Osmotic and Cryoprotectant Permeation Characteristics of Islet Cells Isolated from the Newborn Pig Pancreas

Permeability and Osmotic Parameters of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells and H9C2 Cells under Non-ideal Thermodynamic Assumptions: A Novel Iterative Fitting Method

Cryopreservation is the use of very low subzero temperatures to preserve cells and tissues for later use. This is achieved by controlled cooling in the presence of cryoprotectants that moderate the amount of ice formed. Mathematical modeling of the cryopreservation process is a useful tool to investigate the different variables that affect the results of this process. The changing cell volume during cryopreservation can be modeled using cell membrane water and cryoprotectant permeabilities and the osmotically inactive fraction of the intracellular contents. These three cell-specific parameters have been found previously for different cell types under ideal and dilute assumptions, but biological solutions at subzero temperatures are far from ideal and dilute, especially when cryoprotectants are included. In this work, the osmotic virial equation is used to model the changing cell volume under non-ideal assumptions, and the intracellular environment is described using the grouped solute, which consists of all impermeant intracellular solutes grouped together, leading to two additional cell-specific parameters, the second and third osmotic virial coefficients of the grouped solute. Herein, we present a novel fitting method to efficiently determine these five cell-specific parameters by fitting kinetic cell volume data under non-ideal assumptions and report the results of applying this method to obtain the parameters for two cell types: human umbilical vein endothelial cells and H9C2 rat myoblasts.

Mathematical Modeling and Optimization of Cryopreservation in Single Cells

Cryobiology is a multiscale and interdisciplinary field. The scope and scale of interactions limit the gains that can be made by one theory or experiment alone. Because of this, modeling has played a critical role in both explaining cryobiological phenomena and predicting improved protocols. Modeling facilitates understanding of the biophysical and some of the biochemical mechanisms of damage during all phases of cryopreservation including CPA equilibration and cooling and warming. Moreover, as a tool for optimization of cryopreservation protocols, modeling has yielded many successes. Modern cryobiological modeling includes very detailed descriptions of the physical phenomena that occur during freezing, including ice growth kinetics and spatial gradients that define heat and mass transport models. Here we reduce the complexity and approach only a small but classic subset of these problems. Namely, here we describe the process of building and using a mathematical model of a cell in suspension where spatial homogeneity is assumed for all quantities. We define the models that describe the critical cell quantities used to describe optimal and suboptimal protocols and then give an overview of classical methods of how to determine optimal protocols using these models. We include practical considerations of modeling in cryobiology, including fitting transport models to cell volume data, performing optimization with cell volume constraints, and a look at expanding cost functions to cooling regimes.

Recent progress in porcine islet isolation, culture and engraftment strategies for xenotransplantation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Xenotransplantation of porcine islets is a realistic option to restore β-cell function in type 1 diabetic patients. Among other factors, such as islet donor age (fetal, neonatal and adult) and genotype (wild type and genetically modified), choice of the transplantation site, and immune protection of the islets, efficient strategies for islet isolation, culture and engraftment are critical for the success of islet xenotransplantation.

RECENT FINDINGS

Neonatal porcine islets (NPIs) are immature at isolation and need to be matured in vitro or in vivo before they become fully functional. Recent developments include a scalable protocol for isolation of clinically relevant batches of NPIs and a stepwise differentiation protocol for directed maturation of NPIs. In addition, different sources of mesenchymal stem cells were shown to support survival and functional maturation of NPIs in vitro and in various transplantation models in vivo.

SUMMARY

A plethora of different culture media and supplements have been tested; however, a unique best culture system for NPIs is still missing. New insights, for example from single-cell analyses of islets or from stem cell differentiation toward β cells may help to optimize culture of porcine islets for xenotransplantation in an evidence-based manner.

Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone: A Novel Cryoprotectant in Islet Cell Cryopreservation

The present study was performed on the basis of the hypothesis that the low molecular weight (MW) compounds, DMSO and glycerol, permeate the cell and interact hydrophobically with intracellular proteins, thereby perturbing the cytoskeletal architecture of frozen cells and diminishing islet cell integrity and function. Isolated rat islets were cultured overnight (18–24 h) at 37°C in RPMI medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and 1% mixture of penicillin/streptomycin. Using a programmable temperature controller, samples of precounted islets were then frozen under liquid nitrogen, in the presence of either 2 M DMSO (MW = 0.078 kDa), 3 M glycerol (MW = 0.092 kDa), 5% polyethylene glycol (PEG, MW = 20 kDa), or 10% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, MW = 40 kDa), and stored at −80°C for 1 week. Following thawing and overnight (18–24 h) culture, intact islet recovery was determined by islet counting after dithizone staining. Islet function was assessed by determination of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in perifusion experiments with Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer, pH 7.4, containing either basal (3.3 mM) or high (16.7 mM) glucose concentrations. The assessment of islet recovery and function of all cryopreserved samples was performed only after thawing and overnight culture (18–24 h) of islets. The mean ± SEM percent intact islet recovery was higher with PVP compared with DMSO (82 ± 4.6 vs. 62.7 ± 3.1%, respectively, p < 0.005, n = 9). Furthermore, the glucose stimulation index of insulin secretion by islets taken from samples frozen with PEG and PVP, after thawing and overnight culture, was comparable to that of freshly isolated islets, in contrast to DMSO and glycerol. There was no significant difference in intact islet recovery and function between samples frozen with PVP and those frozen with PEG. Samples frozen with DMSO and glycerol had similar results in islet recovery and function. These data show that PVP is a new and potent cryoprotectant for islet cell freezing.

Non-ideal solution thermodynamics of cytoplasm

Quantitative description of the non-ideal solution thermodynamics of the cytoplasm of a living mammalian cell is critically necessary in mathematical modeling of cryobiology and desiccation and other fields where the passive osmotic response of a cell plays a role. In the solution thermodynamics osmotic virial equation, the quadratic correction to the linear ideal, dilute solution theory is described by the second osmotic virial coefficient. Herein we report, for the first time, intracellular solution second osmotic virial coefficients for four cell types [TF-1 hematopoietic stem cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), porcine hepatocytes, and porcine chondrocytes] and further report second osmotic virial coefficients indistinguishable from zero (for the concentration range studied) for human hepatocytes and mouse oocytes.

Modeling and optimization of cryopreservation

Modeling plays a critical role in understanding the biophysical processes behind cryopreservation. It facilitates understanding of the biophysical and some of the biochemical mechanisms of damage during all phases of cryopreservation including CPA equilibration, cooling, and warming. Modeling also provides a tool for optimization of cryopreservation protocols and has yielded a number of successes in this regard. While modern cryobiological modeling includes very detailed descriptions of the physical phenomena that occur during freezing, including ice growth kinetics and spatial gradients that define heat and mass transport models, here we reduce the complexity and approach only a small but classic subset of these problems. Namely, here we describe the process of building and using a mathematical model of a cell in suspension where spatial homogeneity is assumed for all quantities. We define the models that describe the critical cell quantities used to describe optimal and suboptimal protocols and then give an overview of classical methods of how to determine optimal protocols using these models.

Membrane permeability of the human granulocyte to water, dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, propylene glycol and ethylene glycol

Granulocytes are currently transfused as soon as possible after collection because they rapidly deteriorate after being removed from the body. This short shelf life complicates the logistics of granulocyte collection, banking, and safety testing. Cryopreservation has the potential to significantly increase shelf life; however, cryopreservation of granulocytes has proven to be difficult. In this study, we investigate the membrane permeability properties of human granulocytes, with the ultimate goal of using membrane transport modeling to facilitate development of improved cryopreservation methods. We first measured the equilibrium volume of human granulocytes in a range of hypo- and hypertonic solutions and fit the resulting data using a Boyle-van't Hoff model. This yielded an isotonic cell volume of 378 μm(3) and an osmotically inactive volume of 165 μm(3). To determine the permeability of the granulocyte membrane to water and cryoprotectant (CPA), cells were injected into well-mixed CPA solution while collecting volume measurements using a Coulter Counter. These experiments were performed at temperatures ranging from 4 to 37°C for exposure to dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol. The best-fit water permeability was similar in the presence of all of the CPAs, with an average value at 21°C of 0.18 μmatm(-1)min(-1). The activation energy for water transport ranged from 41 to 61 kJ/mol. The CPA permeability at 21°C was 6.4, 1.0, 8.4, and 4.0 μm/min for dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol, respectively, and the activation energy for CPA transport ranged between 59 and 68 kJ/mol.

Rationally optimized cryopreservation of multiple mouse embryonic stem cell lines: I--Comparative fundamental cryobiology of multiple mouse embryonic stem cell lines and the implications for embryonic stem cell cryopreservation protocols

The post-thaw recovery of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) is often assumed to be adequate with current methods. However as this publication will show, this recovery of viable cells actually varies significantly by genetic background. Therefore there is a need to improve the efficiency and reduce the variability of current mESC cryopreservation methods. To address this need, we employed the principles of fundamental cryobiology to improve the cryopreservation protocol of four mESC lines from different genetic backgrounds (BALB/c, CBA, FVB, and 129R1 mESCs) through a comparative study characterizing the membrane permeability characteristics and membrane integrity osmotic tolerance limits of each cell line. In the companion paper, these values were used to predict optimal cryoprotectants, cooling rates, warming rates, and plunge temperatures, and then these predicted optimal protocols were validated against standard freezing protocols.

An improved cryopreservation method for a mouse embryonic stem cell line

Embryonic stem (ES) cell lines including the C57BL/6 genetic background are central to projects such as the Knock-Out Mouse Project, North American Conditional Mouse Mutagenesis Program, and European Conditional Mouse Mutagenesis Program, which seek to create thousands of mutant mouse strains using ES cells for the production of human disease models in biomedical research. Crucial to the success of these programs is the ability to efficiently cryopreserve these mutant cell lines for storage and transport. Although the ability to successfully cryopreserve mouse ES cells is often assumed to be adequate, the percent post-thaw recovery of viable cells varies greatly among genetic backgrounds and individual cell lines within a genetic background. Therefore, there is a need to improve the efficiency and reduce the variability of current mouse ES cell cryopreservation methods. To address this need, we employed the principles of fundamental cryobiology to improve the cryopreservation protocol of a C57BL/6 mouse ES cell line by characterizing the membrane permeability characteristics and osmotic tolerance limits. These values were used to predict optimal cooling rates, warming rates, and type of cryoprotectant, which were then verified experimentally. The resulting protocol, generated through this hypothesis-driven approach, resulted in a 2-fold increase in percent post-thaw recovery of membrane-intact ES cells as compared to the standard freezing protocol, as measured by propidium iodide exclusion. Additionally, our fundamental cryobiological approach to improving cryopreservation protocols provides a model system by which additional cryopreservation protocols may be improved in future research for both mouse and human ES cell lines.

Mercury free operation of the Coulter counter MultiSizer II sampling stand

Electronic particle counters have gained widespread acceptance as a means to measure osmotic properties of cell membranes. Because most current instruments do not allow for the collection of true volume as a function of time data, investigators use older models such as the MultiSizer II sampling stand. A significant drawback to this and other older models is that they rely on mercury to maintain a constant pressure and to connect electrodes. The presence of mercury is a human health hazard that is exacerbated by the sometimes irregular vacuum pressures that cause mercury spills inside of the machine. To eliminate this hazard, we have determined that the MultiSizer II model can be simply and easily modified to function and collect temporal volume data without the use of mercury.

An inverse approach to determine solute and solvent permeability parameters in artificial tissues

This study presents a generic numerical model to simulate the coupled solute and solvent transport in tissue sections during addition and removal of chemical additives or cryoprotective agents (CPA; dimethylsulfoxide or DMSO). Osmotic responses of various tissue cells within the artificial tissue are predicted by the numerical model with three model parameters: Permeability of the tissue cell membrane to water (Lp), permeability of the tissue cell membrane to the solute or CPA (omega), and the diffusion coefficient of the solute or CPA in the extracellular space (D). By fitting the model results with published experimental data on solute/water concentrations at various locations within an artificial tissue, we were able to determine the permeability parameters of artificial tissue cells in the presence of 1.538 M DMSO. Lp and omega were determined at three different locations within the artificial tissue assuming a constant value of solute diffusivity (D = 1.0 x 10(-9) m2/s). The best fit values of Lp ranged from 0.59 x 10(-14) to 4.22 x 10(-14) m3/N-s while omega ranged from 0 to 6.6 x 10(-13) mol/N-s. Based on these values of Lp and omega, the solute reflection coefficient, sigma = 1 - omegav(-)CPA/Lp, ranged from 0.9923 to 1.0. The relative values of omega and sigma suggest that the artificial tissue cells are relatively impermeable to DMSO (or omega approximately 0 and sigma approximately 1.0). This observation was used to modify our model to predict the values of Lp and D assuming omega = 0 and sigma = 1.0. The best fit values of Lp ranged from 640 x 10(-14) to 2.1 x 10(-14) m3/N-s while D ranged from 0.63 x 10(-9) to 1.52 x 10(-9) m2/s. The permeability parameters obtained in the present study represent the first such effort for artificial tissues.

PVA hydrogel sheet macroencapsulation for the bioartificial pancreas

We newly developed a sheet-type macroencapsulation device entrapping rat islets from 3% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) dissolved in Euro-Collins solution containing 10% fetal bovine serum and 5% dimethyl sulfoxide (PVA + EC) using a freezing/thawing technique. The same encapsulation technique but with 3% PVA dissolved only in double-distilled water (PVA) and a culture of free islets were served as controls. After 14-day culture in the CMRL-1066 medium, the islet recovery rate, morphological changes, insulin content, and insulin secretion were evaluated in vitro to prove the feasibility of this method of encapsulation. We also xenotransplanted the device into the peritoneal cavity of diabetic C57BL/6 mice to check its function in vivo. After 1-day culture, the islet recovery rate and insulin content in the PVA group were significantly lower than that in the PVA + EC and free islet groups. After 14-day culture, only the islets in the PVA+EC group maintained a normal morphology and effective insulin secretory response to high glucose while the response was not observed in the PVA group after 1-day culture and no longer observed in the free islets after 7-day culture. After transplantation of rat islets encapsulated in the PVA + EC device to diabetic C57BL/6 mice, nonfasting blood glucose levels showed a rapid decrease from high glucose levels of pre-transplantation, maintaining significantly lower glucose levels during the whole course of study in comparison with the sham-operated group. Our results indicated that this freezing/thawing macroencapsulation technique using 3% PVA + EC was effective for xenotransplantation of islet cells.

Thermal modeling of lesion growth with radiofrequency ablation devices

BACKGROUND

Temperature is a frequently used parameter to describe the predicted size of lesions computed by computational models. In many cases, however, temperature correlates poorly with lesion size. Although many studies have been conducted to characterize the relationship between time-temperature exposure of tissue heating to cell damage, to date these relationships have not been employed in a finite element model.

METHODS

We present an axisymmetric two-dimensional finite element model that calculates cell damage in tissues and compare lesion sizes using common tissue damage and iso-temperature contour definitions. The model accounts for both temperature-dependent changes in the electrical conductivity of tissue as well as tissue damage-dependent changes in local tissue perfusion. The data is validated using excised porcine liver tissues.

RESULTS

The data demonstrate the size of thermal lesions is grossly overestimated when calculated using traditional temperature isocontours of 42 degrees C and 47 degrees C. The computational model results predicted lesion dimensions that were within 5% of the experimental measurements.

CONCLUSION

When modeling radiofrequency ablation problems, temperature isotherms may not be representative of actual tissue damage patterns.

Predicted permeability parameters of human ovarian tissue cells to various cryoprotectants and water

This study presents a generic numerical model to simulate the coupled solute and solvent transport in human ovarian tissue sections during addition and removal of chemical additives or cryoprotective agents (CPA). The model accounts for the axial and radial diffusion of the solute (CPA) as well as axial convection of the CPA, and a variable vascular surface area (A) during the transport process. In addition, the model also accounts for the radial movement of the solvent (water) into and out of the vascular spaces. Osmotic responses of various cells within an human ovarian tissue section are predicted by the numerical model with three model parameters: permeability of the tissue cell membrane to water (L(p)), permeability of the tissue cell membrane to the solute or CPA (omega) and the diffusion coefficient of the solute or CPA in the vascular space (D). By fitting the model results with published experimental data on solute/water concentrations within an human ovarian tissue section, I was able to determine the permeability parameters of ovarian tissue cells in the presence of 1.5M solutions of each of the following: dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), propylene glycol (PROH), ethylene glycol (EG), and glycerol (GLY), at two temperatures (4 degrees C and 27 degrees C). Modeling Approach 1: Assuming a constant value of solute diffusivity (D = 1.0 x 10(-9) m(2)/sec), the best fit values of L(p) ranged from 0.35 x 10(-14) to 1.43 x 10(-14) m(3)/N-sec while omega ranged from 2.57 x 10(-14) to 70.5 x 10(-14) mol/N-sec. Based on these values of L(p) and omega, the solute reflection coefficient, sigma defined as sigma = 1-omega v(CPA)/L(P) ranged from 0.9961 to 0.9996. Modeling Approach 2: The relative values of omega and sigma from our initial modeling suggest that the embedded ovarian tissue cells are relatively impermeable to all the CPAs investigated (or omega approximately 0 and sigma approximately 1.0). Consequently the model was modified and used to predict the values of L(p) and D assuming omega = 0 and sigma = 1.0. The best fit values of L(p) ranged from 0.44 x 10(-14) to 1.2 x 10(-14) m(3)/N-sec while D ranged from 0.85 x 10(-9) to 2.08 x 10(-9) m(2)/sec. Modeling Approach 3: Finally, the best fit values of D from modeling approach 2 were incorporated into model 1 to re-predict the values of L(p) and omega. It is hoped that the ovarian tissue cell parameters reported here will help to optimize chemical loading and unloading procedures for whole ovarian tissue sections and consequently, tissue cryopreservation procedures.