Profiling Luminal pH in Three-Dimensional Gastrointestinal Organoids Using Microelectrodes

Summary

The present protocol describes pH measurements in human tissue-derived gastric organoids using microelectrodes for spatiotemporal characterization of intraluminal physiology.

Abstract

The optimization and detailed characterization of gastrointestinal organoid models require advanced methods for analyzing their luminal environments. This paper presents a highly reproducible method for the precise measurement of pH within the lumina of 3D human gastric organoids via micromanipulator-controlled microelectrodes. The pH microelectrodes are commercially available and consist of beveled glass tips of 25 µm in diameter. For measurements, the pH microelectrode is advanced into the lumen of an organoid (>200 µm) that is suspended in Matrigel, while a reference electrode rests submerged in the surrounding medium in the culture plate.

Using such microelectrodes to profile organoids derived from the human gastric body, we demonstrate that luminal pH is relatively consistent within each culture well at ~7.7 ± 0.037 and that continuous measurements can be obtained for a minimum of 15 min. In some larger organoids, the measurements revealed a pH gradient between the epithelial surface and the lumen, suggesting that pH measurements in organoids can be achieved with high spatial resolution. In a previous study, microelectrodes were successfully used to measure luminal oxygen concentrations in organoids, demonstrating the versatility of this method for organoid analyses. In summary, this protocol describes an important tool for the functional characterization of the complex luminal space within 3D organoids.

Introduction

Organoids-miniature multicellular structures derived from stem cells-have revolutionized our ability to study human physiology and are starting to replace animal models, even in regulatory settings¹. Since the initial description of intestinal organoids by Sato et al. in 2009, organoid technology has become immensely popular². A large number of studies have characterized the cellular composition and function of organoid models in great detail^3,4,5,6. However, the luminal space of these 3D multi....

Protocol

This protocol requires 3D organoids of at least 200 µm in diameter that have a distinct lumen and that are embedded in an artificial extracellular matrix (ECM, e.g., Matrigel). Human gastric tissues for organoid derivation were obtained with approval from the Institutional Review Board of Montana State University and informed consent from patients undergoing upper endoscopy at Bozeman Health (protocol # 2023-48-FCR, to D.B.) or as exempt whole stomach or sleeve gastrectomy specimens from the National Disease Researc.......

Discussion

Limited access to the luminal space of organoids has severely restricted our understanding of the physiological dynamics of this microenvironment. A reliable tool for functional analyses of luminal physiology will expand our ability to leverage organoids as in vitro models for physiology, pharmacology, and disease research. Organoids are highly tunable, physiologically relevant models with the added potential to replicate genetic variability within the human population. Existing methods for pH measurement inside.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
3 M KCl	Unisense
5 mL Wobble-not Serological Pipet, Individually Wrapped, Paper/Plastic, Bag, Sterile	CellTreat	229091B
10 mL Wobble-not Serological Pipet, Individually Wrapped, Paper/Plastic, Bag, Sterile	CellTreat	229092B
15 mL Centrifuge Tube - Foam Rack, Sterile	CellTreat	229412
24 Well Tissue Culture Plate, Sterile	CellTreat	229124
25 mL Wobble-not Serological Pipet, Individually Wrapped, Paper/Plastic, Bag, Sterile	CellTreat	229093B
35 mm Dish | No. 1.5 Coverslip | 20 mm Glass Diameter | Uncoated	MatTek	P35G-1.5-20-C
50 mL Centrifuge Tube - Foam Rack, Sterile	CellTreat	229422
70% Ethanol	BP82031GAL	BP82031GAL
70 μm Cell Strainer, Individually Wrapped, Sterile	CellTreat	229483
1,000 µL Extended Length Low Retention Pipette Tips, Racked, Sterile	CellTreat	229037
Amphotericin B (Fungizone) Solution	HyClone Laboratories, Inc	SV30078.01
Biosafety Cabinet	Nuaire	NU-425-600	Class II Type A/B3
Bovine Serum Albumin	Fisher Bioreagents	BP1605-100
Cell recovery solution	Corning	354253	Cell dissociation solution
DMEM/F-12 (Advanced DMEM)	Gibco	12-491-015
Dulbecco's Modification of Eagles Medium (DMEM)	Fisher Scientific	15017CV
Fetal Bovine Serum	HyClone Laboratories, Inc	SH30088
G418 Sulfate	Corning	30-234-CR
Gentamycin sulfate	IBI Scientific	IB02030
HEPES, Free Acid	Cytiva	SH30237.01
HP Pavillion 2-in-1 14" Laptop Intel Core i3	HP	M03840-001
Hydrochloric acid	Fisher Scientific	A144C-212
Incubator	Fisher Scientific	11676604
iPhone 12 camera	Apple
L-glutamine	Cytiva	SH3003401
Large Kimberly-Clark Professional Kimtech Science Kimwipes Delicate Task Wipers, 1-Ply	Fisher Scientific	34133
M 205 FA Stereomicroscope	Leica
Matrigel Membrane Matrix 354234	Corning	CB-40234
MC-1 UniMotor Controller	Unisense
Methyl red
MM33 Micromanipulator	Marzhauser Wetzlar	61-42-113-0000	Right handed
MS-15 Motorized Stage	Unisense
Nanoject-II	Drummond	3-000-204	nanoliter autoinjector
Penicillin/Streptomycin (10,000 U/mL)	Gibco	15-140-148
pH Microelectrodes	Unisense	50-109158, 25-203452, 25-205272, 25-111626, 25-109160	SensorTrace software is not compatible with Apple computers
Reference Electrode	Unisense	REF-RM-001652	SensorTrace software is not compatible with Apple computers
SB 431542	Tocris Bioscience	16-141-0
Smartphone Camera Adapter	Gosky
Specifications Laboratory Stand LS	Unisense	LS-009238
Trypsin-EDTA 0.025%, phenol red	Gibco	25-200-056
UniAmp	Unisense	11632
United Biosystems Inc MINI CELL SCRAPERS 200/PK	Fisher	MCS-200
Y-27632 dihydrochloride	Tocris Bioscience	12-541-0
µSensor Calibration Kit	Unisense/ Mettler Toledo	51-305-070, 51-302-069	pH 4.01 and 9.21, 20 mL packets