This work was supported by a research grant from the National Institutes of Health (HL068915 to DBC), a New Researcher Award from the Thrasher Research Fund (to CAP), a Grant-in-Aid from the American Heart Association (12GRNT11910008 to DBC), a research grant from the Children&#39;s Heart Foundation (to DBC), and donations to the Boston Children&#39;s Hospital Cardiac Conduction Fund, the Ryan Family Endowment, and by David Pullman.

Here we will demonstrate the isolation of COL1 from lamb skin.&#160; As written, this protocol can also be used to successfully isolate COL1 from rabbit and human skin.
1. Prepare Dermal Sample
<ol>
	<li>Equilibrate all reagents to 4 &#176;C prior to use.</li>
	<li>Rinse dermal sample (25-50 g) in ice-cold dH2O and remove any wool, fur, or hair with depilatory cream.</li>
	<li>Use a single-edge razor blade to scrape the sample clean of connective tissue and fat.</li>
	<li>Rinse the sample in ice-cold dH2O.</li>
	<li>Slice the skin sample into 1 cm x 1 cm pieces with a single-edge razor blade.</li>
</ol>
2. Remove Noncollagenous Solubilized Material
<ol>
	<li>Weigh out 5 g of sample per 50 ml conical tube and add 30 ml of ice-cold 0.5 M sodium acetate.</li>
	<li>Mix tubes for 1 min at the 6 m/sec&#160;setting using a 50 ml tube adaptor in the bench-top homogenizer.</li>
	<li>Discard supernatant and repeat for a total of 7 sodium acetate wash cycles.</li>
	<li>Rinse the sample in ice-cold dH2O and mix once to remove residual sodium acetate.</li>
	<li>Use a spatula to compress the sample against the side of the tube to remove excess liquid and then transfer to a fresh 50 ml conical tube.</li>
</ol>
3. Type I Collagen Extraction
<ol>
	<li>Wash the sample twice in 2 ml/g 0.075 M sodium citrate buffer for 1 min at 6 m/sec in the bench-top homogenizer compressing the sample and discarding the supernatant after each wash.</li>
	<li>Add a fresh 2 ml/g aliquot of 0.075 M sodium citrate buffer to the sample.</li>
	<li>Perform 6 sequential 1 min, 6 m/sec bench-top homogenizer mix cycles of agitation without removing the buffer between each cycle.</li>
	<li>Transfer the thick, clear supernatant to a collection tube.</li>
	<li>Add an additional 1 ml/g 0.075 M sodium citrate buffer to the sample and perform one final bench-top homogenizer agitation cycle.</li>
	<li>Add this final supernatant to a collection tube.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the collection tube at 3,200 x g for 10 min&#160;at 4 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Transfer the supernatant to the top compartment of a 100,000 molecular weight cut off centrifugal filter device.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge at 3,200 x g for 30 min&#160;at 4 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Transfer the purified COL1 from the upper compartment to a clean conical tube and store at 4 &#176;C.</li>
</ol>

<ol>
	<li>Nageotte, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Coagulation+fibrillaire+in+vitro+du+collag&#232;ne+dissous+dans+un+acide+dilu&#233;.">Coagulation fibrillaire in vitro du collag&#232;ne dissous dans un acide dilu&#233;.</a> CR hebd. s&#233;ances Acad. Sei. 184, 115 (1927).</li><li>Schmitt, F. O., Hall, C. E., Jakus, M. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electron+microscope+investigation+of+the+structure+of+collagen.">Electron microscope investigation of the structure of collagen.</a> J. Cell Comp. Physiol. 20, 11-33 (1942).</li><li>Choi, Y. H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cardiac+conduction+through+engineered+tissue.">Cardiac conduction through engineered tissue.</a> Am. J. Pathol. 169, 72-85 (2006).</li><li>Pacak, C. A., Cowan, D. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fabrication+of+myogenic+engineered+tissue+constructs.">Fabrication of myogenic engineered tissue constructs.</a> J. Vis. Exp. (27), (2009).</li><li>Cliche, S., Amiot, J., Avezard, C., Gariepy, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Extraction+and+characterization+of+collagen+with+or+without+telopeptides+from+chicken+skin.">Extraction and characterization of collagen with or without telopeptides from chicken skin.</a> Poultry Sci. 82, 503-509 (2003).</li><li>Rajan, N., Habermehl, J., Cote, M. F., Doillon, C. J., Mantovani, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preparation+of+ready-to-use,+storable+and+reconstituted+type+I+collagen+from+rat+tail+tendon+for+tissue+engineering+applications.">Preparation of ready-to-use, storable and reconstituted type I collagen from rat tail tendon for tissue engineering applications.</a> Nat. Protoc. 1, 2753-2758 (2006).</li><li>Seifter, S., Gallop, P., Colowick, S., Kaplan, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preparation+and+properties+of+soluble+collagens.">Preparation and properties of soluble collagens.</a> Methods in Enzymology. , (1963).</li><li>Pacak, C. A., Powers, J. M., Cowan, D. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ultrarapid+purification+of+collagen+type+I+for+tissue+engineering+applications.">Ultrarapid purification of collagen type I for tissue engineering applications.</a> Tissue Eng. Part C Methods. 17, 879-885 (2011).</li><li>Ohan, M. P., Dunn, M. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Glucose+stabilizes+collagen+sterilized+with+gamma+irradiation.">Glucose stabilizes collagen sterilized with gamma irradiation.</a> J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A. 67, 1188-1195 (2003).</li><li>Tyan, Y. C., Liao, J. D., Lin, S. P., Chen, C. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+study+of+the+sterilization+effect+of+gamma+ray+irradiation+of+immobilized+collagen+polypropylene+nonwoven+fabric+surfaces.">The study of the sterilization effect of gamma ray irradiation of immobilized collagen polypropylene nonwoven fabric surfaces.</a> J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A. 67, 1033-1043 (2003).</li><li>Ber, S., Torun Kose, G., Hasirci, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bone+tissue+engineering+on+patterned+collagen+films:+an+in+vitro+study.">Bone tissue engineering on patterned collagen films: an in vitro study.</a> Biomaterials. 26, 1977-1986 (2005).</li><li>Liu, Y., Sun, S., Singha, S., Cho, M. R., Gordon, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=3-D+femtosecond+laser+patterning+of+collagen+for+directed+cell+attachment.">3-D femtosecond laser patterning of collagen for directed cell attachment.</a> Biomaterials. 26, 4597-4605 (2005).</li><li>Thakar, R. G., Ho, F., Huang, N. F., Liepmann, D., Li, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Regulation+of+vascular+smooth+muscle+cells+by+micropatterning.">Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cells by micropatterning.</a> Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 307, 883-890 (2003).</li><li>Leighton, J., Justh, G., Esper, M., Kronenthal, R. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Collagen-coated+cellulose+sponge:+three+dimensional+matrix+for+tissue+culture+of+Walker+tumor+256.">Collagen-coated cellulose sponge: three dimensional matrix for tissue culture of Walker tumor 256.</a> Science. 155, 1259-1261 (1967).</li></ol>

The authors have no competing financial interests to disclose.

A crucial component to this method is the repeated efficient compression of the dermal sample to remove excess liquid. It is critical to remove as much sodium acetate as possible in step 2.5 by compressing the sample. We use a spatula to compact the skin against the side of the tube; however, cheesecloth could also be used, although this would necessitate removal of the sample from the tube and increase the time required to perform these steps. Likewise, it is important to compress the sample in step 3.1 so that the volu...

For decades, researchers and commercial vendors have isolated solubilized COL1 from an assortment of tissue sources including skin and tendon using some variation of a simple acid extraction protocol followed by neutralization, which results in a resuspension of a matrix of organized COL1 fibrils that can be used for a multitude of biomedical applications 1-4.&#160; While there are many examples of clinical applications for COL1, few of these employ autologously-derived COL1 because preparation of this protein requires lengthy extractions taking days or weeks to perform5-7. As a result, research investigators and physicians generally use expensive, commercial preparations of COL1 that are prepared using nonhuman tissues such as rat, bovine, or porcine corium or using skin removed from cadavers or following male circumcision. For regenerative applications, many of these products exhibit variability with respect to their ability to form solid matrices or tissue constructs capable of supporting cell attachment and growth. Consequently, there is a distinct need for a new standardized method designed to quickly extract COL1 from accessible and plentiful autologous tissue sources.
Such a method would save both time and money in the research setting where COL1 could be extracted from the animal model of interest and used for preclinical testing of engineered tissues assembled on collagen-based scaffolds. At the same time, having the option of using a rapidly-isolated, autologously-derived COL1 in the clinic would increase the overall safety for patients that would otherwise receive allogeneic or xenogeneic preparations. For patients receiving an autogeneic preparation, this streamlined method would greatly reduce the interval between biopsy collection and collagen application. For these reasons, we sought to improve upon a long-established COL1 isolation and purification method by using high-speed agitation and size-exclusion centrifugation. This method is simple to perform using standard buffers and equipment found in many laboratories. By employing high-speed agitation, our protocol reduces the time necessary to isolate soluble, dermal COL1 from approximately 10 days to less than 3 hr8.&#160; Importantly, this method can be easily performed in the clinical setting in order to prepare autologously-derived COL1 for use in patients during a single set of procedures.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="544">
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		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:123px;">FastPrep-24 System</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">MP Biomedicals</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">116004500</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">-</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="190">
			<td height="190" style="height:190px;width:123px;">Centrifuge</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Beckman</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">J6-MI</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Swing bucket rotor to accommodate 50 mL conical tubes at 3200 g.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

an improved method for the preparation of type i collagen from skin

Soluble type 1 collagen (COL1) is used extensively as an adhesive substrate for cell cultures and as a cellular scaffold for regenerative applications. Clinically, this protein is widely used for cosmetic surgery, dermal injections, bone grafting, and reconstructive surgery. The sources of COL1 for these procedures are commonly nonhuman, which increases the potential for inflammation and rejection as well as xenobiotic disease transmission. In view of this, a method to efficiently and quickly purify COL1 from limited quantities of autologously-derived tissues would circumvent many of these issues; however, standard isolation protocols are lengthy and often require large quantities of collagenous tissues. Here, we demonstrate an efficient COL1 extraction method that reduces the time needed to isolate and purify this protein from about 10 days to less than 3 hr. We chose the dermis as our tissue source because of its availability during many surgical procedures. This method uses traditional extraction buffers combined with forceful agitation and centrifugal filtration to obtain highly-pure, soluble COL1 from small amounts of corium. Briefly, dermal biopsies are washed thoroughly in ice-cold dH2O after removing fat, connective tissue, and hair. The skin samples are stripped of noncollagenous proteins and polysaccharides using 0.5 M sodium acetate and a high speed bench-top homogenizer. Collagen from residual solids is subsequently extracted with a 0.075 M sodium citrate buffer using the homogenizer. These extracts are purified using 100,000 MW cut-off centrifugal filters that yield COL1 preparations of comparable or superior quality to commercial products or those obtained using traditional procedures. We anticipate this method will facilitate the utilization of autologously-derived COL1 for a multitude of research and clinical applications.

This COL1 isolation protocol requires about 2 hr&#160;and 15 min&#160;to complete. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram outlining the major steps in this procedure. Preparing the sample and performing the 7 cycles of high-speed agitations and rinses with sodium acetate takes approximately 35 min&#160;(Figures&#160;1A-C). Performing one agitation and rinse cycle with dH2O takes approximately 5 min&#160;(Figures&#160;1D and&#160;1E). Adding sodium citrate and subj...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about An Improved Method for the Preparation of Type I Collagen From Skin at JoVE.com

An Improved Method for the Preparation of Type I Collagen From Skin

Traditional procedures for the isolation of soluble type 1 collagen (COL1) require about 10 days from start to finish because of lengthy buffer incubations and laborious resuspensions of fibrils. Here, we describe a means to purify COL1 from small dermal biopsies in less than 3 hr.

Soluble type 1 collagen (COL1) is used extensively as an adhesive substrate for cell cultures and as a cellular scaffold for regenerative applications. ...

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22.7K Views.  Boston Children's Hospital. Traditional procedures for the isolation of soluble type 1 collagen (COL1) require about 10 days from start to finish because of lengthy buffer incubations and laborious resuspensions of fibrils. Here, we describe a means to purify COL1 from small dermal biopsies in less than 3 hr.

Video: An Improved Method for the Preparation of Type I Collagen From Skin

Organotypic Collagen I Assay: A Malleable Platform to Assess Cell Behaviour in a 3-Dimensional Context

Cell migration is fundamental to many aspects of biology, including development, wound healing, the cellular responses of the immune system, and metastasis of tumor cells. Migration has been studied on glass coverslips in order to make cellular dynamics amenable to investigation by light microscopy. However, it has become clear that many aspects of cell migration depend on features of the local environment including its elasticity, protein composition, and pore size, which are not faithfully represented by rigid two dimensional substrates such as glass and plastic 1. Furthermore, interaction with other cell types, including stromal fibroblasts 2 and immune cells 3, has been shown to play a critical role in promoting the invasion of cancer cells. Investigation at the molecular level has increasingly shown that molecular dynamics, including response to drug treatment, of identical cells are significantly different when compared in vitro and in vivo 4. 
Ideally, it would be best to study cell migration in its naturally occurring context in living organisms, however this is not always possible. Intermediate tissue culture systems, such as cell derived matrix, matrigel, organotypic culture (described here) tissue explants, organoids, and xenografts, are therefore important experimental intermediates. These systems approximate certain aspects of an in vivo environment but are more amenable to experimental manipulation such as use of stably transfected cell lines, drug treatment regimes, long term and high-resolution imaging. Such intermediate systems are especially useful as proving grounds to validate probes and establish parameters required to image the dynamic response of cells and fluorescent reporters prior to undertaking imaging in vivo 5. As such, they can serve an important role in reducing the need for experiments on living animals.

A method is described for the preparation of a 3-dimensional matrix consisting of collagen type I and primary human fibroblasts. This organotypic gel serves as a useful substrate to assess invasive cell migration because it mimics basic features of tissue stroma and is amenable to many forms of microscopy.

Cell migration is fundamental to many aspects of biology, including development, wound healing, the cellular responses of the immune system, and ...

Improved Method for the Preparation of a Human Cell-based, Contact Model of the Blood-Brain Barrier

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) comprises impermeable but adaptable brain capillaries which tightly control the brain environment. Failure of the BBB has been implied in the etiology of many brain pathologies, creating a need for development of human in vitro BBB models to assist in clinically-relevant research. Among the numerous BBB models thus far described, a static (without flow), contact BBB model, where astrocytes and brain endothelial cells (BECs) are cocultured on the opposite sides of a porous membrane, emerged as a simplified yet authentic system to simulate the BBB with high throughput screening capacity. Nevertheless the generation of such model presents few technical challenges. Here, we describe a protocol for preparation of a contact human BBB model utilizing a novel combination of primary human BECs and immortalized human astrocytes. Specifically, we detail an innovative method for cell-seeding on inverted inserts as well as specify insert staining techniques and exemplify how we use our model for BBB-related research.

Establishment of human models of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can benefit research into brain conditions associated with BBB failure. We describe here an improved technique for preparation of a contact BBB model, which permits coculturing of human astrocytes and brain endothelial cells on the opposite sides of a porous membrane.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) comprises impermeable but adaptable brain capillaries which tightly control the brain environment. Failure of the BBB has ...

An Improved Mechanical Testing Method to Assess Bone-implant Anchorage

Recent advances in material science have led to a substantial increase in the topographical complexity of implant surfaces, both on a micro- and a nano-scale. As such, traditional methods of describing implant surfaces -&#160;namely numerical determinants of surface roughness -&#160;are inadequate for predicting in vivo performance. Biomechanical testing provides an accurate and comparative platform to analyze the performance of biomaterial surfaces. An improved mechanical testing method to test the anchorage of bone to candidate implant surfaces is presented. The method is applicable to both early and later stages of healing and can be employed for any range of chemically or mechanically modified surfaces -&#160;but not smooth surfaces. Custom rectangular implants are placed bilaterally in the distal femora of male Wistar rats and collected with the surrounding bone. Test specimens are prepared and potted using a novel breakaway mold and the disruption test is conducted using a mechanical testing machine. This method allows for alignment of the disruption force exactly perpendicular, or parallel, to the plane of the implant surface, and provides an accurate and reproducible means for isolating an exact peri-implant region for testing.

An improved method to mechanically test bone anchorage to candidate implant surfaces is presented. This method allows for alignment of the disruption force exactly perpendicular, or parallel, to the plane of the implant surface, and provides an accurate means to direct the disruption forces to an exact peri-implant region.

Recent advances in material science have led to a substantial increase in the topographical complexity of implant surfaces, both on a micro- and a ...

Engineering 3D Cellularized Collagen Gels for Vascular Tissue Regeneration

Synthetic materials are known to initiate clinical complications such as inflammation, stenosis, and infections when implanted as vascular substitutes. Collagen has been extensively used for a wide range of biomedical applications and is considered a valid alternative to synthetic materials due to its inherent biocompatibility (i.e., low antigenicity, inflammation, and cytotoxic responses). However, the limited mechanical properties and the related low hand-ability of collagen gels have hampered their use as scaffold materials for vascular tissue engineering. Therefore, the rationale behind this work was first to engineer cellularized collagen gels into a tubular-shaped geometry and second to enhance smooth muscle cells driven reorganization of collagen matrix to obtain tissues stiff enough to be handled.
The strategy described here is based on the direct assembling of collagen and smooth muscle cells (construct) in a 3D cylindrical geometry with the use of a molding technique. This process requires a maturation period, during which the constructs are cultured in a bioreactor under static conditions (without applied external dynamic mechanical constraints) for 1 or 2 weeks. The &#8220;static bioreactor&#8221; provides a monitored and controlled sterile environment (pH, temperature, gas exchange, nutrient supply and waste removal) to the constructs. During culture period, thickness measurements were performed to evaluate the cells-driven remodeling of the collagen matrix, and glucose consumption and lactate production rates were measured to monitor the cells metabolic activity. Finally, mechanical and viscoelastic properties were assessed for the resulting tubular constructs. To this end, specific protocols and a focused know-how (manipulation, gripping, working in hydrated environment, and so on) were developed to characterize the engineered tissues.

In this work, we present a technique for the rapid fabrication of living vascular tissues by direct culturing of collagen, smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. In addition, a new protocol for the mechanical characterization of engineered vascular tissues is described.

Synthetic materials are known to initiate clinical complications such as inflammation, stenosis, and infections when implanted as vascular substitutes. ...

Minced Tissue in Compressed Collagen: A Cell-containing Biotransplant for Single-staged Reconstructive Repair

Conventional techniques for cell expansion and transplantation of autologous cells for tissue engineering purposes can take place in specially equipped human cell culture facilities. These methods include isolation of cells in single cell suspension and several laborious and time-consuming events before transplantation back to the patient. Previous studies suggest that the body itself could be used as a bioreactor for cell expansion and regeneration of tissue in order to minimize ex vivo manipulations of tissues and cells before transplanting to the patient. The aim of this study was to demonstrate a method for tissue harvesting, isolation of continuous epithelium, mincing of the epithelium into small pieces and incorporating them into a three-layered biomaterial. The three-layered biomaterial then served as a delivery vehicle, to allow surgical handling, exchange of nutrition across the transplant, and a controlled degradation. The biomaterial consisted of two outer layers of collagen and a core of a mechanically stable and slowly degradable polymer. The minced epithelium was incorporated into one of the collagen layers before transplantation. By mincing the epithelial tissue into small pieces, the pieces could be spread and thereby the propagation of cells was stimulated. After the initial take of the transplants, cell expansion and reorganization would take place and extracellular matrix mature to allow ingrowth of capillaries and nerves and further maturation of the extracellular matrix. The technique minimizes ex vivo manipulations and allow cell harvesting, preparation of autograft, and transplantation to the patient as a simple one-stage intervention. In the future, tissue expansion could be initiated around a 3D mold inside the body itself, according to the specific needs of the patient. Additionally, the technique could be performed in an ordinary surgical setting without the need for sophisticated cell culturing facilities.

Tissue engineering often includes in vitro expansion in order to create autografts for tissue regeneration. In this study a method for tissue expansion, regeneration, and reconstruction in vivo was developed in order to minimize the processing of cells and biological materials outside the body.

Conventional techniques for cell expansion and transplantation of autologous cells for tissue engineering purposes can take place in specially equipped ...

Preparation of 3D Collagen Gels and Microchannels for the Study of 3D Interactions In Vivo

Historically, most cellular processes have been studied in only 2 dimensions. While these studies have been informative about general cell signaling mechanisms, they neglect important cellular cues received from the structural and mechanical properties of the local microenvironment and extracellular matrix (ECM). To understand how cells interact within a physiological ECM, it is important to study them in the context of 3 dimensional assays. Cell migration, cell differentiation, and cell proliferation are only a few processes that have been shown to be impacted by local changes in the mechanical properties of a 3-dimensional ECM. Collagen I, a core fibrillar component of the ECM, is more than a simple structural element of a tissue. Under normal conditions, mechanical cues from the collagen network direct morphogenesis and maintain cellular structures. In diseased microenvironments, such as the tumor microenvironment, the collagen network is often dramatically remodeled, demonstrating altered composition, enhanced deposition and altered fiber organization. In breast cancer, the degree of fiber alignment is important, as an increase in aligned fibers perpendicular to the tumor boundary has been correlated to poorer patient prognosis1. Aligned collagen matrices result in increased dissemination of tumor cells via persistent migration2,3. The following is a simple protocol for embedding cells within a 3-dimensional, fibrillar collagen hydrogel. This protocol is readily adaptable to many platforms, and can reproducibly generate both aligned and random collagen matrices for investigation of cell migration, cell division, and other cellular processes in a tunable, 3-dimensional, physiological microenvironment.

Preparation of 3D Collagen Gels and Microchannels for the Study of 3D Interactions In Vivo

Collagen is a core component of the ECM, and provides essential cues for several cellular processes ranging from migration to differentiation and proliferation. Provided here is a protocol for embedding cells within 3D collagen hydrogels, and a more advanced technique for generating randomized or aligned collagen matrices using PDMS microchannels.

Historically, most cellular processes have been studied in only 2 dimensions.  While these studies have been informative about general cell signaling ...

Evaluation of Keratinocyte Proliferation on Two- and Three-dimensional Type I Collagen Substrates

Type I collagen, useful as a substrate for cell culture, exists in two forms: the two-dimensional, non-fibrous form and three-dimensional, fibril form. Both forms can be prepared with the same type I collagen. In general, the non-fibrous form promotes cell adhesion and proliferation. The fibril form (gels) provides more physiological conditions in many types of cells; therefore, gel culture is useful for examining physiological behaviors of cells, such as drug efficacy.
Researchers can select the appropriate form according to the purpose of its use. For example, in the case of keratinocytes, on-gel culture has been used as a wound healing model. FEPE1L-8, a keratinocyte cell line cultured on the non-fibrous form of type I collagen, promote cell adhesion. Notably, keratinocyte proliferation is slower on the fibril form than the non-fibrous form. Protocols for the preparation of type I collagen for cell culture are simple and have wide applications depending on the experimental needs.

Here, we present a protocol for the preparation of two different forms of culture substrates utilizing type I collagen. Depending on how collagen is handled, collagen molecules either maintain two-dimensional, non-fibrous form or reassemble into three-dimensional, fibril form. Cell proliferation on type I collagen is drastically affected by fibril formation.

Type I collagen, useful as a substrate for cell culture, exists in two forms: the two-dimensional, non-fibrous form and three-dimensional, fibril form. ...

Simultaneous Quantification of Selected Kynurenines Analyzed by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Medium Collected from Cancer Cell Cultures

The kynurenine pathway and the tryptophan catabolites called kynurenines have received increased attention for their involvement in immune regulation and cancer biology. An in vitro cell culture assay is often used to learn about the contribution of different tryptophan catabolites in a disease mechanism and for testing therapeutic strategies. Cell culture medium that is rich in secreted metabolites and signaling molecules reflects the status of tryptophan metabolism and other cellular events. New protocols for the reliable quantification of multiple kynurenines in the complex cell culture medium are desired to allow for a reliable and quick analysis of multiple samples. This can be accomplished with liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. This powerful technique is employed in many clinical and research laboratories for the quantification of metabolites and can be used for measuring kynurenines.
Presented here is the use of liquid chromatography coupled with single quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-SQ) for the simultaneous determination of four kynurenines, i.e., kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine, 3-hydroxyanthranilic, and xanthurenic acid in the medium collected from in vitro cultured cancer cells. SQ detector is simple to use and less expensive compared to other mass spectrometers. In the SQ-MS analysis, multiple ions from the sample are generated and separated according to their specific mass-to-charge ratio (m/z), followed by the detection using a Single Ion Monitoring (SIM) mode.
This paper draws the attention on the advantages of the reported method and indicates some weak points. It is focused on critical elements of LC-SQ analysis including sample preparation along with chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis. The quality control, method calibration conditions and matrix effect issues are also discussed. We described a simple application of 3-nitrotyrosine as one analog standard for all target analytes. As confirmed by experiments with human ovary and breast cancer cells, the proposed LC-SQ method&#160;generates reliable results and can be further applied to other in vitro cellular models.

Described here is a protocol for the determination of four different tryptophan metabolites generated in the kynurenine pathway (kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine, xanthurenic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid) in the medium collected from cancer cell cultures analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with a single quadrupole mass spectrometry.

The kynurenine pathway and the tryptophan catabolites called kynurenines have received increased attention for their involvement in immune regulation and ...

A Novel Minimally Invasive Slow Injection Method for Reducing Tissue Injury

A Novel Cell Injection Method with Minimum Invasion

Directly injecting cells into tissues is a necessary process in cell administration and/or replacement therapy. The cell injection requires a sufficient amount of suspension solution to allow the cells to enter the tissue. The volume of the suspension solution affects the tissue, and this can cause major invasive injury as a result of the cell injection. This paper reports on a novel cell injection method, called slow injection, that aims to avoid this injury. However, pushing out the cells from the needle tip requires a sufficiently high injection speed according to Newton's law of shear force. To solve the above contradiction, a non-Newtonian fluid, such as gelatin solution, was used as the cell suspension solution in this work. Gelatins solution have temperature sensitivity, as their form changes from gel to sol at approximately 20 &#176;C. Therefore, to maintain the cell suspension solution in the gel form, the syringe was kept cooled in this protocol; however, once the solution was injected into the body, the body temperature converted it to a sol. The interstitial tissue fluid flow can absorb excess solution. In this work, the slow injection technique allowed cardiomyocyte balls to enter the host myocardium and engraft without surrounding fibrosis. This study employed a slow injection method to inject purified and ball-formed neonatal rat cardiomyocytes into a remote area of myocardial infarction in the adult rat heart. At 2 months following the injection, the hearts of the transplanted groups showed significantly improved contractile function. Furthermore, histological analyses of the slow-injected hearts revealed seamless connections between the host and graft cardiomyocytes via intercalated disks containing gap junction connections. This method could contribute to next-generation cell therapies, particularly in cardiac regenerative medicine.

Author Spotlight: A Novel Cell Injection Method with Minimum Invasion  

This method eliminates any major invasion during cell injections caused by the cell suspension solution.

Directly injecting cells into tissues is a necessary process in cell administration and/or replacement therapy. The cell injection requires a sufficient ...

Efficient 3D Skin Models for Flexible Research Application

Building Up Skin Models for Numerous Applications - from Two-Dimensional (2D) Monoculture to Three-Dimensional (3D) Multiculture

Due to the complex structure and important functions of the skin, it is an interesting research model for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medical industries. In the European Union, there has been a total ban on testing cosmetic products and their ingredients on animals. In the case of medicine and pharmaceuticals, this possibility is also constantly limited. In accordance with the 3Rs principle, it is becoming more and more common to test individual compounds as well as entire formulations on artificially created models. The cheapest and most widely used are the 2D models, which consist of a cell monolayer but do not reflect the real interactions between the cells in the tissue. Although the commercially available 3D models provide a better representation of the tissue, they are not used on a large scale. This is because they are expensive, the waiting time is quite long, and the available models are frequently limited to only those typically used. 
In order to move the conducted research to a higher level, we have optimized the procedures of various 3D skin model preparations. The described procedures are cheap and simple to prepare as they can be applied in numerous laboratories and by researchers with different experiences in cell culture.

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Skin Model Diversity with Cost-Effective 3D Cellular Models

Here, we present inexpensive and simple procedures to introduce various 3D skin models for routine research in a cell culture laboratory. Researchers can create models tailored to their needs without relying on commercially available models.

Due to the complex structure and important functions of the skin, it is an interesting research model for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medical ...