Name: a triple primary cell culture model of the human blood-brain barrier for studying ischemic stroke in vitro
Uploaded: 2022-10-06T14:05:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Triple Primary Cell Culture Model of the Human Blood-Brain Barrier for Studying Ischemic Stroke In Vitro at JoVE.com

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants MH128022, MH122235, MH072567, MH122235, HL126559, DA044579, DA039576, DA040537, DA050528, and DA047157.

NOTE: See the Table of Materials for details related to all cells, materials, equipment, and solutions used in this protocol.
1. Triple cell culture BBB model setting
<ol>
	<li>Seeding pericytes
	<ol>
		<li>Cultivate HBVP in T75 culture flasks with an activated surface for cell adhesion within a 5% CO2 incubator at 37 &#176;C until confluent. Once confluence is reached, aspirate the old pericyte medium and wash the cells with 5 mL of warm Dulbecco...

<ol>
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S., 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=Pericytes+and+neurovascular+function+in+the+healthy+and+diseased+brain.">Pericytes and neurovascular function in the healthy and diseased brain.</a> Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 13, 282 (2019).</li><li>Cabezas, R., 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=Astrocytic+modulation+of+blood+brain+barrier:+perspectives+on+Parkinson's+disease.">Astrocytic modulation of blood brain barrier: perspectives on Parkinson's disease.</a> Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 8, 211 (2014).</li><li>Abdullahi, W., Tripathi, D., Ronaldson, P. 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B., Burkhart, A., Moos, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+triple+culture+model+of+the+blood-brain+barrier+using+porcine+brain+endothelial+cells,+astrocytes+and+pericytes.">A triple culture model of the blood-brain barrier using porcine brain endothelial cells, astrocytes and pericytes.</a> PLoS One. 10 (8), 0134765 (2015).</li><li>Song, Y., Cai, X., Du, D., Dutta, P., Lin, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Comparison+of+blood-brain+barrier+models+for+in+vitro+biological+analysis:+one+cell+type+vs+three+cell+types.">Comparison of blood-brain barrier models for in vitro biological analysis: one cell type vs three cell types.</a> ACS Applied Bio Materials. 2 (3), 1050-1055 (2019).</li><li>Xu, L., 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=Silver+nanoparticles+induce+tight+junction+disruption+and+astrocyte+neurotoxicity+in+a+rat+blood-brain+barrier+primary+triple+coculture+model.">Silver nanoparticles induce tight junction disruption and astrocyte neurotoxicity in a rat blood-brain barrier primary triple coculture model.</a> International Journal of Nanomedicine. 10, 6105-6118 (2015).</li><li>Appelt-Menzel, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Establishment+of+a+human+blood-brain+barrier+co-culture+model+mimicking+the+neurovascular+unit+using+induced+pluri-+and+multipotent+stem+cells.">Establishment of a human blood-brain barrier co-culture model mimicking the neurovascular unit using induced pluri- and multipotent stem cells.</a> Stem Cell Reports. 8 (4), 894-906 (2017).</li><li>Zhang, Y., 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=Rational+construction+of+a+reversible+arylazo-based+NIR+probe+for+cycling+hypoxia+imaging+in+vivo.">Rational construction of a reversible arylazo-based NIR probe for cycling hypoxia imaging in vivo.</a> Nature Communications. 12 (1), 2772 (2021).</li><li>Palacio-Casta&#241;eda, V., Kooijman, L., Venzac, B., Verdurmen, W. 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(177), (2021).</li><li>Kumar, S., Shaw, L., Lawrence, C., Lea, R., Alder, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=P50:+Developing+a+physiologically+relevant+blood+brain+barrier+model+for+the+study+of+drug+disposition+in+glioma.">P50: Developing a physiologically relevant blood brain barrier model for the study of drug disposition in glioma.</a> Neuro-Oncology. 16 (6), (2014).</li><li>Stone, N. L., England, T. J., O'Sullivan, S. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+novel+transwell+blood+brain+barrier+model+using+primary+human+cells.">A novel transwell blood brain barrier model using primary human cells.</a> Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 13, 230 (2019).</li><li>Al Ahmad, A., Taboada, C. B., Gassmann, M., Ogunshola, O. 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In this protocol, we describe a method to set up a reliable triple endothelial cell-pericyte-astrocyte culture BBB model for&#160;studying BBB dysfunction in the setting of ischemic stroke in vitro. Considering that pericytes are the nearest neighbors of endothelial cells in vivo, HBVP are plated on the underside of the well-inserts in this model16. Although this configuration lacks the direct cell-to-cell communication between astrocytes and endothelial cells, this arrangement a...

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide1. The incidence of stroke rapidly increases with age, doubling every 10 years after the age of 552. Ischemic stroke occurs as a result of cerebral blood flow disruption due to thrombotic and embolic events, which encompasses more than 80% of all stroke cases3. Even now, there are relatively few treatment options available to minimize tissue death following ischemic stroke. The treatments that do exist are time-sensitive and consequentially do not always lead to good clinical outcomes. Therefore, research on complex cellular mechanisms of ischemic stroke that affect poststroke recovery is urgently needed.
The BBB is a dynamic interface for the exchange of molecules between the blood and the brain parenchyma. Structurally, the BBB is comprised of brain microvascular endothelial cells interconnected by junctional complexes surrounded by a basement membrane, pericytes, and astrocytic endfeet4. Pericytes and astrocytes play an essential role in the maintenance of BBB integrity through the secretion of various factors necessary for the formation of strong, tight junctions5,6. The breakdown of the BBB is one of the hallmarks of ischemic stroke. Acute inflammatory response and oxidative stress associated with cerebral ischemia results in the disruption of tight junction protein complexes and dysregulated crosstalk between astrocytes, pericytes, and endothelial cells, which leads to increased paracellular solute permeability across the BBB7. BBB dysfunction further promotes the formation of brain edema and increases the risk of hemorrhagic transformation8. Considering all of the above, there is great interest in understanding the molecular and cellular changes that occur at the BBB level during and after ischemic stroke.
Although many in vitro BBB models have been developed over recent decades and used in a variety of studies, none of them can fully replicate in vivo conditions9. While some models are based on endothelial cell monolayers cultured on well-insert permeable supports alone or in combination with pericytes or astrocytes, only more recent studies have introduced triple cell culture model designs. Almost all existing triple culture BBB models incorporate primary brain endothelial cells along with astrocytes and pericytes isolated from animal species or cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells10,11,12,13.
Recognizing the need to better recapitulate the human BBB in vitro, we established a triple cell culture in vitro BBB model composed of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC), primary human astrocytes (HA), and primary human brain vascular pericytes (HBVP). This triple culture BBB model is set up on 6-well plate, polyester membrane inserts with 0.4 &#181;m pore size. These well-inserts provide an optimal environment for cell attachment and enable easy access to both apical (blood) and basolateral (brain) compartments for medium sampling or compound application. The features of this proposed triple cell culture BBB model are assessed by measuring TEER and paracellular flux post OGD mimicking ischemic stroke in vitro, with a shortage of oxygen (&#60;1% O2) and nutrients (by using glucose-free medium) achieved by using a humidified, sealed chamber. Additionally, induced ischemic-like conditions in this model are accurately verified by direct visualization of hypoxic cells.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>24 mm Transwell with 0.4 &#181;m Pore Polyester Membrane Insert</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3450</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>35 mm Glass Bottom Dishes</td>
			<td>MatTek Life Sciences (FISHERSCI)</td>
			<td>P35GC-1.5-14-C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Astrocyte Medium</td>
			<td>Science Cell</td>
			<td>1801</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Attachment Factor</td>
			<td>Cell Systems (Fisher Scientific)</td>
			<td>4Z0-201</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BD 60 mL Syringe</td>
			<td>BD</td>
			<td>309653</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BrainPhys Imaging Optimized Medium</td>
			<td>STEMCELL Technologies</td>
			<td>5791</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Complete Classic Medium With Serum and CultureBoost</td>
			<td>4Z0-500</td>
			<td>Cell Systems</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Corning 50 mL PP Centrifuge Tubes (Conical Bottom with CentriStar Cap</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>430829</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Corning 75cm&#178; U-Shaped Canted Neck Not Treated Cell Culture Flask&#160;</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>431464U</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Corning CellBIND 96-well Flat Clear Bottom Black Polystyrene Microplates</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3340</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Countes Cell Counting Chamber Slides</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>C10228</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Countess II FL Automated Cell Counter</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>ZGEXSCCOUNTESS2FL</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Decon CiDehol 70 Isopropyl Alcohol Solution&#160;</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>04-355-71</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Disposable Petri Dishes</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>25384-088</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM Medium (No glucose, No glutamine, No phenol red)</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>A14430-01</td>
			<td>Glucose-free medium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DPBS (No Calcium, No Magnesium)</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>14190250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EBM Endothelial Cell Growth Basal Medium, Phenol Red Free, 500 mL</td>
			<td>Lonza</td>
			<td>CC-3129</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EVOM2 Epithelial Volt/Ohm (TEER) Meter with STX2 electrodes</td>
			<td>World Precison Instruments</td>
			<td>NC9792051</td>
			<td>Epithelial voltohmmeter&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluorescein isothiocyanate&#8211;dextran (wt 20,000)</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>FD20-250MG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluorescein isothiocyanate&#8211;dextran (wt 70,000)</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>FD70S-250MG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluorview FV3000 Confocal Microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>FV3000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Gas Tank (95% N2, 5% CO2)</td>
			<td>Airgas</td>
			<td>X02NI95C2003071</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HBSS (No calcium, No magnesium, no phenol red)</td>
			<td>Thermofisher</td>
			<td>14025092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hoechst 33342, Trihydrochloride, Trihydrate - 10 mg/mL Solution in Water</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>H3570</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Human Astrocytes</td>
			<td>Science Cell</td>
			<td>1800</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Human Brain Vascular Pericytes</td>
			<td>Science Cell</td>
			<td>1200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hypoxia Incubator Chamber</td>
			<td>STEMCELL Technologies</td>
			<td>27310</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Image-iT Green Hypoxia Reagent</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>I14834</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pericyte Medium</td>
			<td>Science Cell</td>
			<td>1201</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Primary Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells</td>
			<td>ACBRI 376</td>
			<td>Cell Systems</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rocking Platform Shaker, Double</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>10860-658</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Single Flow Meter</td>
			<td>STEMCELL Technologies</td>
			<td>27311</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SpectraMax iD3 Microplate Reader</td>
			<td>Molecular Devices</td>
			<td>75886-128</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Syringe Filter, 25 mm, 0.22 &#956;m, PVDF, Sterile</td>
			<td>NEST Scientific</td>
			<td>380121</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TPP Mutli-well Plates (6 wells)</td>
			<td>MidSci</td>
			<td>TP92406</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TPP Tissue Culture Flasks T-75 Flasks</td>
			<td>MidSci</td>
			<td>TP90075</td>
			<td>Flasks with activated surface for cell adhesion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%), phenol red</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>25200056</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>UltraPure Distilled Water</td>
			<td>Invitrogen (Life Technologies)</td>
			<td>10977-015</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Uno Stage Top Incubator-</td>
			<td>Oko Lab</td>
			<td>UNO-T-H-CO2-TTL</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a triple primary cell culture model of the human blood-brain barrier for studying ischemic stroke in vitro

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide with limited therapeutic options. The neuropathology of ischemic stroke is characterized by an interruption in blood supply to the brain leading to cell death and cognitive dysfunction. During and after ischemic stroke, blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction facilitates injury progression and contributes to poor patient recovery. Current BBB models primarily include endothelial monocultures and double co-cultures with either astrocytes or pericytes.
Such models lack the ability to fully imitate a dynamic brain microenvironment, which is essential for cell-to-cell communication. Additionally, commonly used BBB models often contain immortalized human endothelial cells or animal-derived (rodent, porcine, or bovine) cell cultures that pose translational limitations. This paper describes a novel well-insert-based BBB model containing only primary human cells (brain microvascular endothelial cells, astrocytes, and brain vascular pericytes) enabling the investigation of ischemic brain injury in vitro. 
The effects of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) on barrier integrity were assessed by passive permeability, transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements,and direct visualization of hypoxic cells. The presented protocol offers a distinct advantage inmimicking the intercellular environment of the BBB in vivo, serving as a more realistic in vitro BBB model for developing new therapeutic strategies in the setting of ischemic brain injury.

To examine the effects of astrocytes and pericytes on the barrier function of HBMEC, we constructed the triple cell culture BBB model on cell culture inserts (Figure 1A) along with HBMEC monoculture and two double co-culture models as controls (Figure 1B). Double co-culture controls included a non-contact co-culture of HBMEC with HA and contact co-culture of HBMEC with HBVP. After 6 days in co-culture, all experimental setups were subjected to OGD for 4 h. The b...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Triple Primary Cell Culture Model of the Human Blood-Brain Barrier for Studying Ischemic Stroke In Vitro at JoVE.com

A Triple Primary Cell Culture Model of the Human Blood-Brain Barrier for Studying Ischemic Stroke In Vitro

Here, we describe the method for establishing a triple cell culture model of the blood-brain barrier based on primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells, astrocytes, and pericytes. This multicellular model is suitable for studies of neurovascular unit dysfunction during ischemic stroke in vitro or for the screening of drug candidates.

A Triple Primary Cell Culture Model of the Human Blood-Brain Barrier for Studying Ischemic Stroke In Vitro

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide with limited therapeutic options. The neuropathology of ischemic stroke is ...

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A Semi-Quantitative Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS) assay for studying Rapamycin/mTOR interaction

A Semi-Quantitative Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability DARTS assay for studying Rapamycin/mTOR interaction

Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS) is a robust method for detection of novel small molecule protein targets. It can be used to verify known ...

Application of Biolayer Interferometry (BLI) for Studying Protein-Protein Interactions in Transcription

Application of Biolayer Interferometry BLI for Studying Protein-Protein Interactions in Transcription

A transcription factor&#160;(TF) is a protein that regulates gene expression by interacting with the RNA polymerase, another TF, and/or template DNA. GrgA ...