A flexible 3D microelectrode array (3DMEA) device was developed that non-invasively interrogates electrophysiology of 3D in vitro neuronal cultures.

The brain’s extracellular matrix (ECM) is a macromolecular network composed of glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and fibrous proteins. In vitro studies often use purified ECM proteins for cell culture coatings, however these may not represent the molecular complexity and heterogeneity of the brain’s ECM. To address this, we compared neural network activity (over 30 days in vitro) from primary neurons co-cultured with glia grown on ECM coatings from decellularized brain tissue (bECM) or MaxGel, a non-tissue-specific ECM. Cells were grown on a multi-electrode array (MEA) to enable noninvasive long-term interrogation of neuronal networks. In general, the presence of ECM accelerated the formation of networks without affecting the inherent network properties. However, specific features of network activity were dependent on the type of ECM: bECM enhanced network activity over a greater region of the MEA whereas MaxGel increased network burst rate associated with robust synaptophysin expression. These differences in network activity were not attributable to cellular composition, glial proliferation, or astrocyte phenotypes, which remained constant across experimental conditions. Collectively, the addition of ECM to neuronal cultures represents a reliable method to accelerate the development of mature neuronal networks, providing a means to enhance throughput for routine evaluation of neurotoxins and novel therapeutics.

Nanofiber scaffolds have been useful for engineering tissues derived from mesenchymal cells, but few studies have investigated their applicability for epithelial cell-derived tissues. In this study, we generated nanofiber (250 nm) or microfiber (1200 nm) scaffolds via electrospinning from the polymer, poly-L-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). Cell-scaffold contacts were visualized using fluorescent immunocytochemistry and laser scanning confocal microscopy. Focal adhesion (FA) proteins, such as phosphorylated FAK (Tyr397), paxillin (Tyr118), talin and vinculin were localized to FA complexes in adult cells grown on planar surfaces but were reduced and diffusely localized in cells grown on nanofiber surfaces, similar to the pattern observed in adult mouse salivary gland tissues. Significant differences in epithelial cell morphology and cell clustering were also observed and quantified, using image segmentation and computational cell-graph analyses. No statistically significant differences in scaffold stiffness between planar PLGA film controls compared to nanofibers scaffolds were detected using nanoindentation with atomic force microscopy, indicating that scaffold topography rather than mechanical properties accounts for changes in cell attachments and cell structure. Finally, PLGA nanofiber scaffolds could support the spontaneous self-organization and branching of dissociated embryonic salivary gland cells. Nanofiber scaffolds may therefore have applicability in the future for engineering an artificial salivary gland.

Prevailing commercialized cardiac platforms for in vitro drug development utilize planar microelectrode arrays to map action potentials, or impedance sensing to record contraction in real time, but cannot record both functions on the same chip with high spatial resolution. Here we report a novel cardiac platform that can record cardiac tissue adhesion, electrophysiology, and contractility on the same chip. The platform integrates two independent yet interpenetrating sensor arrays: a microelectrode array for field potential readouts and an interdigitated electrode array for impedance readouts. Together, these arrays provide real-time, non-invasive data acquisition of both cardiac electrophysiology and contractility under physiological conditions and under drug stimuli. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes were cultured as a model system, and used to validate the platform with an excitation-contraction decoupling chemical. Preliminary data using the platform to investigate the effect of the drug norepinephrine are combined with computational efforts. This platform provides a quantitative and predictive assay system that can potentially be used for comprehensive assessment of cardiac toxicity earlier in the drug discovery process.

There is a need for an artificial salivary gland as a long-term remedy for patients suffering from salivary hypofunction, a leading cause of chronic xerostomia (dry mouth). Current salivary gland tissue engineering approaches are limited in that they either lack sufficient physical cues and surface area needed to facilitate epithelial cell differentiation, or they fail to provide a mechanism for assembling an interconnected branched network of cells. We have developed highly-ordered arrays of curved hemispherical “craters” in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using wafer-level integrated circuit (IC) fabrication processes, and lined them with electrospun poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanofibers, designed to mimic the three-dimensional (3-D) in vivo architecture of the basement membrane surrounding spherical acini of salivary gland epithelial cells. These micropatterned scaffolds provide a method for engineering increased surface area and were additionally investigated for their ability to promote cell polarization. Two immortalized salivary gland cell lines (SIMS, ductal and Par-C10, acinar) were cultured on fibrous crater arrays of various radii and compared with those grown on flat PLGA nanofiber substrates, and in 3-D Matrigel. It was found that by increasing crater curvature, the average height of the cell monolayer of SIMS cells and to a lesser extent, Par-C10 cells, increased to a maximum similar to that seen in cells grown in 3-D Matrigel. Increasing curvature resulted in higher expression levels of tight junction protein occludin in both cell lines, but did not induce a change in expression of adherens junction protein Ecadherin. Additionally, increasing curvature promoted polarity of both cell lines, as a greater apical localization of occludin was seen in cells on substrates of higher curvature. Lastly, substrate curvature increased expression of the water channel protein aquaporin-5 (Aqp-5) in Par-C10 cells, suggesting that curved nanofiber substrates are more suitable for promoting differentiation of salivary gland cells.

Epithelial cell types typically lose apicobasal polarity when cultured on 2D substrates, but apicobasal polarity is required for directional secretion by secretory cells, such as salivary gland acinar cells. We cultured salivary gland epithelial cells on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanofiber scaffolds that mimic the basement membrane, a specialized extracellular matrix, and examined cell proliferation and apicobasal polarization. Although cells proliferated on nanofibers, chitosan-coated nanofiber scaffolds stimulated proliferation of salivary gland epithelial cells. Although apicobasal cell polarity was promoted by the nanofiber scaffolds relative to flat surfaces, as determined by the apical localization of ZO-1, it was antagonized by the presence of chitosan. Neither salivary gland acinar nor ductal cells fully polarized on the nanofiber scaffolds, as determined by the homogenous membrane distribution of the mature tight junction marker, occludin. However, nanofiber scaffolds chemically functionalized with the basement membrane protein, laminin-111, promoted more mature tight junctions, as determined by apical localization of occludin but did not affect cell proliferation. To emulate the multifunctional capabilities of the basement membrane, bifunctional PLGA nanofibers were generated. Both acinar and ductal cell lines responded to signals provided by bifunctional scaffolds coupled to chitosan and laminin-111, demonstrating the applicability of such scaffolds for epithelial cell types.

Background Electrospun nanofibers have been utilized in many biomedical applications as biomimetics of extracellular matrix proteins that promote self-organization of cells into 3D tissue constructs. As progress towards an artificial salivary gland tissue construct, we prepared nanofiber scaffolds using PLGA, a biodegradable and biocompatible material. Method of Approach We used electrospinning to prepare nanofiber scaffolds using PLGA with both DMF and HFIP as solvents. Using a design of experiment (DOE) approach, system and process parameters were optimized concurrently and their effects on the diameter of the resulting fibers were computed into a single model. A transfer function was used to reproducibly produce nanofibers of a defined diameter, which was confirmed by SEM. The mouse salivary gland epithelial cell line, SIMS, was seeded on the nanofiber scaffolds, and morphology, cell proliferation, and viability were assayed. Results Varying two or more parameters simultaneously yielded trends diverging from the linear response predicted by previous studies. Comparison of two solvents revealed that the diameter of PLGA nanofibers generated using HFIP is less sensitive to changes in the system and process parameters than are fibers generated using DMF. Inclusion of NaCl reduced morphological inconsistencies and minimized process variability. The resulting nanofiber scaffolds supported attachment, survival and cell proliferation of a mouse salivary gland epithelial cell line. In comparison with glass and flat PLGA films, the nanofibers promoted self-organization of the salivary gland cells into 3D cell clusters, or aggregates. Conclusions These data indicate that nanofiber scaffolds promote salivary gland cell organization, and suggest that a nanofiber scaffold could provide a platform for engineering of an artificial salivary gland tissue construct. This study additionally provides a method for efficient production of nanofiber scaffolds for general application in tissue engineering.

In vitro brain-on-a-chip platforms hold promise in many areas including: drug discovery, evaluating effects of toxicants and pathogens, and disease modelling. A more accurate recapitulation of the intricate organization of the brain in vivo may require a complex in vitro system including organization of multiple neuronal cell types in an anatomically-relevant manner. Most approaches for compartmentalizing or segregating multiple cell types on microfabricated substrates use either permanent physical surface features or chemical surface functionalization. This study describes a removable insert that successfully deposits neurons from different brain areas onto discrete regions of a microelectrode array (MEA) surface, achieving a separation distance of 100 μm. The regional seeding area on the substrate is significantly smaller than current platforms using comparable placement methods. The non-permanent barrier between cell populations allows the cells to remain localized and attach to the substrate while the insert is in place and interact with neighboring regions after removal. The insert was used to simultaneously seed primary rodent hippocampal and cortical neurons onto MEAs. These cells retained their morphology, viability, and function after seeding through the cell insert through 28 days in vitro (DIV). Co-cultures of the two neuron types developed processes and formed integrated networks between the different MEA regions. Electrophysiological data demonstrated characteristic bursting features and waveform shapes that were consistent for each neuron type in both mono- and co-culture. Additionally, hippocampal cells co-cultured with cortical neurons showed an increase in within-burst firing rate (p = 0.013) and percent spikes in bursts (p = 0.002), changes that imply communication exists between the two cell types in co-culture. The cell seeding insert described in this work is a simple but effective method of separating distinct neuronal populations on microfabricated devices, and offers a unique approach to developing the types of complex in vitro cellular environments required for anatomically-relevant brain-on-a-chip devices.