Improvement of Nerve Regeneration in Tissue-Engineered Skin Enriched with Schwann Cells

The incorporation of Schwann cells in reconstructed skin (RS) could have a major role in achieving functional recovery of cutaneous sensory perception. We showed with a unique in vitro model of a tissue-engineered innervated reconstructed dermis that Schwann cells promoted a twofold increase in the number of sensory neurites migrating in the three-dimensional tissue as compared with the control. In addition, Schwann cells spontaneously colocalized along neurites and achieved the formation of myelin sheaths in vitro as assessed by transmission electron microscopy. We prepared RS samples enriched or not with Schwann cells and transplanted them on nude mice for 60–90 days. We demonstrated that Schwann cells induced a 1.8- and 1.7-fold increase in the number of nerve fibers migrating in the graft 60 and 90 days after transplantation, respectively. In addition, the RS sample enriched with Schwann cells had a current perception threshold similar to that of normal skin for the large and myelinated Aβ-sensory fibers, in contrast with the control. Thus, we showed that the addition of Schwann cells to tissue-engineered skin not only enhanced nerve migration but also promoted myelin sheath formation in vitro and nerve function recovery in vivo

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)—a powerful separation technique

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) provides an alternative approach to effectively separate small polar compounds on polar stationary phases. The purpose of this work was to review the options for the characterization of HILIC stationary phases and their applications for separations of polar compounds in complex matrices. The characteristics of the hydrophilic stationary phase may affect and in some cases limit the choices of mobile phase composition, ion strength or buffer pH value available, since mechanisms other than hydrophilic partitioning could potentially occur. Enhancing our understanding of retention behavior in HILIC increases the scope of possible applications of liquid chromatography. One interesting option may also be to use HILIC in orthogonal and/or two-dimensional separations. Bioapplications of HILIC systems are also presented

Med Sci (Paris)

The immune system and the sensory nervous system are responsible for perceiving danger under distinct yet complementary forms. In the last few years, neuroimmune interactions have become an important topic of dermatological research for conditions including wound healing, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. We present here a selection of tridimensional in vitro models that reproduce skin structure and integrate an immune or a sensory function. Future evolutions of such models are expected to greatly contribute in a better understanding of reciprocal influences between sensory nervous system and immune system. Modélisation tridimensionnelle in vitro des systèmes nerveux et immunitaire de la peau. Le système immunitaire et le système nerveux sensoriel sont responsables de la perception du danger, sous des formes distinctes mais complémentaires. Ces dernières années, les interactions neuro-immunes se sont imposées comme un axe de recherche important en dermatologie pour comprendre la cicatrisation, la dermatite atopique ou le psoriasis. Nous présentons ici une sélection de modèles tridimensionnels in vitro reproduisant la structure de la peau et intégrant une fonction immunitaire ou sensorielle. Les évolutions futures de ces modèles permettront d’obtenir une vision aussi complète que possible des influences réciproques entre système immunitaire et système nerveux sensoriel

How to achieve early vascularization of tissue-engineered skin substitutes

Background: The coverage of deep and extensive burns with autologous tissue-engineered skin is a promising strategy to improve the cosmetic aspect and functionality of the skin, compared to the transplantation of simple epithelial sheets. Indeed, a dermal compartment could markedly help to prevent hypertrophic scar formation and to strengthen the dermal–epidermal junction while increasing skin suppleness and pliability. The Problem: The thickness of the dermis could be a limitation to the survival of the tissue after transplantation, since its vascularization can take up to 2 weeks to occur through neovascularization. This delay could lead to graft necrosis. Basic/Clinical Science Advances: To overcome this problem, the reconstruction of a preformed network of branching capillaries in the dermis before grafting has proven to be an efficient solution in connecting to the host’s vasculature in less than 4 days after grafting. The formation of this capillary-like network is achieved by the coculture of human fibroblasts and endothelial cells in a collagen sponge for a 1-month in vitro maturation period. The successful inosculation process between human capillaries and the host’s vasculature was demonstrated after grafting onto nude mice. Clinical Care Relevance: In addition to autologous epithelial sheets and splitthickness autografts, this endothelialized reconstructed skin made of the patient’s own cells could be a valuable additional strategy to permanently cover deep wounds. Conclusion: The reconstruction in tissue-engineered organs of a capillary-like network made of the patient’s own cells before grafting is a promising approach to promote their early vascularization

In Vitro 3D Modeling of Neurodegenerative Diseases

The study of neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is very complex due to the difficulty in investigating the cellular dynamics within nervous tissue. Despite numerous advances in the in vivo study of these diseases, the use of in vitro analyses is proving to be a valuable tool to better understand the mechanisms implicated in these diseases. Although neural cells remain difficult to obtain from patient tissues, access to induced multipotent stem cell production now makes it possible to generate virtually all neural cells involved in these diseases (from neurons to glial cells). Many original 3D culture model approaches are currently being developed (using these different cell types together) to closely mimic degenerative nervous tissue environments. The aim of these approaches is to allow an interaction between glial cells and neurons, which reproduces pathophysiological reality by co-culturing them in structures that recapitulate embryonic development or facilitate axonal migration, local molecule exchange, and myelination (to name a few). This review details the advantages and disadvantages of techniques using scaffolds, spheroids, organoids, 3D bioprinting, microfluidic systems, and organ-on-a-chip strategies to model neurodegenerative diseases

What is new in mechanical properties of tissue-engineered organs

Tissue engineering is a promising new field based on expertise in cell biology, medicine and mechanical engineering. It raises exciting hopes of producing autologous tissue substitutes to replace altered organs. This challenge involves highly specialized technology in order to provide the proper shape to the tissue and promote the maintenance of its native physiological properties. Primary cell populations may lose some of their functional and morphological properties in vitro in the absence of a proper environment. In order to maintain cell integrity, a three-dimensional matrix that mimics the in vivo environment as closely as possible was developed, according to the type of tissue produced [1, 5, 18, 26, 27, 29, 34, 35]

Extracellular matrix deposition by fibroblasts is necessary to promote capillary-like tube formation in vitro

The contribution of the cellular and fibrillar microenvironment to angiogenesis still remains unclear. Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of the extracellular matrix deposited by fibroblasts on the capacity of human endothelial cells to form capillaries in vitro. We have drastically decreased the amount of extracellular matrix surrounding fibroblasts in our model of endothelializedreconstructed connective tissue (ERCT) by culturing it without ascorbate. Under these conditions, the number of capillary-like tubes (CLT) formed by endothelial cells was reduced by up to 10-fold after 31 days of culture compared to controls. This decrease was due neither to a variation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 secretion, nor to a reduction in the number of fibroblasts and/or endothelial cells, or a diminution of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) synthesis. The secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by fibroblasts accounted for 25–70% of the capillary-like tube formation when tissues were cultured in the presence or absence of ascorbate, as demonstrated by VEGF-blocking studies. The culture of endothelial cells on a similar extracellular matrix but in the absence of living fibroblasts did not promote the formation of CLT, even when tissues were fed with fibroblast-conditioned medium. Thus, the deposition of a rich extracellular matrix by living fibroblasts appeared necessary, but not sufficient to promote capillary-like formation. Fibroblasts seem to induce endothelial cells to spontaneously form CLT by secreting and organizing an abundant extracellular matrix, which creates a microenvironment around cells that could in turn trap growth factors produced by fibroblasts and promote three-dimensional cell organization

In vitro evaluation of the angiostatic potential of drugs using an endothelialized tissue-engineered connective tissue

The development of a new pharmacological strategy, the angiostatic therapy, to inhibit solid tumor progression has increased the need of powerful in vitro models to screen the angiostatic potential of new drug candidates. We produced an endothelialized reconstructed connective tissue (ERCT) that promotes the spontaneous formation of a human capillary-like network by coculture of human endothelial cells isolated from umbilical cord or from newborn foreskin, with dermal fibroblasts in a collagen sponge. Three inhibitors of angiogenesis, tamoxifen, ilomastat, and echistatin, were used to assess the efficiency of our ERCT to discriminate, in vitro, an angiostatic potential. The capillary-like structures were characterized by their immunoreactivity to human platelet-endothelial cellular adhesion molecule-1 antibodies and were quantified on histological cross-sections of biopsies taken after 10, 17, 24, and 31 days of culture. A dose-response significant inhibition of the capillary-like formation was detected when increasing concentrations of tamoxifen, ilomastat, or echistatin were added for 1 week to the culture medium of the ERCT. Tamoxifen was found to be angiogenic at 10 μM and to have a cytotoxic effect at 40 μM 1 week after drug removal. Echistatin induced a rapid, slight, and reversible inhibition of capillary-like formation, whereas ilomastat caused a very precocious, strong, and reversible inhibition of angiogenesis. In addition, a 16-h hypoxia promoted the formation of 10 times larger vessels (>300 μm2), compared with normoxic condition. These results suggest that our model could be efficiently used to study the long-term angiostatic potential of drugs in vitro in a very physiological environment

Collagen-Based Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Applications

Collagen is the most widely distributed class of proteins in the human body. The use of collagen-based biomaterials in the field of tissue engineering applications has been intensively growing over the past decades. Multiple cross-linking methods were investigated and different combinations with other biopolymers were explored in order to improve tissue function. Collagen possesses a major advantage in being biodegradable, biocompatible, easily available and highly versatile. However, since collagen is a protein, it remains difficult to sterilize without alterations to its structure. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the various applications of collagen-based biomaterials developed for tissue engineering, aimed at providing a functional material for use in regenerative medicine from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside