Institut für Chemie und Bioanalytik
Dauerhafte URI für die Sammlunghttps://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/24
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12 Ergebnisse
Ergebnisse nach Hochschule und Institut
Publikation A perfused in vitro human iPSC-derived blood–brain barrier faithfully mimics transferrin receptor-mediated transcytosis of therapeutic antibodies(Springer, 2023) Burgio, Floriana; Gaiser, Carine; Brady, Kevin; Gatta, Viviana; Class, Reiner; Schrage, Ramona; Suter-Dick, LauraDelivering biologics to elicit a therapeutic response in the central nervous system (CNS) remains challenging due to the presence of the blood brain barrier (BBB). Receptor-mediated transcytosis is a strategy to improve brain exposure after systemic drug administration. The availability of a clinically relevant in vitro BBB model is crucial to investigate transcytosis pathways and to predict the penetration of biologics into the CNS. We created a perfused human in vitro BBB model made of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) for studying transferrin receptor-mediated transcytosis. iPSC-derived BMEC were seeded in the top channel of a three-lane microfluidic device (OrganoPlate®). After 2 days in culture, the established cell model exhibited relevant BBB features, including physiological transendothelial electrical resistance in a transwell setting (1500 Ω*cm), reduced apparent permeability (Papp) to the fluorescence tracer Lucifer yellow (20-fold less than cell-free chips), expression of key BBB markers such as tight junctions proteins, transporters, receptors and functional P-gp efflux pump. Moreover, the model exhibited functional transferrin receptor-mediated uptake and transcytosis. To assess selective transferrin receptor-mediated transcytosis, a mixture of anti-human transferrin receptor (MEM-189) and control (sheep IgG anti-bovine serum albumin) antibodies was perfused in the top channel for 2 h. The Papp of MEM-189 was 11-fold higher than that of the control antibody, demonstrating facilitated receptor-mediated transcytosis. Compared to published work reporting a 2-fold ratio, this result is remarkable and establishes the suitability of our model for exploring receptor-mediated transcytosis and screening of antibodies for putative brain shuttle application. A perfused in vitro human model made of iPSC-derived BMEC with the chief characteristics (barrier tightness, functionality) of the human BBB can be applied to study transferrin receptor (TfR)-mediated transcytosis of therapeutic antibodies. This may bring critical advances in drug shuttle technology. Graphical abstract generated with biorender.com.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Electrospun decellularized extracellular matrix scaffolds promote the regeneration of injured neurons(Elsevier, 09/2023) Mungenast, Lena; Nieminen, Ronya; Gaiser, Carine; Faia-Torres, Ana Bela; Rühe, Jürgen; Suter-Dick, Laura01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Environmentally relevant UV-light weathering of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics promotes hepatotoxicity in a human cell line(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023) Englert, Felix H.; Mueller, Fabrice A.; Dugershaw-Kurzer, Battuja; Kissling, Vera M.; Boentges, Sarah; Gupta, Govind S.; Fontana, Gabriele A.; Diedrich, Sabine; Suter-Dick, Laura; Sturla, Shana J.; Buerki-Thurnherr, TinaEnvironmentally-relevant concentrations of UV-weathered polystyrene micro and nanoplastics induce hepatotoxicity and considerable changes in gene expression of liver disease-relevant pathways.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation In vitro to in vivo extrapolation and high-content imaging for simultaneous characterization of chemically induced liver steatosis and markers of hepatotoxicity(Springer, 12.04.2023) Müller, Fabrice A.; Stamou, Marianna; Englert, Felix H.; Frenzel, Ole; Diedrich, Sabine; Suter-Dick, Laura; Wambaugh, John F.; Sturla, Shana J.Chemically induced steatosis is characterized by lipid accumulation associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and nucleus distortion. New approach methods integrating in vitro and in silico models are needed to identify chemicals that may induce these cellular events as potential risk factors for steatosis and associated hepatotoxicity. In this study we used high-content imaging for the simultaneous quantification of four cellular markers as sentinels for hepatotoxicity and steatosis in chemically exposed human liver cells in vitro. Furthermore, we evaluated the results with a computational model for the extrapolation of human oral equivalent doses (OED). First, we tested 16 reference chemicals with known capacities to induce cellular alterations in nuclear morphology, lipid accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential and oxidative stress. Then, using physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling and reverse dosimetry, OEDs were extrapolated from data of any stimulated individual sentinel response. The extrapolated OEDs were confirmed to be within biologically relevant exposure ranges for the reference chemicals. Next, we tested 14 chemicals found in food, selected from thousands of putative chemicals on the basis of structure-based prediction for nuclear receptor activation. Amongst these, orotic acid had an extrapolated OED overlapping with realistic exposure ranges. Thus, we were able to characterize known steatosis-inducing chemicals as well as data-scarce food-related chemicals, amongst which we confirmed orotic acid to induce hepatotoxicity. This strategy addresses needs of next generation risk assessment and can be used as a first chemical prioritization hazard screening step in a tiered approach to identify chemical risk factors for steatosis and hepatotoxicity-associated events.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Apical medium flowiInfluences the morphology and physiology of human proximal tubular cells in a microphysiological system(MDPI, 30.09.2022) Specioso, Gabriele; Bovard, David; Zanetti, Filippo; Maranzano, Fabio; Merg, Céline; Sandoz, Antonin; Titz, Bjoern; Dalcanale, Federico; Hoeng, Julia; Renggli, Kasper; Suter-Dick, LauraThere is a lack of physiologically relevant in vitro human kidney models for disease modelling and detecting drug-induced effects given the limited choice of cells and difficulty implementing quasi-physiological culture conditions. We investigated the influence of fluid shear stress on primary human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTECs) cultured in the micro-physiological Vitrofluid device. This system houses cells seeded on semipermeable membranes and can be connected to a regulable pump that enables controlled, unidirectional flow. After 7 days in culture, RPTECs maintained physiological characteristics such as barrier integrity, protein uptake ability, and expression of specific transporters (e.g., aquaporin-1). Exposure to constant apical side flow did not cause cytotoxicity, cell detachment, or intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation. However, unidirectional flow profoundly affected cell morphology and led to primary cilia lengthening and alignment in the flow direction. The dynamic conditions also reduced cell proliferation, altered plasma membrane leakiness, increased cytokine secretion, and repressed histone deacetylase 6 and kidney injury molecule 1 expression. Cells under flow also remained susceptible to colistin-induced toxicity. Collectively, the results suggest that dynamic culture conditions in the Vitrofluid system promote a more differentiated phenotype in primary human RPTECs and represent an improved in vitro kidney model.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Methotrexate-induced liver injury is associated with oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial respiration, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in vitro(MDPI, 01.12.2022) Schmidt, Saskia; Messner, Catherine; Gaiser, Carine; Hämmerli, Carina; Suter-Dick, LauraLow-dose methotrexate (MTX) is a standard therapy for rheumatoid arthritis due to its low cost and efficacy. Despite these benefits, MTX has been reported to cause chronic drug-induced liver injury, namely liver fibrosis. The hallmark of liver fibrosis is excessive scarring of liver tissue, triggered by hepatocellular injury and subsequent activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). However, little is known about the precise mechanisms through which MTX causes hepatocellular damage and activates HSCs. Here, we investigated the mechanisms leading to hepatocyte injury in HepaRG and used immortalized stellate cells (hTERT-HSC) to elucidate the mechanisms leading to HSC activation by exposing mono- and co-cultures of HepaRG and hTERT-HSC to MTX. The results showed that at least two mechanisms are involved in MTX-induced toxicity in HepaRG: (i) oxidative stress through depletion of glutathione (GSH) and (ii) impairment of cellular respiration in a GSH-independent manner. Furthermore, we measured increased levels of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in activated HSC following MTX treatment. In conclusion, we established a human-relevant in vitro model to gain mechanistical insights into MTX-induced hepatotoxicity, linked oxidative stress in HepaRG to a GSH-dependent and -independent pathway, and hypothesize that not only oxidative stress in hepatocytes but also ER stress in HSCs contribute to MTX-induced activation of HSCs.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation 3D printed microfluidic modules. Passive mixers and cells encapsulation in alginate(De Gruyter, 02.09.2022) Dalcanale, Federico; Caj, Michaela; Schuler, Felix; Ganeshanathan, Kireedan; Suter-Dick, LauraPassive mixers and droplet generation microfluidic chip modules were designed and manufactured using a commercial SLA 3D-printer. The mixing modules were designed specifically for 3D-printing and evaluated using FEM modeling. The co-flow droplet generator was used for cancer cells encapsulation and drug potency evaluation.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Evaluation of dioxin induced transcriptomic responses in a 3D human liver microtissue model(Elsevier, 2022) Tian, Mingming; Gou, Xiao; Zhang, Xiaowei; Messner, Catherine; Suter-Dick, Laura; Yan, LuThree-dimensional human liver microtissue model provides a promising method for predicting the human hepatotoxicity of environmental chemicals. However, the dynamics of transcriptional responses of 3D human liver microtissue model to dioxins exposure remain unclear. Herein, time-series transcriptomic analysis was used to characterize modulation of gene expression over 14 days in 3D human liver microtissues exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetra-chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, 31 nM, 10 ng/ml). Changes in gene expression and modulation of biological pathways were evaluated at several time points. The results showed that microtissues stably expressed genes related to toxicological pathways (e.g. highly of genes involved in external stimuli and maintenance of cell homeostasis pathways) during the 14-day culture period. Furthermore, a weekly phenomenon pattern was observed for the number of the differentially expressed genes in microtissues exposed to TCDD at each time point. TCDD led to an induction of genes involved in cell cycle regulation at day three. Metabolic pathways were the main significantly induced pathways during the subsequent days, with the immune/inflammatory response enriched on the fifth day, and the cellular response to DNA damage was identified at the end of the exposure. Finally, relevant transcription patterns identified in microtissues were compared with published data on rodent and human cell-line studies to elucidate potential species-specific responses to TCDD over time. Cell development and cytochrome P450 pathway were mainly affected after a 3-day exposure, with the DNA damage response identified at the end of exposure in the human microtissue system but not in mouse/rat primary hepatocytes models. Overall, the 3D human liver microtissue model is a valuable tool to predict the toxic effects of environmental chemicals with a relatively long exposure.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation How to Foster ‘New Approach Methodology’ Toxicologists(SAGE, 18.02.2022) Doktorova, Tatyana Y.; Azzi, Pamela; Hofer, Joelle; Werner, Sophie; Singh, Pranika; Hardy, Barry; Chesne, Christophe; Messner, Catherine; Gaiser, Carine; Suter-Dick, LauraThe need to reduce, refine and replace animal experimentation has led to a boom in the establishment of new approach methodologies (NAMs). This promising trend brings the hope that the replacement of animals by using NAMs will become increasingly accepted by regulators, included in legislation, and consequently more-often implemented by industry. The majority of NAMs, however, are still not very well understood, either due to the complexity of the applied approach or the data analysis workflow. A potential solution to this problem is the provision of better educational resources to scientists new to the area — showcasing the added value of NAMs and outlining various ways of overcoming issues associated with knowledge gaps. In this paper, the educational exchange between four institutions — namely, two universities and two SMEs — via a series of video training sessions, is described. The goal of this exchange was to showcase an exemplary event to help introduce scientists to non-animal approaches, and to actively support the development of resources enabling the use of alternatives to laboratory animals.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Identification of miR-199a-5p, miR-214-3p and miR-99b-5p as fibrosis-specific extracellular biomarkers and promoters of HSC activation(MDPI, 2021) Suter-Dick, Laura; Messner, Catherine; Özkul, Dilek; Gaiser, Carine; Schmidt, Saskia; Terraciano, Luigi; Krähenbühl, StephanLiver fibrosis is characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) resulting in the formation of fibrous scars. In the clinic, liver biopsies are the standard diagnostic method despite the potential for clinical complications. miRNAs are single-stranded, non-coding RNAs that can be detected in tissues, body fluids and cultured cells. The regulation of many miRNAs has been linked to tissue damage, including liver fibrosis in patients, resulting in aberrant miRNA expression/release. Experimental evidence also suggests that miRNAs are regulated in a similar manner in vitro and could thus serve as translational in vitro–in vivo biomarkers. In this work, we set out to identify and characterize biomarkers for liver fibrosis that could be used in vitro and clinically for research and diagnostic purposes. We focused on miRNAs released from hepatic 3D cultures exposed to methotrexate (MTX), which causes fibrosis, and acetaminophen (APAP), an acute hepatotoxicant with no clinically relevant association to liver fibrosis. Using a 3D in vitro model, we corroborated compound-specific responses as we show MTX induced a fibrotic response, and APAP did not. Performing miRNA-seq of cell culture supernatants, we identified potential miRNA biomarkers (miR-199a-5p, miR-214-3p, niRNA-125a-5p and miR-99b-5p) that were associated with a fibrotic phenotype and not with hepatocellular damage alone. Moreover, transfection of HSC with miR-199a-5p led to decreased expression of caveolin-1 and increased α-SMA expression, suggesting its role in HSC activation. In conclusion, we propose that extracellular miR-214-3p, miR-99b-5p, miR-125a-5p and specifically miR-199a-5p could contribute towards a panel of miRNAs for identifying liver fibrosis and that miR-199a-5p, miR-214-3p and miR-99b-5p are promoters of HSC activation.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift