preparation of a basic 3d reconstructed intestinal mucosa model for microscopic evaluation of fixed intestinal equivalents

Construction of a 3D Intestinal Mucosa Model with Paraffin Embedding

The intestinal epithelial barrier, a one-cell-thick internal lining containing different types of epithelial cells, constitutes the first physical defensive barrier or interface between the outside and the internal milieu of the body1,2. Columnar-type enterocytes constitute the most abundant type of epithelial cells. These are&#160;responsible for maintaining epithelial barrier integrity through interactions between several barrier components, including tight junctions (TJs), playing a significant role in barrier tightening1,3. The TJ structure consists of intracellular plaque proteins, such as zonula occludens (ZO) and cingulin, cooperating with transmembrane proteins, including occludins, claudins, and junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) that form zipper-like structure tightly linking the neighboring cells3,4. The transmembrane proteins regulate the passive paracellular diffusion of small compounds and exclude toxic large molecules.
Potentially toxic food compounds and food contaminants stimulate inflammatory cytokine production that disrupts the epithelial permeability, activating immune cells and causing chronic intestinal tissue inflammation5,6,7. In contrast, various anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals have been reported to reduce inflammatory cytokine expression and enhance intestinal TJ barrier integrity through the restoration of TJ protein expression and assembly4,6,8. Hence, the regulation of epithelial barrier integrity by both beneficial and harmful compounds has seen an increase in the use of both in vivo and in vitro models aimed at mimicking the intestinal barrier for pharmaceutical screening and toxicity studies. This is particularly relevant given the increasing interest in understanding the pathophysiology of intestinal bowel diseases (IBD), necrotizing enterocolitis, and cancer, which can be simulated in experimental models8,9,10.
There has been a demand for the development of cell-based in vitro models in order to achieve the objective of the &#8220;3Rs&#8221; in animal testing. These include replacement alternatives to the use of animals, reduction in the number of animals used, and refinement in adopting methods that alleviate distress11,12,13. Moreover, the underlying molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms between human and murine models (rodents being the most widely used species) are distinctive, leading to controversy regarding the efficacy of the murine models as predictors in human responses12,13. Numerous advantages of in vitro human cell-line models include target-restricted experimentation, direct observation, and continuous analysis13.
Single-cell-type monolayers in two-dimensional (2D) cultures have served as powerful models. However, these cannot precisely reproduce the physiological complexity of human tissues8,13,14. As a result, 3D&#160;culture systems are being developed with ever-increasing improvements to recapitulate the physiological complexity of both healthy and diseased intestinal tissues as next-generation risk assessment toolboxes13,14. These models include 3D Transwell scaffolds with diverse cell lines, organoid cultures, and microfluidic devices (intestine-on-chip) using both cell lines and organoids (derived from both healthy and diseased tissues)8,13,14.&#160;
The 3D &#8220;healthy tissue&#8221; intestinal equivalent protocol presented in the present study was based on striking a balance between physiological complexity and experimental simplicity13. The model is representative of a 3D Transwell scaffold, comprised of three cell lines (enterocytes [the gold-standard colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 line] with a supporting immune component [U937 monocytes and L929 fibroblasts]), constituting a standardized and easily repeatable system applicable for the preliminary screening of dietary molecules of interest on intestinal epithelial barrier integrity and immune response. The protocol includes paraffin embedding for light microscopic evaluation of epithelial barrier integrity using fixed intestinal equivalents. The advantage of the present approach is that numerous sections of the embedded tissues can be made to stain for multiple parameters from a single experiment.

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Effects of Compounds on Intestinal Tissue Using 3D Human Cell Line Models 

Basic Three-Dimensional (3D) Intestinal Model System with an Immune Component

The scope of the work is to use these in vitro three-dimensional human cell line models to investigate the fact of beneficial as well as helpful compounds on intestinal tissue. The models can be used to further research understanding and also as a basic drug model. Using the plant-derived compounds, spermidine and eugenol, both separately and together in supplement form, we measure beneficial increases in autophagy and decreases in inflammation using these models.Then we will also able to show the potentially harmful effect of gluten extracted from certain wheat varieties on intestinal tissues. We are currently using economically priced, standardized, and easily repeatable in vitro system that better reflect the physiology of the human intestine as an alternative to animal models. Since we also use commercial human cell line rather than plant-derived cells, the responses from the study are more applicable to the general population.The protocol is based entirely on the use of different lines. These renders the model most standardized and reproducible. Furthermore, the simultaneous cultivation of different cell lines, enterocytes, fibroblasts, and immune system cells, allows for cellular responses that are closer to what happens in the patient.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preparation of a Basic 3D Reconstructed Intestinal Mucosa Model for Microscopic Evaluation of Fixed Intestinal Equivalents at JoVE.com

Preparation of a Basic 3D Reconstructed Intestinal Mucosa Model for Microscopic Evaluation of Fixed Intestinal Equivalents  

To begin, select a 24-well plate containing inserts with 0.4 micron filters. Using a pipette, add 500 microliters of HBSS below and above the filter inserts. Then close the multi-well plate and place it in an incubator for two hours.After incubation, carefully aspirate the HBSS from the plate. Prepare a cell-free collagen solution in a sterile 50 milliliter tube in DMEM on ice. Add 250 microliters of collagen above the membrane filter and place the lid on the plate.Allow the solution to polymerize at room temperature. Next, remove the L-929 fibroblast cell culture from the incubator. Add two milliliters of a pre-warmed trypsin EDTA solution to the flask and place it in an incubator for three to five minutes.Transfer the cell suspension to a sterile 15 milliliter tube and centrifuge at 645 G for five minutes. Using a vacuum pump, aspirate the supernatant and resuspend the pellet in one milliliter of DMEM. Add 20 microliters of cell suspension into a tube containing 20 microliters of Trypan Blue solution.And use a cell counting chamber to evaluate the cell density. Next, remove the U-937 monocyte cell culture from the incubator. Centrifuge the cell suspension and resuspend the pellet in one milliliter of RPMI.After ensuring cells are homogeneously suspended, count them using a cell counting chamber. Next, prepare cell suspensions containing 50, 000 L-929 and 15, 000 U-937 cells respectively in 50 microliters of DMEM. Add each 50 microliter cell suspension to 450 microliters of collagen and mix thoroughly.Overlay the pre-coded cell-free lamina propria with 500 microliters of the collagen cell solution. Close the plate and place it in an incubator for two hours to allow the solution to set. Next, remove the Caco-2 cell culture from the incubator.Using a vacuum pump, aspirate the medium and rinse the cells with 10 milliliters of PBS. Add five milliliters of PBS trypsin EDTA solution and place it in an incubator for five to eight minutes. Then centrifuge the cell suspension and resuspend the pellet in one milliliter of DMEM.After counting, prepare a cell suspension containing 150, 000 Caco-2 cells in 50 microliters of DMEM. Place the plate in a laminar flow hood for 10 minutes before transferring it to the incubator. After 30 minutes, add 500 microliters of the DMEM above the reconstructed model and 500 microliters below the filter and return the plate to the incubator.The next day, carefully replace the medium with 500 microliters of fresh DMEM above and below the filter respectively.

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148 Views.  Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna. To begin, select a 24-well plate containing inserts with 0.4 micron filters. Using a pipette, add 500 microliters of HBSS below and above the filter inserts. Then close the multi-well plate and place it in an incubator for two hours.After incubation, carefully aspirate the HBSS from the plate. Prepare a cell-free collagen solution in a sterile 50 milliliter tube in DMEM on ice. Add 250 microliters of collagen above the membrane filter and place the lid on the plate.Allow the sol...