Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals Induce Fish Gene Expression Profiles Associated with Human Idiopathic Autism

Idiopathic autism, caused by genetic susceptibility interacting with unknown environmental triggers, has increased dramatically in the past 25 years. Identifying environmental triggers has been difficult due to poorly understood pathophysiology and subjective definitions of autism. The use of antidepressants by pregnant women has been associated with autism. These and other unmetabolized psychoactive pharmaceuticals (UPPs) have also been found in drinking water from surface sources, providing another possible exposure route and raising questions about human health consequences. Here, we examined gene expression patterns of fathead minnows treated with a mixture of three psychoactive pharmaceuticals (fluoxetine, venlafaxine & carbamazepine) in dosages intended to be similar to the highest observed conservative estimates of environmental concentrations. We conducted microarray experiments examining brain tissue of fish exposed to individual pharmaceuticals and a mixture of all three. We used gene-class analysis to test for enrichment of gene sets involved with ten human neurological disorders. Only sets associated with idiopathic autism were unambiguously enriched. We found that UPPs induce autism-like gene expression patterns in fish. Our findings suggest a new potential trigger for idiopathic autism in genetically susceptible individuals involving an overlooked source of environmental contamination

Hydrogel substrate stress-relaxation regulates the spreading and proliferation of mouse myoblasts.

Mechanical properties of the extracellular microenvironment are known to alter cellular behavior, such as spreading, proliferation or differentiation. Previous studies have primarily focused on studying the effect of matrix stiffness on cells using hydrogel substrates that exhibit purely elastic behavior. However, these studies have neglected a key property exhibited by the extracellular matrix (ECM) and various tissues; viscoelasticity and subsequent stress-relaxation. As muscle exhibits viscoelasticity, stress-relaxation could regulate myoblast behavior such as spreading and proliferation, but this has not been previously studied. In order to test the impact of stress relaxation on myoblasts, we created a set of two-dimensional RGD-modified alginate hydrogel substrates with varying initial elastic moduli and rates of relaxation. The spreading of myoblasts cultured on soft stress-relaxing substrates was found to be greater than cells on purely elastic substrates of the same initial elastic modulus. Additionally, the proliferation of myoblasts was greater on hydrogels that exhibited stress-relaxation, as compared to cells on elastic hydrogels of the same modulus. These findings highlight stress-relaxation as an important mechanical property in the design of a biomaterial system for the culture of myoblasts. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This article investigates the effect of matrix stress-relaxation on spreading and proliferation of myoblasts by using tunable elastic and stress-relaxing alginate hydrogels substrates with different initial elastic moduli. Many past studies investigating the effect of mechanical properties on cell fate have neglected the viscoelastic behavior of extracellular matrices and various tissues and used hydrogels exhibiting purely elastic behavior. Muscle tissue is viscoelastic and exhibits stress-relaxation. Therefore, stress-relaxation could regulate myoblast behavior if it were to be incorporated into the design of hydrogel substrates. Altogether, we showed that stress-relaxation impacts myoblasts spreading and proliferation. These findings enable a better understanding of myoblast behavior on viscoelastic substrates and could lead to the design of more suitable substrates for myoblast expansion in vitro

High-throughput screening of thiol-ene click chemistries for bone adhesive polymers

Metal surgical pins and screws are employed in millions of orthopedic surgical procedures every year worldwide, but their usability is limited in the case of complex, comminuted fractures or in surgeries on smaller bones. Therefore, replacing such implants with a bone adhesive material has long been considered an attractive option. However, synthesizing a biocompatible bone adhesive with a high bond strength that is simple to apply presents many challenges. To rapidly identify candidate polymers for a biocompatible bone adhesive, we employed a high-throughput screening strategy to assess human mesenchymal stromal cell (hMSC) adhesion toward a library of polymers synthesized via thiol-ene click chemistry. We chose thiol-ene click chemistry because multifunctional monomers can be rapidly cured via ultraviolet (UV) light while minimizing residual monomer, and it provides a scalable manufacturing process for candidate polymers identified from a high-throughput screen. This screening methodology identified a copolymer (1-S2-FT01) composed of the monomers 1,3,5-triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione (TATATO) and pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP), which supported highest hMSC adhesion across a library of 90 polymers. The identified copolymer (1-S2-FT01) exhibited favorable compressive and tensile properties compared to existing commercial bone adhesives and adhered to bone with adhesion strengths similar to commercially available bone glues such as Histoacryl. Furthermore, this cytocompatible polymer supported osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs and could adhere 3D porous polymer scaffolds to the bone tissue, making this polymer an ideal candidate as an alternative bone adhesive with broad utility in orthopedic surgery

Tough adhesives for diverse wet surfaces

Adhesion to wet and dynamic surfaces, including biological tissues, is important in many fields but has proven to be extremely challenging. Existing adhesives are cytotoxic, adhere weakly to tissues, or cannot be used in wet environments. We report a bioinspired design for adhesives consisting of two layers: an adhesive surface and a dissipative matrix. The former adheres to the substrate by electrostatic interactions, covalent bonds, and physical interpenetration. The latter amplifies energy dissipation through hysteresis. The two layers synergistically lead to higher adhesion energies on wet surfaces as compared with those of existing adhesives. Adhesion occurs within minutes, independent of blood exposure and compatible with in vivo dynamic movements. This family of adhesives may be useful in many areas of application, including tissue adhesives, wound dressings, and tissue repair

Quantifying molecular-level cell adhesion on electroactive conducting polymers using electrochemical-single cell force spectroscopy

Single Cell Force Spectroscopy was combined with Electrochemical-AFM to quantify the adhesion between live single cells and conducting polymers whilst simultaneously applying a voltage to electrically switch the polymer from oxidized to reduced states. The cell-conducting polymer adhesion represents the non-specific interaction between cell surface glycocalyx molecules and polymer groups such as sulfonate and dodecylbenzene groups, which rearrange their orientation during electrical switching. Single cell adhesion significantly increases as the polymer is switched from an oxidized to fully reduced state, indicating stronger cell binding to sulfonate groups as opposed to hydrophobic groups. This increase in single cell adhesion is concomitant with an increase in surface hydrophilicity and uptake of cell media, driven by cation movement, into the polymer film during electrochemical reduction. Binding forces between the glycocalyx and polymer surface are indicative of molecular-level interactions and during electrical stimulation there is a decrease in both the binding force and stiffness of the adhesive bonds. The study provides insight into the effects of electrochemical switching on cell adhesion at the cell-conducting polymer interface and is more broadly applicable to elucidating the binding of cell adhesion molecules in the presence of electrical fields and directly at electrode interfaces