Radiation Treatment of Organotypic Cultures from Submandibular and Parotid Salivary Glands Models Key In Vivo Characteristics

Summary

Using three-dimensional organotypic cultures to visualize morphology and functional markers of salivary glands may provide novel insights into the mechanisms of tissue damage following radiation. Described here is a protocol to section, culture, irradiate, stain, and image 50–90 μm thick salivary gland sections prior to and following exposure to ionizing radiation.

Abstract

Hyposalivation and xerostomia create chronic oral complications that decrease the quality of life in head and neck cancer patients who are treated with radiotherapy. Experimental approaches to understanding mechanisms of salivary gland dysfunction and restoration have focused on in vivo models, which are handicapped by an inability to systematically screen therapeutic candidates and efficiencies in transfection capability to manipulate specific genes. The purpose of this salivary gland organotypic culture protocol is to evaluate maximal time of culture viability and characterize cellular changes following ex vivo radiation treatment. We utilized immunofluorescent staining and confocal microscopy to determine when specific cell populations and markers are present during a 30-day culture period. In addition, cellular markers previously reported in in vivo radiation models are evaluated in cultures that are irradiated ex vivo. Moving forward, this method is an attractive platform for rapid ex vivo assessment of murine and human salivary gland tissue responses to therapeutic agents that improve salivary function.

Introduction

Proper salivary gland function is essential to oral health and is altered following head and neck cancer treatment with radiotherapy¹. In 2017, nearly 50,000 new cases of head and neck cancer were reported in the United States². Due to the tissue-damaging and frequently irreversible effects of radiation therapy on surrounding normal tissues such as salivary glands, patients are often left with severe side effects and diminished quality of life^2,3,4. Common complications caused by radiation damage manifests in symptoms such as xe....

Protocol

1. Preparation of vibratome

1. Spray detachable components of the vibratome including the buffer tray, blade attachment, agarose block mold, and laboratory film with 70% ethanol, then UV-sterilize for at least 30 min.
2. Place and secure an additional sheet of laboratory film over the buffer tray to prevent ice from falling in.
3. Fill the ice chamber with crushed ice, remove the laboratory film from the buffer tray, and fill the buffer tray with 100 mL of ice-cold 1x phosphate buffered saline (PBS.......

Discussion

Salivary gland research has utilized a number of culture models, including immortalized 2-D cultures, primary 2-D cultures, 3-D salisphere cultures, and 3-D organ cultures from embryonic explants to ascertain questions on underlying biology and physiology. These culture models have yielded insightful information across a diverse array of research questions and will continue to be important tools in salivary research. The limitations of these culture models include modulation of p53 activity during immortalization, transi.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Vibratome VT1000S	Leica Biosystems	N/A	Vibratome for sectioning
Double Edge Stainless Steel Razor Blades	Electron Microscopy Sciences	72000
Agarose	Fisher Scientific	BP165-25	Low-melt
Parafilm	Sigma-Aldrich	P6543
Penicillin-Streptomycin-Amphotericin B	Lonza	17-745H	PSA
24-well plate	CellTreat	229124
Dulbecco’s Phosphate Buffered Saline (DPBS)	Gibco	14190-144
Loctite UltraGel Control Superglue	Loctite	N/A	Purchased at hardware store
Natural Red Sable Round Paintbrush	Princeton Art & Brush Co	7400R-2
Gentamicin Sulfate	Fisher Scientific	ICN1676045
Transferrin	Sigma-Aldrich	T-8158-100mg
L-glutatmine	Gibco	25030-081
Trace Elements	MP Biomedicals	ICN1676549
Insulin	Fisher Scientific	12585014
Epidermal Growth Factor	Corning	354001
Hydrocortisone	Sigma-Aldrich	H0888
Retinoic acid	Fisher Scientific	R2625-50MG
Fetal Bovine Serum	Gibco	A3160602
DMEM/F12 Media	Corning	150-90-CV
Millicell Cell Culture Insert	Millipore Sigma	PICM01250	12 mm, 0.4 um pore size for 24 well plate
0.4% Trypan Blue	Sigma-Aldrich	T8154
LIVE/DEAD Cell Imaging Kit (488/570)	Thermo-Fisher	R37601	Only used LIVE dye component
Anti-Ki-67 Antibody	Cell Signaling Technology	9129S
Anti-E-cadherin Antibody	Cell Signaling Technology	3195S
Anti-Cleaved Caspase-3 Antibody	Cell Signaling Technology	9661L
Anti-SMA Antibody	Sigma-Aldrich	C6198
Anti-amylase Antibody	Sigma-Aldrich	A8273
Anti-CD31 Antibody	Abcam	ab28364
Anti-TUBB3 Antibody	Cell Signaling Technology	5568S
Alexa Fluor 594 Antibody Labeling Kit	Thermo-Fisher	A20185
Alexa Fluor 594 Phalloidin	Thermo-Fisher	A12381
Bovine Serum Albumin	Fisher Scientific	BP1600
Triton X-100	Sigma-Aldrich	21568-2500
Paraformaldehyde Prills	Fisher Scientific	5027632
New England Nuclear Blocking Agent	Perkin Elmer	2346249	No longer sold
DAPI	Cell Signaling Technology	4083S
Prolong Gold Antifade Mounting Media	Invitrogen	P36934
Leica SPSII Spectral Confocal	Leica Biosystems	N/A	For confocal imaging
Leica DMIL Inverted Phase Contrast Microscope	Leica Biosystems	N/A
Cobalt-60 Teletherapy Instrument	Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd Theratron-80	N/A
Amac Box, Clear	The Container Store	60140	Agarose block mold