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Donzelli G, Sera F, Morales MA, Vozzi F, Roos T, Schaffert A, Paparella M, Murugadoss S, Mertens B, Gehring R, Linzalone N. A systematic review and meta-analysis of human population studies on the association between exposure to toxic environmental chemicals and left ventricular dysfunction (LVD). Environ Res 2024; 249:118429. [PMID: 38354889 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to environmental chemicals has been associated with an elevated risk of heart failure (HF). However, the impact on early markers of HF, such as left ventricular dysfunction (LVD), remains limited. OBJECTIVE To establish a foundation of evidence regarding early HF markers and their association with environmental pollutants, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. METHODS The search, conducted on October 13th, 2023, encompassed PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science without filters, focusing on observational studies reporting myocardial geometrical, structural, or functional alterations in individuals without a history of heart disease. This included the general adult population, workers, young people, and the elderly. The risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool at both study and item levels. RESULTS The systematic review included 17 studies involving 43.358 individuals exposed to air pollution and 2038 exposed to heavy metals. Approximately 41% of the effect measures of associations reported significant abnormalities in myocardial structure or function. The metanalyses by pollutants categories indicated positive associations between LV systolic and diastolic abnormalities and exposure to PM2.5 [-0.069 (-0.104, -0.033); -0.044 (-0.062, -0.025)] and PM10 [-0.055 (-0.087, -0.022); -0.030 (-0.050, -0.010)] and NO2 [-0.042 (-0.071, -0.013); -0.021 (-0.037, -0.004)], as well as positive associations between lead exposure and LV systolic abnormalities [-0.033 (-0.051, -0.016)]. CONCLUSIONS Existing evidence shows that specific early markers of HF may be associated with exposure to chemical pollutants. It is recommended to include such endpoints in new longitudinal and case-control studies to confirm further risk associations. These studies should consider co-exposures, account for vulnerable groups, and identify cardiotoxic compounds that may require regulation. When examining the link between myocardial abnormalities and environmental exposure, it is also advisable to explore the supportive use of Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) approaches to confirm a causal relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Donzelli
- Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council (CNR-IFC), Pisa, Italy.
| | - F Sera
- Department of Statistics, Computer Science and Applications "G. Parenti", University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - M A Morales
- Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council (CNR-IFC), Pisa, Italy.
| | - F Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council (CNR-IFC), Pisa, Italy.
| | - T Roos
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - A Schaffert
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - M Paparella
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - S Murugadoss
- Scientific Direction of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - B Mertens
- Scientific Direction of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - R Gehring
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - N Linzalone
- Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council (CNR-IFC), Pisa, Italy.
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2
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Vozzi F, Pedrelli L, Dimitri GM, Micheli A, Persiani E, Piacenti M, Rossi A, Solarino G, Pieragnoli P, Checchi L, Zucchelli G, Mazzocchetti L, De Lucia R, Nesti M, Notarstefano P, Morales MA. Echo state networks for the recognition of type 1 Brugada syndrome from conventional 12-LEAD ECG. Heliyon 2024; 10:e25404. [PMID: 38333823 PMCID: PMC10850578 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and Machine Learning (ML) methods have gained much attention in recent years for their ability to automatically detect patterns in data without being explicitly taught rules. Specific features characterise the ECGs of patients with Brugada Syndrome (BrS); however, there is still ambiguity regarding the correct diagnosis of BrS and its differentiation from other pathologies. This work presents an application of Echo State Networks (ESN) in the Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) class for diagnosing BrS from the ECG time series. 12-lead ECGs were obtained from patients with a definite clinical diagnosis of spontaneous BrS Type 1 pattern (Group A), patients who underwent provocative pharmacological testing to induce BrS type 1 pattern, which resulted in positive (Group B) or negative (Group C), and control subjects (Group D). One extracted beat in the V2 lead was used as input, and the dataset was used to train and evaluate the ESN model using a double cross-validation approach. ESN performance was compared with that of 4 cardiologists trained in electrophysiology. The model performance was assessed in the dataset, with a correct global diagnosis observed in 91.5 % of cases compared to clinicians (88.0 %). High specificity (94.5 %), sensitivity (87.0 %) and AUC (94.7 %) for BrS recognition by ESN were observed in Groups A + B vs. C + D. Our results show that this ML model can discriminate Type 1 BrS ECGs with high accuracy comparable to expert clinicians. Future availability of larger datasets may improve the model performance and increase the potential of the ESN as a clinical support system tool for daily clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luca Pedrelli
- Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanna Maria Dimitri
- Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Information Engineering and Mathematics, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Alessio Micheli
- Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Andrea Rossi
- Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Luca Checchi
- Ospedale Careggi, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Giulio Zucchelli
- Second Division of Cardiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Mazzocchetti
- Second Division of Cardiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Raffaele De Lucia
- Second Division of Cardiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Martina Nesti
- Cardiovascular and Neurological Department, San Donato Hospital, Arezzo, Italy
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3
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Ceccherini E, Signore G, Tedeschi L, Vozzi F, Di Giorgi N, Michelucci E, Cecchettini A, Rocchiccioli S. Proteomic Modulation in TGF-β-Treated Cholangiocytes Induced by Curcumin Nanoparticles. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10481. [PMID: 37445659 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Curcumin is a natural polyphenol that exhibits a variety of beneficial effects on health, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepato-protective properties. Due to its poor water solubility and membrane permeability, in the present study, we prepared and characterized a water-stable, freely dispersible nanoformulation of curcumin. Although the potential of curcumin nanoformulations in the hepatic field has been studied, there are no investigations on their effect in fibrotic pathological conditions involving cholangiocytes. Exploiting an in vitro model of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-stimulated cholangiocytes, we applied the Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra (SWATH-MS)-based quantitative proteomic approaches to study the proteome modulation induced by curcumin nanoformulation. Our results confirmed the well-documented anti-inflammatory properties of this nutraceutic, highlighting the induction of programmed cell death as a mechanism to counteract the cellular damages induced by TGF-β. Moreover, curcumin nanoformulation positively influenced the expression of several proteins involved in TGF-β-mediated fibrosis. Given the crucial importance of deregulated cholangiocyte functions during cholangiopathies, our results provide the basis for a better understanding of the mechanisms associated with this pathology and could represent a rationale for the development of more targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Ceccherini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Signore
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Biochemistry Unit, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56123 Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorena Tedeschi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Di Giorgi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Elena Michelucci
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Silvia Rocchiccioli
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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Persiani E, Ceccherini E, Gisone I, Cecchettini A, Vozzi F. Protocol to generate an in vitro model to study vascular calcification using human endothelial and smooth muscle cells. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102328. [PMID: 37300824 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular calcification is a systemic disease characterized by calcium salt deposition within vascular walls. Here, we present a protocol for establishing an advanced dynamic in vitro co-culture system using endothelial and smooth muscle cells to replicate vascular tissue complexity. We describe steps for cell culture and seeding in a double-flow bioreactor that recreates the action of blood in humans. We then detail the induction of calcification, setting up of the bioreactor, followed by cell viability assessment and calcium quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Persiani
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Elisa Ceccherini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Gisone
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy; Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.
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5
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Sbrana S, Cecchettini A, Bastiani L, Mazzone A, Vozzi F, Caselli C, Neglia D, Clemente A, Scholte AJHA, Parodi O, Pelosi G, Rocchiccioli S. Association of Circulating Neutrophils with Relative Volume of Lipid-Rich Necrotic Core of Coronary Plaques in Stable Patients: A Substudy of SMARTool European Project. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13020428. [PMID: 36836785 PMCID: PMC9958623 DOI: 10.3390/life13020428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Coronary atherosclerosis is a chronic non-resolving inflammatory process wherein the interaction of innate immune cells and platelets plays a major role. Circulating neutrophils, in particular, adhere to the activated endothelium and migrate into the vascular wall, promoting monocyte recruitment and influencing plaque phenotype and stability at all stages of its evolution. We aimed to evaluate, by flow cytometry, if blood neutrophil number and phenotype-including their phenotypic relationships with platelets, monocytes and lymphocytes-have an association with lipid-rich necrotic core volume (LRNCV), a generic index of coronary plaque vulnerability, in a group of stable patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). METHODS In 55 patients, (68.53 ± 1.07 years of age, mean ± SEM; 71% male), the total LRNCV in each subject was assessed by a quantitative analysis of all coronary plaques detected by computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) and was normalized to the total plaque volume. The expression of CD14, CD16, CD18, CD11b, HLA-DR, CD163, CCR2, CCR5, CX3CR1, CXCR4 and CD41a cell surface markers was quantified by flow cytometry. Adhesion molecules, cytokines and chemokines, as well as MMP9 plasma levels, were measured by ELISA. RESULTS On a per-patient basis, LRNCV values were positively associated, by a multiple regression analysis, with the neutrophil count (n°/µL) (p = 0.02), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.007), neutrophil/platelet ratio (p = 0.01), neutrophil RFI CD11b expression (p = 0.02) and neutrophil-platelet adhesion index (p = 0.01). Significantly positive multiple regression associations of LRNCV values with phenotypic ratios between neutrophil RFI CD11b expression and several lymphocyte and monocyte surface markers were also observed. In the bivariate correlation analysis, a significantly positive association was found between RFI values of neutrophil-CD41a+ complexes and neutrophil RFI CD11b expression (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS These preliminary findings suggest that a sustained increase in circulating neutrophils, together with the up-regulation of the integrin/activation membrane neutrophil marker CD11b may contribute, through the progressive intra-plaque accumulation of necrotic/apoptotic cells exceeding the efferocytosis/anti-inflammatory capacity of infiltrating macrophages and lymphocytes, to the relative enlargement of the lipid-rich necrotic core volume of coronary plaques in stable CAD patients, thus increasing their individual risk of acute complication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silverio Sbrana
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, 54100 Massa, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (S.R.)
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Bastiani
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, 54100 Massa, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Danilo Neglia
- Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Silvia Rocchiccioli
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (S.R.)
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6
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Persiani E, Cecchettini A, Ceccherini E, Gisone I, Morales MA, Vozzi F. Microplastics: A Matter of the Heart (and Vascular System). Biomedicines 2023; 11:264. [PMID: 36830801 PMCID: PMC9953450 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic use dramatically increased over the past few years. Besides obvious benefits, the consequent plastic waste and mismanagement in disposal have caused ecological problems. Plastic abandoned in the environment is prone to segregation, leading to the generation of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), which can reach aquatic and terrestrial organisms. MPs/NPs in water can access fish's bodies through the gills, triggering an inflammatory response in loco. Furthermore, from the gills, plastic fragments can be transported within the circulatory system altering blood biochemical parameters and hormone levels and leading to compromised immunocompetence and angiogenesis. In addition, it was also possible to observe an unbalanced ROS production, damage in vascular structure, and enhanced thrombosis. MPs/NPs led to cardiotoxicity, pericardial oedema, and impaired heart rate in fish cardiac tissue. MPs/NPs effects on aquatic organisms pose serious health hazards and ecological consequences because they constitute the food chain for humans. Once present in the mammalian body, plastic particles can interact with circulating cells, eliciting an inflammatory response, with genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of immune cells, enhanced haemolysis, and endothelium adhesion. The interaction of MPs/NPs with plasma proteins allows their transport to distant organs, including the heart. As a consequence of plastic fragment internalisation into cardiomyocytes, oxidative stress was increased, and metabolic parameters were altered. In this scenario, myocardial damage, fibrosis and impaired electrophysiological values were observed. In summary, MPs/NPs are an environmental stressor for cardiac function in living organisms, and a risk assessment of their influence on the cardiovascular system certainly merits further analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Persiani
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, via Volta 4, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Elisa Ceccherini
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilaria Gisone
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Federico Vozzi
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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7
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Ceccherini E, Cecchettini A, Gisone I, Persiani E, Morales MA, Vozzi F. Vascular Calcification: In Vitro Models under the Magnifying Glass. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10102491. [PMID: 36289753 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular calcification is a systemic disease contributing to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of vascular calcification involves calcium salt deposition by vascular smooth muscle cells that exhibit an osteoblast-like phenotype. Multiple conditions drive the phenotypic switch and calcium deposition in the vascular wall; however, the exact molecular mechanisms and the connection between vascular smooth muscle cells and other cell types are not fully elucidated. In this hazy landscape, effective treatment options are lacking. Due to the pathophysiological complexity, several research models are available to evaluate different aspects of the calcification process. This review gives an overview of the in vitro cell models used so far to study the molecular processes underlying vascular calcification. In addition, relevant natural and synthetic compounds that exerted anticalcifying properties in in vitro systems are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Ceccherini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilaria Gisone
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Elisa Persiani
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Aurora Morales
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), 56124 Pisa, Italy
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8
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Gisone I, Cecchettini A, Ceccherini E, Persiani E, Morales MA, Vozzi F. Cardiac tissue engineering: Multiple approaches and potential applications. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:980393. [PMID: 36263357 PMCID: PMC9574555 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.980393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The overall increase in cardiovascular diseases and, specifically, the ever-rising exposure to cardiotoxic compounds has greatly increased in vivo animal testing; however, mainly due to ethical concerns related to experimental animal models, there is a strong interest in new in vitro models focused on the human heart. In recent years, human pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) emerged as reference cell systems for cardiac studies due to their biological similarity to primary CMs, the flexibility in cell culture protocols, and the capability to be amplified several times. Furthermore, the ability to be genetically reprogrammed makes patient-derived hiPSCs, a source for studies on personalized medicine. In this mini-review, the different models used for in vitro cardiac studies will be described, and their pros and cons analyzed to help researchers choose the best fitting model for their studies. Particular attention will be paid to hiPSC-CMs and three-dimensional (3D) systems since they can mimic the cytoarchitecture of the human heart, reproducing its morphological, biochemical, and mechanical features. The advantages of 3D in vitro heart models compared to traditional 2D cell cultures will be discussed, and the differences between scaffold-free and scaffold-based systems will also be spotlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Gisone
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Elisa Ceccherini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Elisa Persiani
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Federico Vozzi,
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Cabiati M, Giacomarra M, Fontanini M, Cecchettini A, Pelosi G, Vozzi F, Del Ry S. Bone morphogenetic protein-4 system expression in human coronary artery endothelial and smooth muscle cells under dynamic flow: effect of medicated bioresorbable vascular scaffolds at low and normal shear stress. Heart Vessels 2022; 37:2137-2149. [PMID: 35857064 DOI: 10.1007/s00380-022-02140-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Endothelial and smooth muscle cell dysfunction is an early event at the onset of atherosclerosis, a heterogeneous and multifactorial pathology of the vascular wall. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4, a mechanosensitive autocrine cytokine, and BMPR-1a, BMPR-1b, BMPR-2 specific receptors play a key role in atherosclerotic plaque formation and vascular calcification and BMP4 is regarded as a biomarker of endothelial cell activation. The study aimed to examine the BMP4 system expression by Real-Time PCR in Human Coronary Artery Endothelial (HCAECs) and Smooth Muscle Cells (HCASMCs) under different flow rates determining low or physiological shear stress in the presence/absence of medicated Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS). The HCAEC and HCASMC were subjected to 1-10-20 dyne/cm2 shear stress in a laminar flow bioreactor system, with/without BVS+ Everolimus (600 nM). In HCAECs without BVS the BMP4 expression was similar at 1, 20 dyne/cm2 decreasing at 10 dyne/cm2, while adding BVS+ Everolimus, it decreased both at 1, 10 compared to 20 dyne/cm2. In HCASMCs without BVS + Everolimus, the BMP4 system mRNA expression was significantly reduced at 1, 10 dyne/cm2 compared to 20 dyne/cm2, while in the presence of BVS+ Everolimus, higher BMP4 mRNA levels were observed at 10 compared to 1, 20 dyne/cm2. In HCAECs and HCASMCs BMPRs were expressed in all experimental conditions except for BMPR-1a at 1 dyne/cm2 in HCAEC. Significant correlations were found between BMP4 and BMPRs. The more negligible on BMP4 expression due to low shear stress in HCAEC compared to HCASMC and its reduction in the presence of BVS+ Everolimus at low shear stress highlighted the protection of BMP4-mediated against endothelial dysfunction and neoatherogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Cabiati
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Clinical Physiology CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Manuel Giacomarra
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Clinical Physiology CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Martina Fontanini
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Clinical Physiology CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Physiology, IFC-CNR, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gualtiero Pelosi
- Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering, Institute of Clinical Physiology CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering, Institute of Clinical Physiology CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Silvia Del Ry
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Clinical Physiology CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
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10
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Vozzi F, Dimitri GM, Piacenti M, Zucchelli G, Solarino G, Nesti M, Pieragnoli P, Gallicchio C, Persiani E, Morales MA, Micheli A. Artificial intelligence algorithms for the recognition of Brugada type 1 pattern on standard 12-leads ECG. Europace 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/europace/euac053.558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): This research project is funded by Tuscany Region
Background/Introduction
Electrocardiograms (ECGs) are rapidly moving from analog to digital versions. Consequently, a series of automatic analyses of standard 12-lead ECGs are attracting interest for their ability to support clinicians in the automatic recognition of specific features associated with different cardiac diseases [2]. Artificial Intelligence applications and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms have gained much attention in the last years for their ability to figure out patterns from data independently, without being explicitly taught rules. Peculiar features define the ECGs of patients with Brugada Syndrome (BrS); however, ambiguities still exist for the correct diagnosis of BrS and discrimination with respect to other pathologies.
Purpose
The BrAID (Brugada syndrome and Artificial Intelligence applications to Diagnosis) project aims to develop an innovative system for diagnosing Type 1 BrS based on ECG pattern recognition through the application of ML algorithms. In this work, an application of Echo State Networks (ESN), a type of Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), for the diagnosis of BrS from ECG is presented.
Methods
After approval from the Local Ethical Committees, 12-lead ECGs were obtained in patients enrolled in 5 Centers diagnosed with typical spontaneous Type 1 pattern (coved) (group A, 81 patients). Baseline ECG was also collected in patients undergoing the ajmaline test, classified as positive (group B, 37 patients) or negative (group C, 14 patients) according to test results. 174 patients with no clinical and familial history of arrhythmias were considered controls (group D). Data were collected from 4 beats extracted from the ECGs as input to the ESN. The datasets obtained in the different groups were used for the ESN model’s training and assessment (testing) through a double cross-validation approach.
Results
As shown in Table 1, the performances using three leads (V1, V2, V3) or V2 only were compared.
The algorithm performance was assessed in all the datasets (group A+B+C+D) and in spontaneous BrS (group A) and controls (group D). A good accuracy (79.21%) was seen when the three leads were considered for groups A and D only; the best test set accuracy (80.20%) was obtained in the case in which V2 only was used as input in all the datasets.
Conclusion(s)
In this work, a novel system for diagnosing Type 1 BrS using an ESN approach was developed. Our preliminary results show that this ML model is able to detect ECG patterns associated with Type 1 BrS with good and comparable accuracy both when three leads (79.21% ) or V2 only (80.20%) were analyzed. The future availability of larger datasets could improve the model performance, increasing the ESN potentialities as a clinical support system tool to be used in everyday clinical practice.
Table 1. The accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity reported for each dataset group are obtained through double cross-validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Vozzi
- National Council of Research, Pisa, Italy
| | - GM Dimitri
- University of Pisa, Department of Computer Science, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Piacenti
- Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Zucchelli
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - M Nesti
- San Donato Hospital of Arezzo, Arezzo, Italy
| | | | - C Gallicchio
- University of Pisa, Department of Computer Science, Pisa, Italy
| | - E Persiani
- National Council of Research, Pisa, Italy
| | - MA Morales
- National Council of Research, Pisa, Italy
| | - A Micheli
- University of Pisa, Department of Computer Science, Pisa, Italy
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11
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Morales MA, Piacenti M, Nesti M, Solarino G, Pieragnoli P, Zucchelli G, Del Ry S, Cabiati M, Vozzi F. The BrAID study protocol: integration of machine learning and transcriptomics for brugada syndrome recognition. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2021; 21:494. [PMID: 34645390 PMCID: PMC8513180 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-021-02280-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Type 1 Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a hereditary arrhythmogenic disease showing peculiar electrocardiographic (ECG) patterns, characterized by ST-segment elevation in the right precordial leads, and risk of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). Furthermore, although various ECG patterns are described in the literature, different individual ECG may show high-grade variability, making the diagnosis problematic. The study aims to develop an innovative system for an accurate diagnosis of Type 1 BrS based on ECG pattern recognition by Machine Learning (ML) models and blood markers analysis trough transcriptomic techniques. METHODS The study is structured in 3 parts: (a) a retrospective study, with the first cohort of 300 anonymized ECG obtained in already diagnosed Type 1 BrS (75 spontaneous, 150 suspected) and 75 from control patients, which will be processed by ML analysis for pattern recognition; (b) a prospective study, with a cohort of 11 patients with spontaneous Type 1 BrS, 11 with drug-induced Type 1 BrS, 11 suspected BrS but negative to Na + channel blockers administration, and 11 controls, enrolled for ECG ML analysis and blood collection for transcriptomics and microvesicles analysis; (c) a validation study, with the third cohort of 100 patients (35 spontaneous and 35 drug-induced BrS, 30 controls) for ML algorithm and biomarkers testing. DISCUSSION The BrAID system will help clinicians improve the diagnosis of Type 1 BrS by using multiple information, reducing the time between ECG recording and final diagnosis, integrating clinical, biochemical and ECG information thus favoring a more effective use of available resources. Trial registration Clinical Trial.gov, NCT04641585. Registered 17 November 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04641585.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Morales
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Piacenti
- Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Nesti
- U.O.C. Cardiologia Ospedale San Donato, Via Pietro Nenni 20, Arezzo, Italy
| | - G Solarino
- Azienda Usl Toscana Nord Ovest U.O.C. Cardiologia Ospedale Versilia, SS1 Via Aurelia 335, Lido di Camaiore, Italy
| | - P Pieragnoli
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Careggi SOD Aritmologia, Largo Brambilla, 3, Firenze, Italy
| | - G Zucchelli
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana Cardiologia 2 U.O.C. Cisanello, Via Paradisa, 2, Pisa, Italy
| | - S Del Ry
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Cabiati
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - F Vozzi
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
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12
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Mincarone P, Bodini A, Tumolo MR, Vozzi F, Rocchiccioli S, Pelosi G, Caselli C, Sabina S, Leo CG. Discrimination capability of pretest probability of stable coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis suggesting how to improve validation procedures. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e047677. [PMID: 34244268 PMCID: PMC8268916 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Externally validated pretest probability models for risk stratification of subjects with chest pain and suspected stable coronary artery disease (CAD), determined through invasive coronary angiography or coronary CT angiography, are analysed to characterise the best validation procedures in terms of discriminatory ability, predictive variables and method completeness. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES Global Health (Ovid), Healthstar (Ovid) and MEDLINE (Ovid) searched on 22 April 2020. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA We included studies validating pretest models for the first-line assessment of patients with chest pain and suspected stable CAD. Reasons for exclusion: acute coronary syndrome, unstable chest pain, a history of myocardial infarction or previous revascularisation; models referring to diagnostic procedures different from the usual practices of the first-line assessment; univariable models; lack of quantitative discrimination capability. METHODS Eligibility screening and review were performed independently by all the authors. Disagreements were resolved by consensus among all the authors. The quality assessment of studies conforms to the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2). A random effects meta-analysis of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for each validated model was performed. RESULTS 27 studies were included for a total of 15 models. Besides age, sex and symptom typicality, other risk factors are smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemia. Only one model considers genetic profile. AUC values range from 0.51 to 0.81. Significant heterogeneity (p<0.003) was found in all but two cases (p>0.12). Values of I2 >90% for most analyses and not significant meta-regression results undermined relevant interpretations. A detailed discussion of individual results was then carried out. CONCLUSIONS We recommend a clearer statement of endpoints, their consistent measurement both in the derivation and validation phases, more comprehensive validation analyses and the enhancement of threshold validations to assess the effects of pretest models on clinical management. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42019139388.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierpaolo Mincarone
- Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council, Brindisi, Italy
| | - Antonella Bodini
- Institute for Applied Mathematics and Information Technologies "Enrico Magenes", National Research Council, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Tumolo
- Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council, Brindisi, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Gualtiero Pelosi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Chiara Caselli
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Saverio Sabina
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
| | - Carlo Giacomo Leo
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
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13
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Vozzi F, Cecchettini A, Cabiati M, Mg F, Aretini P, Del Ry S, Rocchiccioli S, Pelosi G. Modulated molecular markers of restenosis and thrombosis by in-vitrovascular cells exposed to bioresorbable scaffolds. Biomed Mater 2021; 16. [PMID: 34020430 DOI: 10.1088/1748-605x/ac0401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Drug-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVSs) have emerged as a potential breakthrough for the treatment of coronary artery stenosis, providing mechanical support and drug delivery followed by complete resorption. Restenosis and thrombosis remain the primary limitations in clinical use. The study aimed to identify potential markers of restenosis and thrombosis analyzing the vascular wall cell transcriptomic profile modulation triggered by BVS at different values of shear stress (SS). Human coronary artery endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells were cultured under SS (1 and 20 dyne cm-2) for 6 h without and with application of BVS and everolimus 600 nM. Cell RNA-Seq and bioinformatics analysis identified modulated genes by direct comparison of SS conditions and Gene Ontology (GO). The results of different experimental conditions and GO analysis highlighted the modulation of specific genes as semaphorin 3E, mesenchyme homeobox 2, bone morphogenetic protein 4, (heme oxygenase 1) and selectin E, with different roles in pathological evolution of disease. Transcriptomic analysis of dynamic vascular cell cultures identifies candidate genes related to pro-restenotic and pro-thrombotic mechanisms in anin-vitrosetting of BVS, which are not adequately contrasted by everolimus addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
| | - A Cecchettini
- Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Cabiati
- Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
| | - Fornaro Mg
- Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
| | - P Aretini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, Via Ferruccio Giovannini, 13, San Giuliano Terme, Italy
| | - S Del Ry
- Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
| | - S Rocchiccioli
- Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Pelosi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
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14
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Vozzi F, Cecchettini A, Cabiati M, Fornaro M, Del Ry S, Pelosi G. Effect of shear stress on vascular cell transcriptomics in an vitro setting of drug-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS). Atherosclerosis 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2020.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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15
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Caselli C, Rocchiccioli S, Rosendael A, Buechel R, Teresinska A, Pizzi MN, Smith JM, Poddighe R, Campolo J, Vozzi F, Knuuti J, Pelosi G, Parodi O, Scholte A, Neglia D. P6167Low leptin plasma levels are associated with progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with stable coronary artery disease from the SMARTool Study. Eur Heart J 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehz746.0773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Leptin is an adipokine involved in energy homeostasis and has been related with established vascular risk factors. However, studies on the association of leptin plasma levels with coronary artery disease (CAD) have yielded conflicting results.
Purpose
Aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between leptin plasma levels and presence, severity and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with suspected stable CAD.
Methods
In a cohort of 257 patients with symptoms of stable CAD enrolled in the SMARTool study, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA), plasma leptin levels and clinical and bio-humoral CAD risk profile (including glucose, lipid and inflammation variables) were obtained at enrolment and after 6±1yrs of follow-up. Sixty-four patients were revascularized and the remaining 193 represent the population for the present study. CTA findings were categorised as no-minimal CAD (<30% stenosis), non-obstructive CAD (30%-50% stenosis) and obstructive CAD (≥50% stenosis in at least one major coronary vessel). A CTA risk score (based on plaque extent, severity, composition, and location) was calculated at baseline and at follow-up to assess coronary atherosclerotic burden and its progression (Δ CTA score≥5).
Results
CTA findings showed obstructive CAD in 11% of patients at baseline and in 15% at follow-up (p<0.0001). CTA risk score, was 8.03±7.80 at baseline and increased to 10.33±8.17 at follow-up (p<0.0001) with CAD progression in 20% of patients. Leptin plasma levels were inversely related with CTA findings both at baseline and follow-up (Figure). In a Cox model, baseline plasma leptin was an independent predictor of CAD progression, after adjustment for clinical risk factors, biomarkers, and treatment (HR 0.572, 95% CI 0.393–0.834, P=0.0037).
Figure 1
Conclusion
Plasma leptin is inversely associated with coronary atherosclerotic burden and disease progression in patients with stable CAD. This association is independent of known factors affecting leptin levels. These results could prompt further investigations on the pathophysiological mechanisms of this association.
Acknowledgement/Funding
EU H2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 689068
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Affiliation(s)
- C Caselli
- Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), Pisa, Italy
| | | | - A Rosendael
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands (The)
| | - R Buechel
- University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - M N Pizzi
- University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J M Smith
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands (The)
| | - R Poddighe
- Versilia Hospital, Lido Di Camaiore, Italy
| | - J Campolo
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Milan, Italy
| | - F Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), Pisa, Italy
| | - J Knuuti
- University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - G Pelosi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), Pisa, Italy
| | - O Parodi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), Pisa, Italy
| | - A Scholte
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands (The)
| | - D Neglia
- Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Pisa, Italy
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16
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Vozzi F, Logrand F, Cabiati M, Cicione C, Boffito M, Carmagnola I, Vitale N, Gori M, Brancaccio M, Del Ry S, Gastaldi D, Cattarinuzzi E, Vena P, Rainer A, Domenici C, Ciardelli G, Sartori S. Biomimetic engineering of the cardiac tissue through processing, functionalization, and biological characterization of polyester urethanes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 13:055006. [PMID: 29869614 DOI: 10.1088/1748-605x/aaca5b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) tissue models offer new tools in the study of diseases. In the case of the engineering of cardiac muscle, a realistic goal would be the design of a scaffold able to replicate the tissue-specific architecture, mechanical properties, and chemical composition, so that it recapitulates the main functions of the tissue. This work is focused on the design and preliminary biological validation of an innovative polyester urethane (PUR) scaffold mimicking cardiac tissue properties. The porous scaffold was fabricated by thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) from poly(ε-caprolactone) diol, 1,4-butanediisocyanate, and l-lysine ethyl ester. Morphological and mechanical scaffolds characterization was accomplished by confocal microscopy, and micro-tensile and compression techniques. Scaffolds were then functionalized with fibronectin by plasma treatment, and the surface treatment was studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra, and contact angle measurements. Primary rat neonatal cardiomyocytes were seeded on scaffolds, and their colonization, survival, and beating activity were analyzed for 14 days. Signal transduction pathways and apoptosis involved in cells, the structural development of the heart, and its metabolism were analyzed. PUR scaffolds showed a porous-aligned structure and mechanical properties consistent with that of the myocardial tissue. Cardiomyocytes plated on the scaffolds showed a high survival rate and a stable beating activity. Serine/threonine kinase (AKT) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) phosphorylation was higher in cardiomyocytes cultured on the PUR scaffold compared to those on tissue culture plates. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed a significant modulation at 14 days of cardiac muscle (MYH7, prepro-ET-1), hypertrophy-specific (CTGF), and metabolism-related (SLC2a1, PFKL) genes in PUR scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, IFC-CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa, Italy
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17
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Athanasiou LS, Rigas GA, Sakellarios AI, Exarchos TP, Siogkas PK, Michalis LK, Parodi O, Vozzi F, Fotiadis DI. Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using CT angiography - comparison and registration using IVUS. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2018; 2015:5638-41. [PMID: 26737571 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2015.7319671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to present a new method for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using Computed Tomography (CT) Angiography. The method is summarized in three steps. In the first step, image filters are applied to CT images and an initial estimation of the vessel borders is extracted. In the second step, the 3D centerline is extracted using the center of gravity of each rough artery border. Finally in the third step, the borders and the plaque are detected and placed onto the 3D centerline constructing a 3D surface. By using as gold standard the results of a recently presented Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) plaque characterization method, high correlation is observed for calcium objects detected by CT and IVUS. The correlation coefficients for objects' volume, surface area, length and angle are r=0.51, r=0.89, r=0.96 and r=0.93, respectively.
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18
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Cabiati M, Vozzi F, Gemma F, Montemurro F, De Maria C, Vozzi G, Domenici C, Del Ry S. Cardiac tissue regeneration: A preliminary study on carbon-based nanotubes gelatin scaffold. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2017; 106:2750-2762. [PMID: 29206329 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.34056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was set-up and test of gelatin and carbon nanotubes scaffolds. Gelatin-based (5%) genipin cross-linked (0.2%) scaffolds embedding single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 1.3% w/w) were prepared and mechanically/electrically characterized. For biological evaluation, H9c2 cell line was cultured for 10 days. Cytotoxicity, cell growth and differentiation, immunohistochemistry, and real-time PCR analysis were performed. Myoblast and cardiac differentiation were obtained by serum reduction to 1% (C1% ) and stimulation with 50 nM all trans-retinoic acid (CRA ), respectively. Immunohistochemistry showed elongated myotubes in C1% while round and multinucleated cells in CRA with also a significantly increased expression of natriuretic peptides (NP) and ET-1 receptors in parallel with a decreased ET-1. On scaffolds, cell viability was similar for Gel-SWCNT0.3%/0.9% ; NP and ET systems expression decreased in both concentrations with respect to control and CX-43, mainly due to a lacking of complete differentiation in cardiac phenotype during that time. Although further analyses on novel biomaterials are necessary, these results represent a useful starting point to develop new biomaterial-based scaffolds. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2750-2762, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Francesca Montemurro
- Research Centre "E. Piaggio" and Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Carmelo De Maria
- Research Centre "E. Piaggio" and Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Vozzi
- Research Centre "E. Piaggio" and Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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19
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Vozzi F, Guerrazzi I, Campolo J, Cozzi L, Comelli L, Cecchettini A, Rocchiccioli S, Domenici C. Biological and proteomic characterization of a composite mesh for abdominal wall hernia treatment: Reference Study. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2016; 105:2045-2052. [PMID: 27388578 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.33749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
AIMS The industrial development of a product requires performing a deep analysis to highlight its characteristics useful for future design. The clinical use of a product stimulates knowledge improvement about it in a constant effort of progress. This work shows the biological characterization of CMC composite mesh. CMC polypropylene prosthesis was seeded with Human fibroblast BJ. Samples (cells and medium) were collected at different time points in order to perform different analysis: inflammatory markers quantification; collagens immunohistochemistry; matrix metalloproteinases zimography; extracellular matrix proteomic profile. FINDINGS CMC presented a good cell viability rate and cell growth during the 21 days. The inflammatory profile showed an initial secretion of anti-inflammatory IL-10 and a final increase of pro-inflammatory IL-6. Immunocytochemistry highlighted a similar Collagen type I/type III ratio. The proteomic analysis evidenced the ECM protein content profile composed, mainly, by collagens, fibronectin, laminin. MMPs resulted both expressed when in contact to mesh. CONCLUSIONS CMC shows a good cell biocompatibility and growth. The increase of pro-inflammatory markers could stimulate proliferation, influencing the integration process in human body. Proteomics highlights the ECM modulation by CMC. An integrated investigation of these biological analyses with mechanical data should improve the design process of a new product. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 2045-2052, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Vozzi
- Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilenia Guerrazzi
- Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Jonica Campolo
- Cardiothoracovascular Department, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Piazza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorena Cozzi
- Cardiothoracovascular Department, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Piazza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Comelli
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Cecchettini
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Silvia Rocchiccioli
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudio Domenici
- Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering, Institute of Clinical Physiology IFC-CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
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20
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Athanasiou L, Rigas G, Sakellarios AI, Exarchos TP, Siogkas PK, Bourantas CV, Garcia-Garcia HM, Lemos PA, Falcao BA, Michalis LK, Parodi O, Vozzi F, Fotiadis DI. Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using CT angiography--comparison and registration with IVUS. BMC Med Imaging 2016; 16:9. [PMID: 26785613 PMCID: PMC4719213 DOI: 10.1186/s12880-016-0111-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The aim of this study is to present a new methodology for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA). Methods The methodology is summarized in six stages: 1) pre-processing of the initial raw images, 2) rough estimation of the lumen and outer vessel wall borders and approximation of the vessel’s centerline, 3) manual adaptation of plaque parameters, 4) accurate extraction of the luminal centerline, 5) detection of the lumen - outer vessel wall borders and calcium plaque region, and 6) finally 3D surface construction. Results The methodology was compared to the estimations of a recently presented Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) plaque characterization method. The correlation coefficients for calcium volume, surface area, length and angle vessel were 0.79, 0.86, 0.95 and 0.88, respectively. Additionally, when comparing the inner and outer vessel wall volumes of the reconstructed arteries produced by IVUS and CTA the observed correlation was 0.87 and 0.83, respectively. Conclusions The results indicated that the proposed methodology is fast and accurate and thus it is likely in the future to have applications in research and clinical arena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lambros Athanasiou
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - George Rigas
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Antonis I Sakellarios
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Themis P Exarchos
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece.,FORTH-Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biomedical Research, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Panagiotis K Siogkas
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Christos V Bourantas
- Department of Cardiology, Barts Heart Centre, London, UK.,Department of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hector M Garcia-Garcia
- Department of Interventional Cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Thoraxcenter, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Pedro A Lemos
- Department of Interventional Cardiology, Heart Institute, University of São Paulo, Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Breno A Falcao
- Department of Interventional Cardiology, Heart Institute, University of São Paulo, Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lampros K Michalis
- Michaelidion Cardiac Center and Department of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Oberdan Parodi
- Michaelidion Cardiac Center and Department of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, IT 56124, Italy
| | - Dimitrios I Fotiadis
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece. .,FORTH-Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biomedical Research, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece. .,Michaelidion Cardiac Center and Department of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110, Ioannina, Greece.
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Vozzi F, Cabiati M, Gemma F, Montemurro F, De Maria C, Vozzi G, Domenici C, Del Ry S. Gelatin and carbon-based nanotubes scaffold for cardiac tissue engineering: A preliminary study. Vascul Pharmacol 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2015.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Athanasiou LS, Rigas GA, Sakellarios AI, Exarchos TP, Siogkas PK, Naka KK, Panetta D, Pelosi G, Vozzi F, Michalis LK, Parodi O, Fotiadis DI. Computerized methodology for micro-CT and histological data inflation using an IVUS based translation map. Comput Biol Med 2015; 65:168-76. [PMID: 25771781 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2015.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
A framework for the inflation of micro-CT and histology data using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images, is presented. The proposed methodology consists of three steps. In the first step the micro-CT/histological images are manually co-registered with IVUS by experts using fiducial points as landmarks. In the second step the lumen of both the micro-CT/histological images and IVUS images are automatically segmented. Finally, in the third step the micro-CT/histological images are inflated by applying a transformation method on each image. The transformation method is based on the IVUS and micro-CT/histological contour difference. In order to validate the proposed image inflation methodology, plaque areas in the inflated micro-CT and histological images are compared with the ones in the IVUS images. The proposed methodology for inflating micro-CT/histological images increases the sensitivity of plaque area matching between the inflated and the IVUS images (7% and 22% in histological and micro-CT images, respectively).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lambros S Athanasiou
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - George A Rigas
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Antonis I Sakellarios
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Themis P Exarchos
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece; FORTH-Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biomedical Research, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Panagiotis K Siogkas
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Katerina K Naka
- Michaelidion Cardiac Center and Dept. of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Daniele Panetta
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, IT, 56124, Italy
| | - Gualtiero Pelosi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, IT, 56124, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, IT, 56124, Italy
| | - Lampros K Michalis
- Michaelidion Cardiac Center and Dept. of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Oberdan Parodi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, IT, 56124, Italy
| | - Dimitrios I Fotiadis
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, PO Box 1186, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece; FORTH-Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biomedical Research, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece; Michaelidion Cardiac Center and Dept. of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
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Athanasiou LS, Rigas G, Sakellarios A, Bourantas CV, Stefanou K, Fotiou E, Exarchos TP, Siogkas P, Naka KK, Parodi O, Vozzi F, Teng Z, Young VEL, Gillard JH, Prati F, Michalis LK, Fotiadis DI. Error propagation in the characterization of atheromatic plaque types based on imaging. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2015; 121:161-74. [PMID: 26165637 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2015.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Imaging systems transmit and acquire signals and are subject to errors including: error sources, signal variations or possible calibration errors. These errors are included in all imaging systems for atherosclerosis and are propagated to methodologies implemented for the segmentation and characterization of atherosclerotic plaque. In this paper, we present a study for the propagation of imaging errors and image segmentation errors in plaque characterization methods applied to 2D vascular images. More specifically, the maximum error that can be propagated to the plaque characterization results is estimated, assuming worst-case scenarios. The proposed error propagation methodology is validated using methods applied to real datasets, obtained from intravascular imaging (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for coronary arteries, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for carotid arteries. The plaque characterization methods have recently been presented in the literature and are able to detect the vessel borders, and characterize the atherosclerotic plaque types. Although, these methods have been extensively validated using as gold standard expert annotations, by applying the proposed error propagation methodology a more realistic validation is performed taking into account the effect of the border detection algorithms error and the image formation error into the final results. The Pearson's coefficient of the detected plaques has changed significantly when the method was applied to IVUS and OCT, while there was not any variation when the method was applied to MRI data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lambros S Athanasiou
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - George Rigas
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Antonis Sakellarios
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Christos V Bourantas
- ThoraxCenter, Erasmus Medical Center, 's-Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kostas Stefanou
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Evangelos Fotiou
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Themis P Exarchos
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece; FORTH-Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biomedical Research, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Siogkas
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Katerina K Naka
- Michaelidion Cardiac Center, Department of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Oberdan Parodi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa 56124, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa 56124, Italy
| | - Zhongzhao Teng
- University Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB20QQ, UK
| | - Victoria E L Young
- University Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB20QQ, UK
| | - Jonathan H Gillard
- University Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB20QQ, UK
| | - Francesco Prati
- Interventional Cardiology, San Giovanni Hospital, Via dell' Amba Aradam, 8, Rome 00184, Italy
| | - Lampros K Michalis
- Michaelidion Cardiac Center, Department of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Dimitrios I Fotiadis
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece; FORTH-Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biomedical Research, GR 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
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Exarchos KP, Carpegianni C, Rigas G, Exarchos TP, Vozzi F, Sakellarios A, Marraccini P, Naka K, Michalis L, Parodi O, Fotiadis DI. A Multiscale Approach for Modeling Atherosclerosis Progression. IEEE J Biomed Health Inform 2015; 19:709-19. [DOI: 10.1109/jbhi.2014.2323935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Pelosi G, Panetta D, Vozzi F, Viglione F, Filipovic N, Savelijc I, Exharcos T, Trivella MG, Parodi O. P471Site-specific shear stress-plaque severity relations by high axial resolution coronary profiling in an animal model of atherogenesis. Cardiovasc Res 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvu091.148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Campolo J, Vozzi F, Penco S, Cozzi L, Caruso R, Domenici C, Ahluwalia A, Rial M, Marraccini P, Parodi O. Vascular injury post stent implantation: different gene expression modulation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) model. PLoS One 2014; 9:e90213. [PMID: 24587287 PMCID: PMC3935971 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2013] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To explore whether stent procedure may influence transcriptional response of endothelium, we applied different physical (flow changes) and/or mechanical (stent application) stimuli to human endothelial cells in a laminar flow bioreactor (LFB) system. Gene expression analysis was then evaluated in each experimental condition. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were submitted to low and physiological (1 and 10 dyne/cm(2)) shear stress in absence (AS) or presence (PS) of stent positioning in a LFB system for 24 h. Different expressed genes, coming from Affymetrix results, were identified based on one-way ANOVA analysis with p values <0.01 and a fold changed >3 in modulus. Low shear stress was compared with physiological one in AS and PS conditions. Two major groups include 32 probes commonly expressed in both 1AS versus 10AS and 1PS versus 10PS comparison, and 115 probes consisting of 83 in addition to the previous 32, expressed only in 1PS versus 10PS comparison. Genes related to cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix, and cholesterol transport/metabolism are differently regulated in 1PS versus 10PS condition. Inflammatory and apoptotic mediators seems to be, instead, closely modulated by changes in flow (1 versus 10), independently of stent application. Low shear stress together with stent procedure are the experimental conditions that mainly modulate the highest number of genes in our human endothelial model. Those genes belong to pathways specifically involved in the endothelial dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonica Campolo
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Milan and Pisa, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Federico Vozzi
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Milan and Pisa, Italy
| | - Silvana Penco
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical Genetics, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital Milan, Italy
| | - Lorena Cozzi
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Milan and Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Arti Ahluwalia
- Interdepartmental Research Centre “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Rial
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Milan and Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Oberdan Parodi
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Milan and Pisa, Italy
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Vozzi F, Bianchi F, Ahluwalia A, Domenici C. Hydrostatic pressure and shear stress affect endothelin-1 and nitric oxide release by endothelial cells in bioreactors. Biotechnol J 2013; 9:146-54. [PMID: 23959971 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201300016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2013] [Revised: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/16/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Abundant experimental evidence demonstrates that endothelial cells are sensitive to flow; however, the effect of fluid pressure or pressure gradients that are used to drive viscous flow is not well understood. There are two principal physical forces exerted on the blood vessel wall by the passage of intra-luminal blood: pressure and shear. To analyze the effects of pressure and shear independently, these two stresses were applied to cultured cells in two different types of bioreactors: a pressure-controlled bioreactor and a laminar flow bioreactor, in which controlled levels of pressure or shear stress, respectively, can be generated. Using these bioreactor systems, endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) release from human umbilical vein endothelial cells were measured under various shear stress and pressure conditions. Compared to the controls, a decrease of ET-1 production by the cells cultured in both bioreactors was observed, whereas NO synthesis was up-regulated in cells under shear stress, but was not modulated by hydrostatic pressure. These results show that the two hemodynamic forces acting on blood vessels affect endothelial cell function in different ways, and that both should be considered when planning in vitro experiments in the presence of flow. Understanding the individual and synergic effects of the two forces could provide important insights into physiological and pathological processes involved in vascular remodeling and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Vozzi
- Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, C.N.R. Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy
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Valvano G, Orsi G, Guzzardi MA, Vozzi F, Vozzi G. CREPE: mathematical model for crosstalking of endothelial cells and hepatocyte metabolism. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2013; 61:224-30. [PMID: 23864152 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2013.2272942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The liver shows a close coexistence between endothelial cells and hepatocytes (HepG2). Endothelial cells' main purpose is to protect (HepG2) from blood vessel shear stress, acting as a barrier, but experimental evidence suggests that they could also play a role in regulating (HepG2) glucose metabolism. A well-known singular effect in hepatocyte-endothelial co-cultures is the reduction of glucose consumption respect to (HepG2) in single culture. (HepG2) were shown to reduce their glucose consumption supporting energy needs of endothelial cells. Monti have studied the effects of endothelin-1 (Et-1) on Glucokinase activity in adult rat (HepG2). They observed a reduction in hepatocytes Glucokinase catalytic rate, which is dependent on Et-1 concentration. We developed crosstalking of endothelial cells and hepatocyte metabolism (CREPE) that is a mathematical model of the endothelin-1 mediated crosstalk between HepG2 and endothelial cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) in a traditional static co-culture system. CREPE was validated against experimental data, showing good agreement with them. CREPE can be a starting point to develop predictive tools on complex and highly interconnected environments.
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Exarchos TP, Sakellarios A, Siogkas PK, Fotiadis DI, Milosevic Z, Nikolic D, Filipovic N, Marraccini P, Vozzi F, Parodi O. Patient specific multiscale modelling for plaque formation and progression. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2013; 2012:2893-6. [PMID: 23366529 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2012.6346568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
We present a three-dimensional model of plaque formation and progression that was tested in a set of patients who underwent coronary Computed Tomography angiography (CTA) for anginal symptoms. The 3D blood flow is described by the Navier-Stokes equations, together with the continuity equation. Mass transfer within the blood lumen and through the arterial wall is coupled with the blood flow and is modeled by a convection-diffusion equation. The Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) transports in lumen of the vessel and through the vessel tissue (which has a mass consumption term) are coupled by Kedem-Katchalsky equations. The inflammatory process is modeled using three additional reaction-diffusion partial differential equations. A full three-dimensional model was created. Furthermore, features potentially affecting plaque growth, such as patient risk score, circulating biomarkers, localization and composition of the initial plaque, and coronary vasodilating capability were also investigated. The proof of concept of the model effectiveness was assessed 6 months after the baseline evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- T P Exarchos
- Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, GR 45110, Greece.
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Giusti S, Pagliari F, Vozzi F, Tirella A, Mazzei D, Cabiati M, Del Ry S, Ahluwalia A. SQPR 3.0: A Sensorized Bioreactor for Modulating Cardiac Phenotype. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2013.05.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Parodi O, Exarchos TP, Marraccini P, Vozzi F, Milosevic Z, Nikolic D, Sakellarios A, Siogkas PK, Fotiadis DI, Filipovic N. Patient-Specific Prediction of Coronary Plaque Growth From CTA Angiography: A Multiscale Model for Plaque Formation and Progression. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 16:952-65. [DOI: 10.1109/titb.2012.2201732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Del Ry S, Cabiati M, Vozzi F, Battolla B, Caselli C, Forini F, Segnani C, Prescimone T, Giannessi D, Mattii L. Expression of C-type natriuretic peptide and its receptor NPR-B in cardiomyocytes. Peptides 2011; 32:1713-8. [PMID: 21723350 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2011.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2011] [Revised: 06/16/2011] [Accepted: 06/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) was recently found in myocardium at the mRNA and protein levels, but it is not known whether cardiomyocytes are able to produce CNP. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of CNP and its specific receptor NPR-B in cardiac cells, both in vitro and ex vivo. CNP, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-B mRNA expression were examined by RT-PCR in the H9c2 rat cardiac myoblast cell line, in neonatal rat primary cardiomyocytes and in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as control. CNP protein expression was probed in cardiac tissue sections obtained from adult male minipigs by immunohistochemistry, and in H9c2 cells both by immunocytochemistry and by specific radioimmunoassay. The results showed that cardiac cells as well as endothelial cells were able to produce CNP. Unlike cardiomyocytes, as expected, in endothelial cells expression of BNP was not detected. NPR-B mRNA expression was found in both cell types. Production of CNP in the heart muscle cells at protein level was confirmed by radioimmunological determination (H9c2: CNP=0.86 ± 0.083 pg/mg) and by immunocytochemistry studies. By immunostaining of tissue sections, CNP was detected in both endothelium and cardiomyocytes. Expression of CNP in cardiac cells at gene and protein levels suggests that the heart is actively involved in the production of CNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Del Ry
- CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology Laboratory of Cardiovascular Biochemistry, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
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Vozzi F, Mazzei D, Vinci B, Vozzi G, Sbrana T, Ricotti L, Forgione N, Ahluwalia A. A flexible bioreactor system for constructing in vitro tissue and organ models. Biotechnol Bioeng 2011; 108:2129-40. [PMID: 21495015 DOI: 10.1002/bit.23164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2010] [Revised: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 03/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
To develop in vitro models of cells, tissues and organs we have designed and realized a series of cell culture chambers. Each chamber is purpose designed to simulate a particular feature of the in vivo environment. The bioreactor system is user friendly, and the chambers are easy to produce, sterilize and assemble. In addition they can be connected together to simulate inter-organ or tissue cross-talk. Here we discuss the design philosophy of the bioreactor system and then describe its construction. Preliminary results of validation tests obtained with hepatocytes and endothelial cells are also reported. The results show that endothelial cells are extremely sensitive to small levels of shear stress and that the presence of heterotypic signals from endothelial cells enhances the endogenous metabolic function of hepatocytes.
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Orsi G, De Maria C, Guzzardi M, Vozzi F, Vozzi G. HEMETβ: improvement of hepatocyte metabolism mathematical model. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2011; 14:837-51. [DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2010.497145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Chiono V, Sartori S, Rechichi A, Tonda-Turo C, Vozzi G, Vozzi F, D'Acunto M, Salvadori C, Dini F, Barsotti G, Carlucci F, Burchielli S, Nicolino S, Audisio C, Perroteau I, Giusti P, Ciardelli G. Poly(ester urethane) Guides for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration. Macromol Biosci 2010; 11:245-56. [DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201000354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2010] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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Tirella A, Vozzi F, Vozzi G, Ahluwalia A. PAM2 (piston assisted microsyringe): a new rapid prototyping technique for biofabrication of cell incorporated scaffolds. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 2010; 17:229-37. [PMID: 20799910 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2010.0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid prototyping techniques are widely used to fabricate well-defined three-dimensional structures of tissue homologs. The piston-assisted microsyringe (PAM2) is a rapid prototyping technology specifically developed for low-shear stress extrusion of viscous hydrogel solutions containing cells. In this article the working parameters of the system were established to guarantee the realization of spatially controlled hydrogel scaffolds. Moreover the shear stresses acting on the cell membrane during extrusion was investigated through a computational fluid-dynamic analysis. The computational models show that the shear stress on the cells is of the order of 100 Pa during the extrusion process. HepG2 cells encapsulated in alginate were then extruded into spatially organized hepatic lobule-like architectures and their viability and function were evaluated. The results show that the metabolic fingerprint of the cells is preserved with respect to controls and the cells are uniformly distributed through the gel scaffold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Tirella
- Interdepartmental Research Center "E. Piaggio," Faculty of Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Vozzi G, Morelli I, Vozzi F, Andreoni C, Salsedo E, Morachioli A, Giusti P, Ciardelli G. SOFT-MI: a novel microfabrication technique integrating soft-lithography and molecular imprinting for tissue engineering applications. Biotechnol Bioeng 2010; 106:804-17. [PMID: 20564617 DOI: 10.1002/bit.22740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
An innovative approach has been employed for the realization of bioactive scaffolds able to mimic the in vivo cellular microenvironment for tissue engineering applications. This method is based on the combination of molecular imprinting and soft-lithography technology to enhance cellular adhesion and to guide cell growth and proliferation due to presence of highly specific recognition sites of selected biomolecules on a well-defined polymeric microstructure. In this article polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) scaffolds have been realized by using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microstructured molds imprinted with FITC-albumin and TRITC-lectin. In addition gelatin, an adhesion protein, was employed for the molecular imprinting of polymeric scaffolds for cellular tests. The most innovative aspect of this research was the molecular imprinting of whole cells for the development of substrates able to enhance the cell adhesion processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Vozzi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry and Material Science, University of Pisa, Via Diotisalvi 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
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Vozzi F, Montemurro F, Guzzardi M, Domenici C, Ahluwalia A. Predicting cytotoxic response to drugs: The multi-compartmental bioreactor system. Toxicol Lett 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2010.03.466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Ahluwalia A, Vozzi F, Guzzardi M, Domenici C, Mazzei D. Organ cross-talk in a multi compartment connected culture bioreactor. Toxicol Lett 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2010.03.462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Guzzardi MA, Vozzi F, Ahluwalia AD. Study of the Crosstalk Between Hepatocytes and Endothelial Cells Using a Novel Multicompartmental Bioreactor: A Comparison Between Connected Cultures and Cocultures. Tissue Eng Part A 2009; 15:3635-44. [DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2008.0695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Angela Guzzardi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology-CNR, Pisa, Italy
- Sector of Medicine, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Federico Vozzi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology-CNR, Pisa, Italy
- Faculty of Engineering, Interdepartmental Research Center “E.Piaggio,” University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Arti Devi Ahluwalia
- Faculty of Engineering, Interdepartmental Research Center “E.Piaggio,” University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Vozzi F, Heinrich JM, Bader A, Ahluwalia AD. Connected culture of murine hepatocytes and HUVEC in a multicompartmental bioreactor. Tissue Eng Part A 2009; 15:1291-9. [PMID: 18837649 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2008.0066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A multicompartmental bioreactor was conceived and designed to mimic cross talk between cells in different culture chambers connected only by flow, such that cell-cell interaction is mediated by soluble ligands as occurs in the body. The system was tested with a connected culture of murine hepatocytes and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Metabolites such as albumin, urea, lactate and viability were monitored during the course of the experiments and compared with monoculture conditions in the bioreactor. When the two cell types are placed in connected culture, there is an increase in endothelial cell viability and hepatic glucose synthesis as well as albumin and urea production, while overall lactate production in the system is downregulated. The results show that the multicompartmental bioreactor enhances cell function, effectively combining both heterotypic interactions with increased nutrient availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Vozzi
- MCB Group, Faculty of Engineering, Interdepartmental Research Center E Piaggio, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
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43
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Chiono V, Vozzi G, Vozzi F, Salvadori C, Dini F, Carlucci F, Arispici M, Burchielli S, Di Scipio F, Geuna S, Fornaro M, Tos P, Nicolino S, Audisio C, Perroteau I, Chiaravalloti A, Domenici C, Giusti P, Ciardelli G. Melt-extruded guides for peripheral nerve regeneration. Part I: Poly(ε-caprolactone). Biomed Microdevices 2009; 11:1037-50. [DOI: 10.1007/s10544-009-9321-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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44
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Cutrone A, De Maria C, Vinci B, Vozzi F, Ahluwalia A, Vozzi G. A new library of HEMET model: Insulin effects on hepatic metabolism. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2009; 94:181-189. [PMID: 19162365 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2008.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2008] [Revised: 12/09/2008] [Accepted: 12/10/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Prediction and simulation of cell culture behaviour, under different chemical and physical stimuli by a mathematical model, represent an innovative way to create a virtual cell laboratory, where it is possible to perform and optimize experimental protocol, saving time and money. In silico experiments permit to reproduce pathological and physiological situations and make toxicological tests. In this paper we introduce a new library of HEMET (HEpatocyte METabolism) software that allows the insulin effects on hepatic metabolism to be simulated. This new set of nonlinear differential equations, derived from biochemical reactions which involve this pancreatic hormone, allows the catabolites concentration in hepatic cell culture after insulin infusion to be predicted. The validation procedures were carried out using data obtained from specifically designed cell experiments and from literature. A user friendly interface allows to easily change model parameters, rate constants and inputs simulating a wide range of physiological and pathological scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cutrone
- Interdepartmental Research Center E. Piaggio, Faculty of Engineering, University of Pisa, Via Diotisalvi 2, 56126, Pisa, Italy
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45
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Tirella A, Marano M, Vozzi F, Ahluwalia A. A microfluidic gradient maker for toxicity testing of bupivacaine and lidocaine. Toxicol In Vitro 2008; 22:1957-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2008.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2008] [Revised: 09/18/2008] [Accepted: 09/20/2008] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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46
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De Maria C, Grassini D, Vozzi F, Vinci B, Landi A, Ahluwalia A, Vozzi G. HEMET: mathematical model of biochemical pathways for simulation and prediction of HEpatocyte METabolism. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2008; 92:121-134. [PMID: 18640740 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2008.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2007] [Revised: 05/23/2008] [Accepted: 06/07/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Many computer studies and models have been developed in order to simulate cell biochemical pathways. The difficulty of integrating all the biochemical reactions that occur in a cell in a single model is the main reason for the poor results in the prediction and simulation of cell behaviour under different chemical and physical stimuli. In this paper we have translated biochemical reactions into differential equations for the development of modular model of metabolism of a hepatocyte cultured in static and standard conditions (in a plastic multiwell placed in an incubator at 37 degrees C with 5% of CO(2)). Using biochemical equations and energetic considerations a set of non-linear differential equations has been derived and implemented in Simulink. This set of equations mimics some of the principal metabolic pathways of biomolecules present in the culture medium. The software platform developed is subdivided into separate modules, each one describing a different metabolic pathway; they constitute a library which can be used for developing new modules and models to project, predict and validate cell behaviour in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- C De Maria
- Interdepartmental Research Center "E. Piaggio", Faculty of Engineering, University of Pisa, Via Diotisalvi 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy
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47
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Pulieri E, Chiono V, Ciardelli G, Vozzi G, Ahluwalia A, Domenici C, Vozzi F, Giusti P. Chitosan/gelatin blends for biomedical applications. J Biomed Mater Res A 2008; 86:311-22. [DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.31492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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48
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Abstract
We describe the case of a pregnancy healthy outcome after in utero consecutive exposure to lamotrigine and citalopram.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Gentile
- Department of Mental Health, Mental Health Center n. 4, ASL Salerno 1, Cava de' Tirreni (Salerno), Italy.
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49
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Vozzi G, Rechichi A, Dini F, Salvadori C, Vozzi F, Burchielli S, Carlucci F, Arispici M, Ciardelli G, Giusti P, Ahluwalia A. PAM-Microfabricated Polyurethane Scaffolds: in vivo
and in vitro
Preliminary Studies. Macromol Biosci 2007; 8:60-8. [DOI: 10.1002/mabi.200700214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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50
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Abstract
The aim of this study is to realise in vitro microtubular structures for Tissue Engineering applications. The strategy adopted consists in the use of cylindrical polymeric scaffolds, on which connective tissue cells (murine fibroblasts) can adhere and proliferate. We supply stereotropic and chemical stimuli which induce the cells to cover the whole cylindrical structure and to produce an extra-cellular matrix (ECM) which acts as an adhesive for cell aggregation and assembly. Stereotropic stimuli were provided using purpose designed seeding and proliferation chambers whilst the addition of ascorbic acid to the culture medium furnished chemical stimuli. To obtain cylindrical cellular structures two approaches are considered: the first one consists in the use of biodegradable scaffolds, the second one consists in the use of non-biodegradable scaffolds which can subsequently be withdrawn. The results show that a 14-microm thick cell and ECM coating grows over nylon strands, and can also be coerced to form an effective connection system with external tubing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Migliore
- Interdepartmental Research Center E. Piaggio, Faculty of Engineering, University of Pisa, Via Diotisalvi n.2, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
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