Name: a protocol for decellularizing mouse cochleae for inner ear tissue engineering
Uploaded: 2018-01-01T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Protocol for Decellularizing Mouse Cochleae for Inner Ear Tissue Engineering at JoVE.com

The current project was funded by the University of Kansas Proof of Concept Fund. We would like to thank the nursing staff at KUMC (Kansas City, KS) for assisting us in obtaining human umbilical cords, and David Jorgensen for assisting with cochleae cultures.

All procedures, including animal euthanasia, were conducted according to the approved Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol (ACUP #2014-2234) at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC).
NOTE: HWJCs were isolated from human umbilical cords that were donated by patients that provided informed consent and specimens were used in accordance with the protocols approved by the University of Kansas Human Subjects Committee (KU-IRB #15402).
1. Tem...

<ol>
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We have successfully demonstrated that native cochlear cells can be removed from the cochlea via a decellularization process, which allows for the use of the cochlea as an intricate, three-dimensional tissue scaffold. Santi et al.15 developed the initial method for decellularizing cochleae, and have accurately estimated the volumes of many cochlear structures through with the aid of light sheet microscopy23. Such early work served as a strong basis for the tissue e...

The cochlea is an intricate spiral structure found in the temporal bone. It is composed of an outer bony labyrinth and a concentric, inner membranous labyrinth1. The membranous labyrinth consists of three fluid spaces: Scala vestibuli, Scala media, and Scala tympani1. The scala media houses the sensory epithelium, which is composed of a multitude of cell types, but the sensory hair cells (HC), which transduce mechanical energy in sound waves to nerve impulses2, are of particular interest. Exposure to acoustic trauma3,4,5, medication6, disease7,8, and aging9 can all result in impaired auditory function via HC death. Hair cell loss in mammals is permanent, unlike avian HCs, which can regenerate after injury10.
A variety of contemporary research efforts have sought to restore lost HCs, although the specific experimental approaches vary. Manipulation of gene expression in the sensory epithelium and implantation of stem cells differentiated outside the body are dominant approaches in the field, although induction methods that seek to differentiate stem cells into cochlear organoids have been attempted11,12,13. Each of these approaches is either reliant directly on stem cells, or the developmental cues used by stem cells; however, a second shared, and potentially critical, element is the ECM of the cochlea itself14,15.
The ECM not only provides physical support for cells and tissue, which includes a surface for cell adhesion, proliferation, survival, and migration, but also plays critical roles in the development of HCs and the spiral ganglion15,16,17. Naturally occurring ECM provides inductive signals that may guide cell phenotype determination and/or cell adhesion, proliferation, and survival18. Consequently, the use of decellularized cochlea in combination with cultured hWJCs offer a unique opportunity to explore the role of the ECM and HC regeneration. HWJCs are a readily available, non-controversial cell type isolated from human umbilical cords that behave like mesenchymal stem cells19. HWJCs have shown the ability to differentiate down neurosensory cell lineages20,21. Thus, the current protocol details the isolation, decellularization, and perfusion of cochleae from C57BL mouse carcasses with hWJCs for inner ear tissue engineering.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Allegra X-14R Centrifuge</td>
			<td>Beckman-Coulter</td>
			<td>B08861</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Intramedic Semi-Rigid Tubing</td>
			<td>Becton Dickinson</td>
			<td>427401</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>New Brunswick Innova 2000 Orbital Shaler</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>M1190-0002</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Surgical Scissors</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>14060-10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fine Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>11370-40</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultra-Fine Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>18155-13</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50-mL Conical Tubes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12565271</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri Dish</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>FB087579B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>U-100 Insulin Syringe</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14-829-1B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Scintillation Vial</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>03-341-73</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rotator</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>88-861-049</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transfer Pipette</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>22-170-404</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Razor Blade</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-640</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Antibiotic-Antimycotic</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15-240-062</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15-140-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24-Well Plate</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>07-200-84</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SuperFrost PLUS Glass Microscope Slides</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-550-15</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transfer Pipette</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>22-170-404</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ProLong Gold Antifade Mountant with DAPI</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>P36935</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Clear-Rite 3</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>22-046341</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Thermo Scientific Forma Series II 3110 Water-Jacekted CO2 Incubator</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>13-998-078</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mesenchymal Stem Cell Growth Medium</td>
			<td>Lonza</td>
			<td>PT-3001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin-EDTA</td>
			<td>Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-3232</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TPP T-75 Culture Flask</td>
			<td>MidSci</td>
			<td>TP90076</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TPP T-150 Culture Flask</td>
			<td>MidSci</td>
			<td>TP90151</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TPP T-300 Culture Flask</td>
			<td>MidSci</td>
			<td>TP90301</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dissection Microscope</td>
			<td>Nikon Instruments</td>
			<td>SMZ800</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nikon Eclipse Ts2R-FL Inverted Microscope</td>
			<td>Nikon Instruments</td>
			<td>MFA51010</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NuAire Class II, Type A2 Biosafety Cabinet</td>
			<td>NuAire</td>
			<td>NU-425-600</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1X PBS</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P5368-10PAK</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1% SDS Solution</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>436143-100G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10% EDTA</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>E9884-100G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a protocol for decellularizing mouse cochleae for inner ear tissue engineering

In mammals, mechanosensory hair cells that facilitate hearing lack the ability to regenerate, which has limited treatments for hearing loss. Current regenerative medicine strategies have focused on transplanting stem cells or genetic manipulation of surrounding support cells in the inner ear to encourage replacement of damaged stem cells to correct hearing loss. Yet, the extracellular matrix (ECM) may play a vital role in inducing and maintaining function of hair cells, and has not been well investigated. Using the cochlear ECM as a scaffold to grow adult stem cells may provide unique insights into how the composition and architecture of the extracellular environment aids cells in sustaining hearing function. Here we present a method for isolating and decellularizing cochleae from mice to use as scaffolds accepting perfused adult stem cells. In the current protocol, cochleae are isolated from euthanized mice, decellularized, and decalcified. Afterward, human Wharton&#39;s jelly cells (hWJCs) that were isolated from the umbilical cord were carefully perfused into each cochlea. The cochleae were used as bioreactors, and cells were cultured for 30 days before undergoing processing for analysis. Decellularized cochleae retained identifiable extracellular structures, but did not reveal the presence of cells or noticeable fragments of DNA. Cells perfused into the cochlea invaded most of the interior and exterior of the cochlea and grew without incident over a duration of 30 days. Thus, the current method can be used to study how cochlear ECM affects cell development and behavior.

Using the methods presented here, successful decellularization of cochleae was assessed by examining the presence or absence of DNA through 4&#39;,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Cochleae were considered fully decellularized if DNA was not identified within the decellularized cochlea. A native cochlea from a previous experiment that did not undergo decellularization or decalcification was used as a positive control to illustrate the structures and cells traditionally found in ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Protocol for Decellularizing Mouse Cochleae for Inner Ear Tissue Engineering at JoVE.com

A Protocol for Decellularizing Mouse Cochleae for Inner Ear Tissue Engineering

The goal of this protocol is to demonstrate an effective method to decellularize and decalcify mouse cochleae for utilization as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.

In mammals, mechanosensory hair cells that facilitate hearing lack the ability to regenerate, which has limited treatments for hearing loss. Current ...

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