中国神经再生研究(英文版)

中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2019, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (6): 1052-1059.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.250626

• 原著:神经损伤修复保护与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

一种在人工轴突上培养许旺细胞递送模式化电脉冲的方法

  

  • 出版日期:2019-06-15 发布日期:2019-06-15
  • 基金资助:

    新泽西州健康基金会资助＃PC94-17和美国国立卫生研究院国家生物医学成像和生物工程研究所P41EB001046的支持

A method to deliver patterned electrical impulses to Schwann cells cultured on an artificial axon

Antonio Merolli 1 , Yong Mao 1 , Gregory Voronin 2 , Joseph A.M. Steele 1 , N. Sanjeeva Murthy 1 , Joachim Kohn 1   

  1. 1 New Jersey Center for Biomaterials, Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
    2 In Vivo Research Services, Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
  • Online:2019-06-15 Published:2019-06-15
  • Contact: Antonio Merolli, MD, FBSE, antonio.merolli@gmail.com.
  • Supported by:

    Research reported in this publication was supported by the New Jersey Health Foundation under Grant #PC94-17 and by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging And Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P41EB001046 (both to JK).

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摘要：

来自大脑的信息以神经元产生的电脉冲形式沿周围神经传播，这些脉冲具有重复模式。周围神经中的许旺细胞从轴突接收分子信号以协调髓鞘的形成过程。然而，有证据表明，非分子信号以神经元活动产生的模式化电脉冲的形式在髓鞘形成中起重要作用。实验建立了一种体外模型，其中导电碳纤维充当人工轴突，纤维仅提供轴突的生物物理特征，但不提供任何分子信号传导。碳纤维悬浮在由3D印刷支架支撑的液体介质中。模式化电脉冲由Arduino 101微控制器生成。实验能够在模式化电脉冲的存在下记录人类许旺细胞对碳纤维的黏附和鞘膜化。该技术有望用于研究许旺细胞对模式化电脉冲的响应的研究中。

orcid: 0000-0001-5704-2066 (Antonio Merolli)

关键词: 许旺细胞, 碳纤维, 髓鞘形成, 电脉冲, 人工轴突, 体外系统, Arduino微控制器, 髓鞘碱性蛋白, 神经再生

Abstract:

Information from the brain travels back and forth along peripheral nerves in the form of electrical impulses generated by neurons and these impulses have repetitive patterns. Schwann cells in peripheral nerves receive molecular signals from axons to coordinate the process of myelination. There is evidence, however, that non-molecular signals play an important role in myelination in the form of patterned electrical impulses generated by neuronal activity. The role of patterned electrical impulses has been investigated in the literature using co-cultures of neurons and myelinating cells. The co-culturing method, however, prevents the uncoupling of the direct effect of patterned electrical impulses on myelinating cells from the indirect effect mediated by neurons. To uncouple these effects and focus on the direct response of Schwann cells, we developed an in vitro model where an electroconductive carbon fiber acts as an artificial axon. The fiber provides only the biophysical characteristics of an axon but does not contribute any molecular signaling. In our “suspended wire model”, the carbon fiber is suspended in a liquid media supported by a 3D printed scaffold. Patterned electrical impulses are generated by an Arduino 101 microcontroller. In this study, we describe the technology needed to set-up and eventually replicate this model. We also report on our initial in vitro tests where we were able to document the adherence and ensheath of human Schwann cells to the carbon fiber in the presence of patterned electrical impulses (hSCs were purchased from ScienCell Research Laboratories, Carlsbad, CA, USA; ScienCell fulfills the ethic requirements, including donor’s consent). This technology will likely make feasible to investigate the response of Schwann cells to patterned electrical impulses in the future.

Key words: Schwann cell, carbon fiber, myelination, electrical impulse, artificial axon, in vitro system, Arduino microcontroller, myelin basic protein