1
|
Kouthouridis S, Sotra A, Khan Z, Alvarado J, Raha S, Zhang B. Modeling the Progression of Placental Transport from Early- to Late-Stage Pregnancy by Tuning Trophoblast Differentiation and Vascularization. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2301428. [PMID: 37830445 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202301428] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The early-stage placental barrier is characterized by a lack of fetal circulation and by a thick trophoblastic barrier, whereas the later-stage placenta consists of vascularized chorionic villi encased in a thin, differentiated trophoblast layer, ideal for nutrient transport. In this work, predictive models of early- and late-stage placental transport are created using blastocyst-derived placental stem cells (PSCs) by modulating PSC differentiation and model vascularization. PSC differentiation results in a thinner, fused trophoblast layer, as well as an increase in human chorionic gonadotropin secretion, barrier permeability, and secretion of certain inflammatory cytokines, which are consistent with in vivo findings. Further, gene expression confirms this shift toward a differentiated trophoblast subtype. Vascularization results in a molecule type- and size-dependent change in dextran and insulin permeability. These results demonstrate that trophoblast differentiation and vascularization have critical effects on placental barrier permeability and that this model can be used as a predictive measure to assess fetal toxicity of xenobiotic substances at different stages of pregnancy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Kouthouridis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Alexander Sotra
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Zaim Khan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Justin Alvarado
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Sandeep Raha
- Department of Pediatrics and the Graduate Programme in Medical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Boyang Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kouthouridis S, Robson E, Hartung A, Raha S, Zhang B. Se(XY) matters: the importance of incorporating sex in microphysiological models. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 40:1284-1298. [PMID: 35597689 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.04.005] [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: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The development of microphysiological models is currently at the forefront of preclinical research. Although these 3D tissue models are being developed to mimic physiological organ function and diseases, which are often sexually dimorphic, sex is usually neglected as a biological variable. For decades, national research agencies have required government-funded clinical trials to include both male and female participants as a means of eliminating male bias. However, this is not the case in preclinical trials, which have been shown to favor male rodents in animal studies and male cell types in in vitro studies. In this Opinion, we highlight the importance of considering sex as a biological variable and outline five approaches for incorporating sex-specific features into current microphysiological models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Kouthouridis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Eleanor Robson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Alicia Hartung
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada; School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Sandeep Raha
- Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada; Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
| | - Boyang Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada; School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Asadi Jozani K, Kouthouridis S, Hirota JA, Zhang B. Next generation preclinical models of lung development, physiology and disease. CAN J CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.24581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kimia Asadi Jozani
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Sonya Kouthouridis
- Department of Chemical Engineering McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Jeremy Alexander Hirota
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health St. Joseph’s Hospital, Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Boyang Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kouthouridis S, Goepp J, Martini C, Matthes E, Hanrahan JW, Moraes C. Oxygenation as a driving factor in epithelial differentiation at the air-liquid interface. Integr Biol (Camb) 2021; 13:61-72. [PMID: 33677549 PMCID: PMC7965686 DOI: 10.1093/intbio/zyab002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Culture at the air-liquid interface is broadly accepted as necessary for differentiation of cultured epithelial cells towards an in vivo-like phenotype. However, air-liquid interface cultures are expensive, laborious and challenging to scale for increased throughput applications. Deconstructing the microenvironmental parameters that drive these differentiation processes could circumvent these limitations, and here we hypothesize that reduced oxygenation due to diffusion limitations in liquid media limits differentiation in submerged cultures; and that this phenotype can be rescued by recreating normoxic conditions at the epithelial monolayer, even under submerged conditions. Guided by computational models, hyperoxygenation of atmospheric conditions was applied to manipulate oxygenation at the monolayer surface. The impact of this rescue condition was confirmed by assessing protein expression of hypoxia-sensitive markers. Differentiation of primary human bronchial epithelial cells isolated from healthy patients was then assessed in air-liquid interface, submerged and hyperoxygenated submerged culture conditions. Markers of differentiation, including epithelial layer thickness, tight junction formation, ciliated surface area and functional capacity for mucociliary clearance, were assessed and found to improve significantly in hyperoxygenated submerged cultures, beyond standard air-liquid interface or submerged culture conditions. These results demonstrate that an air-liquid interface is not necessary to produce highly differentiated epithelial structures, and that increased availability of oxygen and nutrient media can be leveraged as important strategies to improve epithelial differentiation for applications in respiratory toxicology and therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Kouthouridis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Julie Goepp
- Department of Physiology, Cystic Fibrosis Translational Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | | | - John W Hanrahan
- Department of Physiology, Cystic Fibrosis Translational Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Christopher Moraes
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Physiology, Cystic Fibrosis Translational Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Center, Montreal, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hayward KL, Kouthouridis S, Zhang B. Organ-on-a-Chip Systems for Modeling Pathological Tissue Morphogenesis Associated with Fibrosis and Cancer. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 7:2900-2925. [PMID: 34275294 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Tissue building does not occur exclusively during development. Even after a whole body is built from a single cell, tissue building can occur to repair and regenerate tissues of the adult body. This confers resilience and enhanced survival to multicellular organisms. However, this resiliency comes at a cost, as the potential for misdirected tissue building creates vulnerability to organ deformation and dysfunction-the hallmarks of disease. Pathological tissue morphogenesis is associated with fibrosis and cancer, which are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite being the priority of research for decades, scientific understanding of these diseases is limited and existing therapies underdeliver the desired benefits to patient outcomes. This can largely be attributed to the use of two-dimensional cell culture and animal models that insufficiently recapitulate human disease. Through the synergistic union of biological principles and engineering technology, organ-on-a-chip systems represent a powerful new approach to modeling pathological tissue morphogenesis, one with the potential to yield better insights into disease mechanisms and improved therapies that offer better patient outcomes. This Review will discuss organ-on-a-chip systems that model pathological tissue morphogenesis associated with (1) fibrosis in the context of injury-induced tissue repair and aging and (2) cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen L Hayward
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Sonya Kouthouridis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Boyang Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada.,School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chandrasekaran A, Kouthouridis S, Lee W, Lin N, Ma Z, Turner MJ, Hanrahan JW, Moraes C. Magnetic microboats for floating, stiffness tunable, air-liquid interface epithelial cultures. Lab Chip 2019; 19:2786-2798. [PMID: 31332423 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00267g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
To study respiratory diseases, in vitro airway epithelial models are commonly implemented by culturing airway cells on a porous surface at an air-liquid interface (ALI). However, these surfaces are often supraphysiologically stiff, which is known to affect the organization, maturation, and responses of cells to potential therapies in other biological culture models. While it is possible to culture cells on soft hydrogel substrates at an air-liquid interface, these techniques are challenging to implement particularly in high-throughput applications which require robust and repetitive material handling procedures. To address these two limitations and characterize epithelial cultures on substrates of varying stiffness at the ALI, we developed a novel "lung-on-a-boat", in which stiffness-tuneable hydrogels are integrated into the bottoms of polymeric microstructures, which normally float at the air-liquid interface. An embedded magnetic material can be used to sink the boat on demand when a magnetic field is applied, enabling reliable transition between submerged and ALI culture. In this work, we prototype a functional ALI microboat platform, with integrated stiffness-tunable polyacrylamide hydrogel surfaces, and validate the use of this technology with a model epithelial cell line. We verify sufficient transport through the hydrogel base to maintain cell viability and stimulate cultures, using a model nanoparticle with known toxicity. We then demonstrate significant morphological and functional effects on epithelial barrier formation, suggesting that substrate stiffness is an important parameter to consider in the design of in vitro epithelial ALI models for drug discovery and fundamental research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sonya Kouthouridis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Wontae Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Nicholas Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Zhenwei Ma
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Mark J Turner
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - John W Hanrahan
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada and Cystic Fibrosis Translational Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Christopher Moraes
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. and Cystic Fibrosis Translational Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada and Department of Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada and Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| |
Collapse
|