Name: in vitro assays to assess blood-brain barrier mesh-like vessel formation and disruption
Uploaded: 2017-06-20T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vitro Assays to Assess Blood-brain Barrier Mesh-like Vessel Formation and Disruption at JoVE.com

Leon Tai is funded by University of Illinois Chicago start-up funds.

All experiments follow the University of Illinois, Chicago Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols.
1. General Preparation
NOTE: The brain microvascular endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3) is an extensively characterized immortalized human BEC line14,15,16,18,19. Culture the hCMEC/D3 cells on tis...

<ol>
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The methods described can be utilized to address several fundamental biological questions surrounding cerebrovascular coverage24. Specifically, they can identify which receptors and signaling pathways play a role in angiogenesis, vessel coverage in cancer tissue, and peripheral endothelial cells relevant to the brain. Examples include angiogenic growth factor receptors, nitric oxide, mitogen activated protein kinase signaling and calcium signaling25,<sup class="x...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) of cerebral capillaries is the largest interface of blood-to-brain contact and plays a central role in the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS)1,2. Dynamic processes at the BBB prevent the uptake of unwanted molecules from the blood, remove waste products from the CNS, supply essential nutrients and signaling molecules to the CNS, and modulate neuroinflammation1,2,3,4,5. BBB damage is prevalent during aging and several neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer&#39;s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis and stroke1,2,3,4,5,6. Therefore, BBB dysfunction may play a key role in neurodegenerative disorders, including as a therapeutic target.
Maintaining vessel coverage is important for the homeostatic functions of the BBB. However, in vivo and in vitro data conflict on whether the processes involved in neurodegenerative disorders cause higher or lower BBB coverage6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13, particularly in AD. Therefore, there is a strong rationale for the development of in vitro models using relevant cell types to assess and more comprehensively understand the dynamics of BBB coverage. Cerebral capillaries are composed of astrocytes, pericytes and brain endothelial cells (BECs)3. All cell types contribute to the function of the BBB through structural support and via the secretion of effector molecules such as angiogenic growth factors, cytokines and chemokines that act in paracrine- and autocrine-like fashion. However, the major effector cells of the BBB are BECs3. In general, the cell culture techniques for assessing BBB function are permeability assays performed on cells grown on filter inserts, or assessing levels of key BEC proteins, both after the addition of stressors14,15,16. Although important, these assays do not focus on the cerebrovascular coverage.
Here, our previous methods17 are detailed to assess BEC coverage and meshwork-like structures using single cultures of immortalized human BECs, single cultures of primary mouse BECs, and a humanized triple culture model (BECs, astrocytes and pericytes) of the BBB. The goal was to demonstrate the detrimental effect of oA&#946;, which is considered an important contributor to AD progression, on BEC coverage. The protective effect of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) highlights the potential of the technique as a therapeutic screening tool. The technique has several broad applications for basic and applied research including: 1) delineating the role of specific pathways on angiogenesis and vessel coverage, 2) evaluating the effects of disease and aging-relevant factors on angiogenesis and vessel coverage, and 3) identifying pharmacological targets.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="847">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">hCMEC/D3 cells</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Milipore</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">SCC066</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">EBM-2 basal media&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-3156</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Collagen Type 1</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A1064401&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">HBSS, calcium, magnesium, no phenol red</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">14025092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">HBSS, no calcium, no magnesium, no phenol red</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">14175095</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%)</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">25200056</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:379px;">Final concentrations of the SingleQuot growth factor supplements for EBM2 media</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-4147</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">5% FBS</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-4147</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">10% Ascorbic acid</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-4147</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">10% Gentamycin sulphate</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-4147</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">25% Hydrocortisone</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-4147</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="78">
			<td height="78" style="height:78px;width:379px;">1/4 volume of the supplied growth factors: fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-4147</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Puromycin hydrochloride</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">80503-312</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">MEM-HEPES&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Thermo Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">12360-038</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Papain cell dissociation system (papain and DNase1)</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Worthington Biochemical</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">LK003150</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Human pericytes</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td>1200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Pericyte basal media</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td>1201</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Pericyte growth supplement</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td>1252</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Human Astrocytes</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td>1800</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Astrocyte media</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td>1801</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Astrocyte growth supplement</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td>1852</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Basement membrane (Matrigel Growth Factor Reduced)&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">356231</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Angiogenesis m-plates (96-well)</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ibidi</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">89646</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Human Epidermal growth factor&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Shenendoah Biotechnology</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">100-26</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CellTracker green&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>C7025</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CellTracker orange</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>C34551</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CellTracker blue&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>C2110</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Poly-l-lysine</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td>0403</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">10% Neutral Buffered Formalin</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>HT5012-60ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">C57BL mice</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">na</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">PCR tube strips</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">GeneMate</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">T-3014-2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:379px;">Zeiss stereo discover v.8 dissecting microscope</td>
			<td style="width:183px;">Zeiss</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">na</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

in vitro assays to assess blood-brain barrier mesh-like vessel formation and disruption

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) coverage plays a central role in the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). The BBB is dynamically maintained by astrocytes, pericytes and brain endothelial cells (BECs). Here, we detail methods to assess BBB coverage using single cultures of immortalized human BECs, single cultures of primary mouse BECs, and a humanized triple culture model (BECs, astrocytes and pericytes) of the BBB. To highlight the applicability of the assays to disease states, we describe the effect of oligomeric amyloid-&#946; (oA&#946;), which is an important contributor to Alzheimer&#39;s disease (AD) progression, on BBB coverage. Further, we utilize the epidermal growth factor (EGF) to illuminate the drug screening potential of the techniques. Our results show that single and triple cultured BECs form meshwork-like structures under basal conditions, and that oA&#946; disrupts this cell meshwork formation and degenerates the preformed mesh structures, but EGF blocks this disruption. Thus, the techniques described are important for dissecting fundamental and disease-relevant processes that modulate BBB coverage.

In single cultures, both the hCMEC/D3 cells (Figure 3A) and the primary mouse BECs (Figure 3B) form meshwork-like structures throughout the well. The structures are characterized by a meshwork of interlinked nodes (Figure 3). In all the paradigms described (Figure 1), the meshwork-like structures are similar after 24 h in the control groups, forming ~20 meshwork-like str...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vitro Assays to Assess Blood-brain Barrier Mesh-like Vessel Formation and Disruption at JoVE.com

In Vitro Assays to Assess Blood-brain Barrier Mesh-like Vessel Formation and Disruption

Maintaining blood-brain barrier coverage is key for the homeostasis of the central nervous system. This protocol describes in vitro techniques to delineate the fundamental and pathological processes that modulate blood-brain barrier coverage.

In Vitro Assays to Assess Blood-brain Barrier Mesh-like Vessel Formation and Disruption

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) coverage plays a central role in the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). The BBB is dynamically maintained by ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Medicine

MRI-guided Disruption of the Blood-brain Barrier using Transcranial Focused Ultrasound in a Rat Model

Focused ultrasound (FUS) disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an increasingly investigated technique for circumventing the BBB1-5. The BBB is a ...

Rat Model of Blood-brain Barrier Disruption to Allow Targeted Neurovascular Therapeutics

Endothelial cells with tight junctions along with the basement membrane and astrocyte end feet surround cerebral blood vessels to form the blood-brain ...

An in vivo Assay to Test Blood Vessel Permeability

An in vivo Assay to Test Blood Vessel Permeability

This method is based on the intravenous injection of Evans Blue in mice as the test animal model. Evans blue is a dye that binds albumin. Under ...

Stretch in Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells (cEND) as an In Vitro Traumatic Brain Injury Model of the Blood Brain Barrier

Stretch in Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells cEND as an In Vitro Traumatic Brain Injury Model of the Blood Brain Barrier

Due to the high mortality incident brought about by traumatic brain injury (TBI), methods that would enable one to better understand the underlying ...

Setting-up an In Vitro Model of Rat Blood-brain Barrier (BBB): A Focus on BBB Impermeability and Receptor-mediated Transport

Setting-up an In Vitro Model of Rat Blood-brain Barrier BBB: A Focus on BBB Impermeability and Receptor-mediated Transport

The blood brain barrier (BBB) specifically regulates molecular and cellular flux between the blood and the nervous tissue. Our aim was to develop and ...

Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation and Reoxygenation as an In Vitro Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Model for Studying Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction

Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation and Reoxygenation as an In Vitro Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Model for Studying Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction

Ischemia-Reperfusion (IR) injury is known to contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality associated with ischemic strokes. Ischemic ...

The 4-vessel Sampling Approach to Integrative Studies of Human Placental Physiology In Vivo

The 4-vessel Sampling Approach to Integrative Studies of Human Placental Physiology In Vivo

The human placenta is highly inaccessible for research while still in utero. The current understanding of human placental physiology in vivo is therefore ...

Improved Method for the Establishment of an In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Model Based on Porcine Brain Endothelial Cells

Improved Method for the Establishment of an In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Model Based on Porcine Brain Endothelial Cells

The aim of this protocol presents an optimized procedure for the purification and cultivation of pBECs and to establish in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) ...

Micro-dissection of Enamel Organ from Mandibular Incisor of Rats Exposed to Environmental Toxicants

Enamel defects resulting from environmental conditions and ways of life are public health concerns because of their high prevalence. These defects result ...

Vessel-sparing Excision and Primary Anastomosis

Urethroplasty is considered to be the standard treatment for urethral strictures since it provides excellent long-term success rates. For isolated short ...