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Pontiggia L, Michalak-Micka K, Hürlimann N, Yosef HK, Böni R, Klar AS, Ehrbar M, Ochsenbein-Kölble N, Biedermann T, Moehrlen U. Raman spectroscopy analysis of human amniotic fluid cells from fetuses with myelomeningocele. Exp Cell Res 2024; 439:114048. [PMID: 38697275 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal surgery for the treatment of spina bifida (myelomeningocele, MMC) significantly enhances the neurological prognosis of the patient. To ensure better protection of the spinal cord by large defects, the application of skin grafts produced with cells gained from the amniotic fluid is presently studied. In order to determine the most appropriate cells for this purpose, we tried to shed light on the extremely complex amniotic fluid cellular composition in healthy and MMC pregnancies. We exploited the potential of micro-Raman spectroscopy to analyse and characterize human amniotic fluid cells in total and putative (cKit/CD117-positive) stem cells of fetuses with MMC in comparison with amniotic fluid cells from healthy individuals, human fetal dermal fibroblasts and adult adipose derived stem cells. We found that (i) the differences between healthy and MMC amniocytes can be attributed to specific spectral regions involving collagen, lipids, sugars, tryptophan, aspartate, glutamate, and carotenoids, (ii) MMC amniotic fluid contains two particular cell populations which are absent or reduced in normal pregnancies, (iii) the cKit-negative healthy amniocyte subpopulation shares molecular features with human fetal fibroblasts. On the one hand we demonstrate a different amniotic fluid cellular composition in healthy and MMC pregnancies, on the other our work confirms micro-Raman spectroscopy to be a valuable tool for discriminating cell populations in unknown mixtures of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pontiggia
- Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katarzyna Michalak-Micka
- Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nadine Hürlimann
- Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Roland Böni
- White House Center for Liposuction, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Agnes S Klar
- Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; University of Zurich, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Ehrbar
- Zurich Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland; University of Zurich, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Ochsenbein-Kölble
- Zurich Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Biedermann
- Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; University of Zurich, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ueli Moehrlen
- Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; Spina Bifida Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland; University of Zurich, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Janik K, Smith GM, Krynska B. Identification of Neurocan and Phosphacan as Early Biomarkers for Open Neural Tube Defects. Cells 2023; 12:1084. [PMID: 37048157 PMCID: PMC10093370 DOI: 10.3390/cells12071084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Open neural tube defects (NTDs) such as myelomeningocele (MMC) are debilitating and the most common congenital defects of the central nervous system. Despite their apparent clinical importance, the existing early prenatal diagnostic options for these defects remain limited. Using a well-accepted retinoic-acid-induced model of MMC established in fetal rats, we discovered that neurocan and phosphacan, the secreted chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans of the developing nervous system, are released into the amniotic fluid (AF) of fetal rats displaying spinal cord defects. In contrast to normal controls, elevated AF levels of neurocan and phosphacan were detected in MMC fetuses early in gestation and continued to increase during MMC progression, reaching the highest level in near-term fetuses. The molecular forms of neurocan and phosphacan identified in the AF of MMC fetuses and those found in MMC spinal cords were qualitatively similar. In summary, this is the first report demonstrating the presence of neurocan and phosphacan in the AF of MMC fetuses. The identification of elevated levels of neurocan and phosphacan in the AF of MMC fetuses provides two prospective biomarkers with the potential for early prenatal diagnosis of open NTDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Janik
- Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
- Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - George M. Smith
- Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
- Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - Barbara Krynska
- Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
- Department of Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
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Li L, Tang L, Bi Y. Intrauterine neuromuscular and stromal dysplasia of the bladder in retinoic acid-induced myelomeningocele fetal rats. Tissue Cell 2022; 78:101872. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2022.101872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Cohrs G, Blumenröther AK, Sürie JP, Synowitz M, Held-Feindt J, Knerlich-Lukoschus F. Fetal and perinatal expression profiles of proinflammatory cytokines in the neuroplacodes of rats with myelomeningoceles: A contribution to the understanding of secondary spinal cord injury in open spinal dysraphism. J Neurotrauma 2021; 38:3376-3392. [PMID: 34541905 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2021.0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular and molecular mechanisms that presumably underlie the progressive functional decline of the myelomeningocele (MMC) placode are not well understood. We previously identified key players in posttraumatic spinal cord injury cascades in human MMC tissues obtained during postnatal repair. In this study we conducted experiments to further investigate these mediators in the prenatal time course under standardized conditions in a retinoic-acid-induced MMC rat model. A retinoic acid MMC model was established using time-dated Sprague-Dawley rats, which were gavage-fed with all-trans retinoic acid (RA; 60 mg/kg) dissolved in olive oil at E10. Control animals received olive oil only. Fetuses from both groups were obtained at E16, E18, E22. The spinal cords (SCs) of both groups were formalin-fixed or snap-frozen. Tissues were screened by real-time RT-PCR for the expression of cytokines and chemokines known to play a role in the lesion cascades of the central nervous system after trauma. MMC placodes exhibited inflammatory cells and glial activation in the later gestational stages. At the mRNA level, IL-1b, TNFa, and TNF-R1 exhibited significant induction at E22. IL1-R1 mRNA was induced significantly at E16 and E22. Double labeling experiments confirmed the costaining of these cytokines and their receptors with Iba1 (i.e., inflammatory cells), Vimentin, and Nestin in different anatomical SC areas and NeuN in ventral horn neurons. CXCL12 mRNA was elevated in control and MMC animals at E16 compared to E18 and E22. CX3CL1 mRNA was lower in MMC tissues than in control tissues on E16. The presented findings contribute to the concept that pathophysiological mechanisms, such as cytokine induction in the neuroplacode, in addition to the "first hit", promote secondary spinal cord injury with functional loss in the late fetal time course. Furthermore, these mediators should be taken into consideration in the development of new therapeutic approaches for open spinal dysraphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesa Cohrs
- Universitatsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, 15056, Dept. of Neurosurgery, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, Kiel, Germany, 24105;
| | - Ann-Kathrin Blumenröther
- Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, 54186, Neurosurgery, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany;
| | - Jan-Philip Sürie
- Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, 54186, Neurosurgery, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany;
| | - Michael Synowitz
- Universitatsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, 15056, Neurosurgery, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany;
| | - Janka Held-Feindt
- Universitatsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, 15056, Neurosurgery, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany;
| | - Friederike Knerlich-Lukoschus
- Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, 54186, Neurosurgery, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.,Asklepios Kinderklinik Sankt Augustin, 248587, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Sankt Augustin, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany;
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Sbragia L, da Costa KM, Nour ALA, Ruano R, Santos MV, Machado HR. State of the art in translating experimental myelomeningocele research to the bedside. Childs Nerv Syst 2021; 37:2769-2785. [PMID: 34333685 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-021-05299-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Myelomeningocele (MMC), the commonest type of spina bifida (SB), occurs due to abnormal development of the neural tube and manifest as failure of the complete fusion of posterior arches of the spinal column, leading to dysplastic growth of the spinal cord and meninges. It is associated with several degrees of motor and sensory deficits below the level of the lesion, as well as skeletal deformities, bladder and bowel incontinence, and sexual dysfunction. These children might develop varying degrees of neuropsychomotor delay, partly due to the severity of the injuries that affect the nervous system before birth, partly due to the related cerebral malformations (notably hydrocephalus-which may also lead to an increase in intracranial pressure-and Chiari II deformity). Traditionally, MMC was repaired surgically just after birth; however, intrauterine correction of MMC has been shown to have several potential benefits, including better sensorimotor outcomes (since exposure to amniotic fluid and its consequent deleterious effects is shortened) and reduced rates of hydrocephalus, among others. Fetal surgery for myelomeningocele, nevertheless, would not have been made possible without the development of experimental models of this pathological condition. Hence, the aim of the current article is to provide an overview of the animal models of MMC that were used over the years and describe how this knowledge has been translated into the fetal treatment of MMC in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lourenço Sbragia
- Division of Pediatric Surgery - Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Karina Miura da Costa
- Division of Pediatric Surgery - Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonio Landolffi Abdul Nour
- Division of Pediatric Surgery - Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Ruano
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Marcelo Volpon Santos
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery - Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hélio Rubens Machado
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery - Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Janik K, Manire MA, Smith GM, Krynska B. Spinal Cord Injury in Myelomeningocele: Prospects for Therapy. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:201. [PMID: 32714152 PMCID: PMC7340150 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Myelomeningocele (MMC) is the most common congenital defect of the central nervous system and results in devastating and lifelong disability. In MMC, the initial failure of neural tube closure early in gestation is followed by a progressive prenatal injury to the exposed spinal cord, which contributes to the deterioration of neurological function in fetuses. Prenatal strategies to control the spinal cord injury offer an appealing therapeutic approach to improve neurological function, although the definitive pathophysiological mechanisms of injury remain to be fully elucidated. A better understanding of these mechanisms at the cellular and molecular level is of paramount importance for the development of targeted prenatal MMC therapies to minimize or eliminate the effects of the injury and improve neurological function. In this review article, we discuss the pathological development of MMC with a focus on in utero injury to the exposed spinal cord. We emphasize the need for a better understanding of the causative factors in MMC spinal cord injury, pathophysiological alterations associated with the injury, and cellular and molecular mechanisms by which these alterations are induced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Janik
- Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center, Center for Neural Repair and Rehabilitation, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Meredith A Manire
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West Penn Hospital, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - George M Smith
- Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center, Center for Neural Repair and Rehabilitation, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Barbara Krynska
- Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center, Center for Neural Repair and Rehabilitation, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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