Name: a microphysiologic platform for human fat: sandwiched white adipose tissue
Uploaded: 2018-08-15T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Microphysiologic Platform for Human Fat: Sandwiched White Adipose Tissue at JoVE.com

The authors would like to acknowledge the institutional support provided by LSU Health Sciences Center, which funded the project.

All tasks were performed in adherence to protocols #8759 and #9189, as approved by the IRB Office of LSUHSC-NO. All animal work was performed in adherence to protocol #3285 approved by the IACUC Office at LSUHSC-NO.
1. Seeding of Sandwiching Cell Sheets
NOTE: See Figure 1.
<ol>
	<li>Seed ADSCs at approximately 80% confluency in tissue culture plates (6 cm or 6-well plates). For each well of SWAT desired, seed 1 conventional tissue cul...

<ol>
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NIH-CASIS Coordinated Microphysiological Systems Program for Translational Research in Space (#RFA-TR-18-001) Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TR-18-001.html">https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TR-18-001.html</a> (2017)</li><li>Lau, F. H., Vogel, K., Luckett, J. P., Hunt, M., Meyer, A., Rogers, C. L., Tessler, O., Dupin, C. L., St Hilaire, H., Islam, K. N., Frazier, T., Gimble, J. M., Scahill, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Sandwiched+White+Adipose+Tissue:+A+Microphysiological+System+of+Primary+Human+Adipose+Tissue.">Sandwiched White Adipose Tissue: A Microphysiological System of Primary Human Adipose Tissue.</a> Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods. 24 (3), (2018).</li><li>Ebara, M., Hoffman, J. M., Stayton, P. S., Hoffman, A. 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(92), e51044 (2014).</li><li>Bunnell, B., Flaat, M., Gagliardi, C., Patel, B., Ripoll, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Adipose-derived+stem+cells:+Isolation,+expansion+and+differentiation.">Adipose-derived stem cells: Isolation, expansion and differentiation.</a> Methods. 45 (2), 115-120 (2008).</li><li>Akiyama, Y., Kikuchi, A., Yamato, M., Okano, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ultrathin+poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)+grafted+layer+on+polystyrene+surfaces+for+cell+adhesion/detachment+control.">Ultrathin poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) grafted layer on polystyrene surfaces for cell adhesion/detachment control.</a> Langmuir. 20 (13), 5506-5511 (2004).</li><li>Fried, S. K., Russell, C. D., Grauso, N. L., Brolin, R. 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This protocol details the use of ADSCs to sandwich human white adipose tissue; human ADSC cell lines can be isolated via well-established protocols15. However, the system can be adapted for individualized research requirements (such as using 3T3L-1 cells to sandwich mouse WAT). This process involves handling primary human tissue. Standard safety precautions should be employed; handle human tissues as BSL-2 pathogens (e.g., HIV, HepC). Only handle tissue directly under a BSC. Wear all appr...

Adipose tissue is the primary organ of obesity, which carries direct annual medical costs between $147 billion and $210 billion in the U.S.1. The accumulation of adipose tissue also contributes to other leading causes of death such as heart disease, type II diabetes, and certain types of cancer2. In vitro culture models are essential for metabolic studies and drug development, but current research models of adipose tissue have major deficiencies. Adipocytes are fragile, buoyant, and terminally differentiated cells that will not adhere to cell culture plastics, and therefore cannot be cultured using conventional cell culture methods. Since the 1970s, several methods have been used in attempts to overcome these barriers, including the use of glass coverslips, ceiling culture, suspension culture, and extracellular matrices3,4,5,6,7. However, these methods have been marked by cell death and dedifferentiation, and they are typically used for no more than a two-week study period. Moreover, these models do not attempt recapitulate the native adipose microenvironment as they do not maintain the intact ECM, the interactions between adipocytes and stromal support cells, nor the contractile forces cells exert on each other in in vivo WAT.
In the absence of a gold-standard primary adipose culture method, adipose research has relied primarily on differentiated pre-adipocytes (diffAds). DiffAds are multilocular, adherent, and metabolically active. By contrast, primary white adipocytes are unilocular, nonadherent, and demonstrate relatively low metabolism. The failure of current adipose culture models to recapitulate the physiology of healthy mature adipose tissue is likely a major factor in the absence of FDA-approved medications that directly target adipocytes. In fact, the lack of physiologic in vitro organ models is a major problem across most organs and disease.
In its position paper announcing the creation of its Microphysiological Systems (MPS) program, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that the 2013 success rate across all human pharmaceutical clinical trials was only 18% for phase II and 50% for phase III clinical trials8.The MPS program is designed to directly address the inability of in vitro monoculture to model human physiology. The NIH defines MPSs as culture systems comprised of human primary or stem cells in multicellular 3D constructs that recapitulate organ functioning. Unlike reductionist models of homogeneous, immortalized cell cultures, MPSs should accurately model cell-cell, drug-cell, drug-drug, and organ-drug interactions9. Unlike short-term primary culture methods, NIH standards dictate MPS sustainability over 4 weeks in culture8. Further details of the MPS program can be found at the NIH&#39;s RFAs (#RFA-TR-18-001)10.
We have developed a simple, novel, adaptable, and inexpensive adipose MPS termed &#34;sandwiched white adipose tissue&#34; (SWAT)11. We overcome the natural buoyancy of adipocytes by &#34;sandwiching&#34; minced primary adipose tissue between sheets of adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) (Figure 1). The resulting 3D construct recapitulates the cell-cell contact and the native adipose microenvironment by surrounding mature adipocytes with a natural adipocyte support cell population. SWAT has been validated by demonstrating 8-week viability, response to exogenous signaling, adipokine secretion, and engraftment into an animal model.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="817">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:219px;">10x HBSS</td>
			<td style="width:92px;">Thermofisher</td>
			<td style="width:115px;">14185052</td>
			<td style="width:393px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Gelatin</td>
			<td>Sigma-aldrich</td>
			<td>G9391</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Collagenase</td>
			<td>Sigma-aldrich</td>
			<td>C5138</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Adenosine</td>
			<td>Sigma-aldrich</td>
			<td>A9251</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">DMEM</td>
			<td>Thermofisher</td>
			<td>11995065</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">M199 Media</td>
			<td>Thermofisher</td>
			<td>11043023</td>
			<td>Phenol red-free&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">250&#181;m Mesh Filter</td>
			<td>Pierce</td>
			<td>87791</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">0.2&#181;m Syringe Filter</td>
			<td>Celltreat</td>
			<td>229747</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">5mL Luer-Lok syringes&#160;</td>
			<td>BD</td>
			<td>309646</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="160">
			<td height="160" style="height:160px;">Metal Washers</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td style="width:393px;">These are simple metal washers and can be bought at any hardware store. They simply add leight weight to the backs of the plugers to ensure even contact between cells and gelatin, while being easy to stock and sterilize. Approximate mass: 6.3g&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Heated Equipment</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;">Incubated Orbital Shaker</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>10020-988</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">Samples should be pitched at 45&#176; angle to facilitate collagenase digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">Heat Block</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td style="width:393px;">Set to 37-40&#176;C and placed under Biosafety Cabinet</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Water Bath</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td style="width:393px;">Set to ~75&#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Specialized Plastics</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="180">
			<td height="180" style="height:180px;">Upcell Dishes 6cm of 6-multiwell</td>
			<td>Nunc</td>
			<td>174902&#160; or 174901</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">These are commerically available pNIPAAm-coated dishes which can be used to grow the upper sheet of ADSCs. Alternatively, pNIPAAm-coated plates can be produced in-lab. diameter: &#60;6cm for 6cm dish, &#60;3.5cm for 6-well plate; approximate mass: 6.7g for 6cm dish, 5.1g for 6-well plate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="160">
			<td height="160" style="height:160px;">Plastic Plunger Apparatus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td style="width:393px;">These can be fashioned to fit within desired pNIPAAm-coated plastics (multiwell plates, petri dishes). They are comprised of a simple stem attached to a circular disk. They can be produced in-lab or by any facility that can fashion acrylic plastics</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a microphysiologic platform for human fat: sandwiched white adipose tissue

White adipose tissue (WAT) plays a crucial role in regulating weight and everyday health. Still, there are significant limitations to available primary culture models, all of which have failed to faithfully recapitulate the adipose microenvironment or extend WAT viability beyond two weeks. The lack of a reliable primary culture model severely impedes research in WAT metabolism and drug development. To this end we have utilized NIH's standards of a microphysiologic system to develop a novel platform for WAT primary culture called 'SWAT' (sandwiched white adipose tissue). We overcome the natural buoyancy of adipocytes by sandwiching minced WAT clusters between sheets of adipose-derived stromal cells. In this construct, WAT samples are viable over eight weeks in culture. SWAT maintains the intact ECM, cell-to-cell contacts, and physical pressures of in vivo WAT conditions; additionally, SWAT maintains a robust transcriptional profile, sensitivity to exogenous chemical signaling, and whole tissue function. SWAT represents a simple, reproducible, and effective method of primary adipose culture. Potentially, it is a broadly applicable platform for research in WAT physiology, pathophysiology, metabolism, and pharmaceutical development.

Viability of SWAT was initially assessed by serial brightfield imaging of individual WAT clusters (n = 12) over approximately 7.6 weeks. Clusters remained secured in place on the monolayer throughout this time. Slight morphological changes were observed with individual adipocytes warping slightly or shifting positions. However, adipocytes neither become multilocular over time, indicating a lack of dedifferentiation, nor did they exhibit any visible signs of cell death such as cellular ble...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Microphysiologic Platform for Human Fat: Sandwiched White Adipose Tissue at JoVE.com

A Microphysiologic Platform for Human Fat: Sandwiched White Adipose Tissue

White adipose tissue (WAT) has critical deficiencies in its current primary culture models, hindering pharmacological development and metabolic studies. Here, we present a protocol to produce an adipose microphysiological system by sandwiching WAT between sheets of stromal cells. This construct provides a stable and adaptable platform for primary WAT culture.

White adipose tissue (WAT) plays a crucial role in regulating weight and everyday health.  Still, there are significant limitations to available primary ...

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