades,high-throughput screening(HTS)has made great contributions to new drug discovery.HTS technology is equipped with higher throughput,minimized platforms,more automated and computerized operating systems,more efficient and sensitive detection devices,and rapid data processing systems.At the same time,in vitro neurogenesis is gradually becoming important in establishing models to investigate the mechanisms of neural disease or developmental processes.However,challenges remain in generating more mature and functional neurons with specific subtypes and in establishing robust and standardized three-dimensional(3D)in vitro models with neural cells cultured in 3D matrices or organoids representing specific brain regions.Here,we review the applications of HTS technologies on in vitro neurogenesis,especially aiming at identifying the essential genes,chemical small molecules and adaptive microenvironments that hold great prospects for generating functional neurons or more reproductive and homogeneous 3D organoids.We also discuss the developmental tendency of HTS technology,e.g.,so-called next-generation screening,which utilizes 3D organoid-based screening combined with microfluidic devices to narrow the gap between in vitro models and in vivo situations both physiologically and pathologically.
基金supported by the China National Key Hi-Tech Innovation Project for the R&D of Novel Drugs(No.2009ZX09302)National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81271338)the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China(No.20130096110011)
文摘The purpose of this study was to establish a drug screening method for small molecules extracted from traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) that have neuronal differentiation promoting effects, using P19 embryonic carcinoma cell as a cell-based model. First, the constructed plasmid(p Tα1-Luc) was transfected into P19 cells to establish a screening model. Second, several TCMs were screened using the established model and all-trans-retinoic acid as a positive control. Finally, the underlying molecular mechanism was explored using immunofluorescence staining, q T-PCR, and Western blot analysis. Our results indicated that the drug screen model was established successfully and that both honokiol and hyperoside induced P19 differentiation into neurons, with the possible molecular mechanism being modulating the Wnt signaling pathway. In conclusion, the drug screening model developed in the present study provides a rapid, cell-based screening platform for identifying natural compounds with neuronal differentiation effects.
