Delivery of human fibroblast cells by piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet printing

A piezoelectric actuated, drop-on-demand inkjet printing system has been used to deliver suspensions of human fibroblast cells from a well-characterized cell line (HT 1080) in order to investigate the behaviour of cells exposed to the mechanical and fluid stresses associated with the printing process. By varying the amplitude and rise time of the electrical pulse used to excite the piezoelectric actuator, it is possible to alter the stresses experienced by the cells. It is shown that the amplitude of the pulse has a small influence on cell survivability with regression analysis showing cell survival rates falling from 98% with a 40 V pulse (indistinguishable from control measurements) to approximately 94% with a 80 V pulse. The rise time of the pulse was found to have no influence on cell survival. Cell viability post-printing was also assessed using the Alamar Blue metabolic assay and the cells that survived were unaffected by the printing process, with neither pulse amplitude nor rise time showing any significant influence on cell viability (using the standard 5% probability threshold). However, inkjet printing requires cell suspensions to be stable over several minutes during the printing process and it was found that after about 20 min printing, some cell agglomeration or sedimentation affected the printing performance.     

喷墨打印技术同步打印细胞和生物支架材料及在组织工程中的应用

背景：喷墨打印技术是将墨滴喷射到接受体形成图像或文字的非接触性打印技术。 目的：总结并讨论喷墨打印技术的研究进展及其在组织工程中的运用。 方法：由第一作者用计算机检索中国期刊全文数据库(CNKI：1995/2010)和PubMed数据库(1995/2010),检索词分别为“喷墨打印技术,细胞打印,生物材料,细胞因子”和“inkjet printing,cell printing,biomaterial,cytokine,organ printing”。共检索到352篇文章,按纳入和排除标准对文献进行筛选,共纳入35篇文章。从喷墨打印技术研究进展及其在组织工程中的运用2个方面进行总结,对喷墨打印技术在细胞打印、生物支架材料打印、细胞活性因子打印及细胞-生物支架材料同步打印的应用等方面进行介绍。 结果和结论：喷墨打印技术作为一种新型组织工程技术,在组织与器官打印研究中有广泛的运用前景。该技术可以打印多种细胞,打印后的细胞能够存活和保持原有生物学活性,而且喷墨打印技术通过打印水凝胶支架材料,构建具有良好的三维结构的3D水凝胶支架。此外,运用喷墨打印技术可以打印细胞活性因子,并保持其生物学活性。通过同步打印细胞和生物支架材料,喷墨打印技术有望构建3D细胞-生物支架材料复合的仿生组织和器官。     

Maxillofacial reconstruction using custom-made artificial bones fabricated by inkjet printing technology

Ideally, artificial bones should be dimensionally compatible with deformities, and be biodegradable and osteoconductive; however, there are no artificial bones developed to date that satisfy these requirements. We fabricated novel custom-made artificial bones from α-tricalcium phosphate powder using an inkjet printer and implanted them in ten patients with maxillofacial deformities. The artificial bones had dimensional compatibility in all the patients. The operation time was reduced due to minimal need for size adjustment and fixing manipulation. The postsurgical computed tomography analysis detected partial union between the artificial bones and host bone tissues. There were no serious adverse reactions. These findings provide support for further clinical studies of the inkjet-printed custom-made artificial bones.     

Biocompatible inkjet printing technique for designed seeding of individual living cells

Inkjet printers are capable of printing at high resolution by ejecting extremely small ink drops. Established printing technology will be able to seed living cells, at micrometer resolution, in arrangements similar to biological tissues. We describe the use of a biocompatible inkjet head and our investigation of the feasibility of microseeding with living cells. Living cells are easily damaged by heat; therefore, we used an electrostatically driven inkjet system that was able to eject ink without generating significant heat. Bovine vascular endothelial cells were prepared and suspended in culture medium, and the cell suspension was used as "ink" and ejected onto culture disks. Microscopic observation showed that the endothelial cells were situated in the ejected dots in the medium, and that the number of cells in each dot was dependent on the concentration of the cell suspension and ejection frequency chosen. After the ejected cells were incubated for a few hours, they adhered to the culture disks. Using our non-heat-generating, electrostatically driven inkjet system, living cells were safely ejected onto culture disks. This microseeding technique with living cells has the potential to advance the field of tissue engineering.     

Inkjet printing of macromolecules on hydrogels to steer neural stem cell differentiation

Inkjet printing allows for the rapid and inexpensive printing of cells, materials, and protein molecules. However, the combination of inkjet printing and control of neural stem cell (NSC) multipotency and differentiation has remained unexplored. We used an inkjet printer (Canon BJC-2100) to print biologically active macromolecules on poly-acrylamide-based hydrogels (HydroGel(TM)), which were subsequently seeded with primary fetal NSCs. NSCs cultured on areas printed with fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) remained undifferentiated, consistent with the effects of FGF2 when administered in solution. NSCs cultured in parallel on the same hydrogels but in areas printed with ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) or fetal bovine serum (FBS) displayed a rapid induction of markers for astrocytic (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) or smooth muscle (smooth muscle actin, SMA) differentiation, respectively. These results are consistent with known actions of CNTF and FBS on NSCs. Importantly, NSCs cultured on a printed gradient of increasing levels of CNTF showed a linear increase in numbers of cells expressing GFAP, demonstrating a functional gradient of CNTF. Lastly, genetically modified NSCs proved to respond properly to printed macromolecules, suggesting that inkjet printing can successfully be combined with gene delivery to achieve effective control of stem cell differentiation.     

慢性神经电生理实验中微电极的研究现状

从不同的角度介绍几种目前广泛使用的神经微电极,比较了不同的制作工艺和方法的优缺点,提出了目前慢性微电极记录中仍然存在的问题及可能的解决方案.从手工工艺生产的微电极及其推进系统到利用半导体技术和微加工技术生产的微电极阵列,每一种微电极都为慢性神经电生理实验的发展奠定了重要的基础.     

视觉电生理信号检测方法研究

本文根据视觉解剖与电生理特征，采用沿视觉通路提取信号的检测方法，把握视觉生理功能的全面信息。所研制的ＭＥＴ０１系统，实验了ＥＯＧ、ＥＲＧ、ＶＥＰ等信号的检测与分析，对视觉早期病变的诊断具有一定的临床价值。     

Reconstruction of hippocampal granule cell electrophysiology by computer simulation.

A model of the hippocampal granule cells was created that closely approximated most of the measured intracellular responses from a neuron under a variety of stimulus conditions. This model suggests that: (1) A simple, four-conductance model can account for most of the intracellular behavior of these neurons. (2) The repolarization mechanism in granule cells may be different from that in squid axons. A weak potassium conductance may be present in hippocampal granule neurons, which simultaneously give rise to a small, passive depolarizing afterpotential. (3) The strength duration properties may assist in identifying the electronic and sodium channel properties with short stimulus pulse widths. (4) Repetitive firing responses are highly dependent on the cell's recent history of activation and the regulation of the slow potassium conductance and calcium dynamics. (5) The anodic break response is probably not a property of typical granule cells. Through thorough and precise comparison of experimental and model responses, computer simulations can help assembling channel information into verifiable models that accurately reproduce intracellular data.     

时间分辨荧光分析测定细胞活性和破膜法实验研究

采用Eu3+-DTPA标记L-929株靶细胞，经时间分辨荧光仪测定，建立一种崭新的时间分辨荧光分析法来测定细胞活性，此法具有灵敏度高，有效期长，不污染环境等优点。     

中脑神经干细胞分化的神经元体外表达突触素的动态分析

目的：观察中脑神经干细胞(NSCs)分化的神经元在不同条件下及不同时间内表达突触素的动态变化。方法：使用骨髓基质细胞(BMSCs)的条件液培养中脑NSCs,免疫细胞化学染色方法观察NSCs分化的神经元表达突触素的状态。结果：在NSCs分化后的12d,可观察到神经元能够表达突触素,但水平较低;18d,NSCs分化的神经元表达突触素的水平接近体外培养3d的海马神经元,并且也呈现典型的串珠样分布。结论：中脑NSCs分化而来的神经元在体外能够表达突触素,但与原代海马神经元相比,则需要更长的体外培养时间,提示NSCs分化的神经元发育成熟可能需要一定时间。     

Distribution of PDLIM1 at actin-rich structures generated by invasive and adherent bacterial pathogens

The enteric bacterial pathogens Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) remodel the eukaryotic actin cytoskeleton during their disease processes. Listeria generate slender actin-rich comet/rocket tails to move intracellularly, and later, finger-like membrane protrusions to spread amongst host cells. EPEC remain extracellular, but generate similar actin-rich membranous protrusions (termed pedestals) to move atop the host epithelia. These structures are crucial for disease as diarrheal (and systemic) infections are significantly abrogated during infections with mutant strains that are unable to generate the structures. The current repertoire of host components enriched within these structures is vast and diverse. In this protein catalog, we and others have found that host actin crosslinkers, such as palladin and α-actinin-1, are routinely exploited. To expand on this list, we set out to investigate the distribution of PDLIM1, a scaffolding protein and binding partner of palladin and α-actinin-1, during bacterial infections. We show that PDLIM1 localizes to the site of initial Listeria entry into cells. Following this, PDLIM1 localizes to actin filament clouds surrounding immotile bacteria, and then colocalizes with actin once the comet/rocket tails are generated. Unlike palladin or α-actinin-1, PDLIM1 is maintained within the actin-rich core of membrane protrusions. Conversely, α-actinin-1, but not PDLIM1 (or palladin), is enriched at the membrane invagination that internalizes the Listeria-containing membrane protrusion. We also show that PDLIM1 is a component of the EPEC pedestal core and that its recruitment is dependent on the bacterial effector Tir. Our findings highlight PDLIM1 as another protein present within pathogen-induced actin-rich structures.     

基于同轴细胞打印双网络生物墨水优化及类血管支架的打印

文题释义：双网络生物墨水：生物墨水是指可以用于生物3D打印机的材料,具有类似细胞外基质的理化性质,可用于制造与人体器官相似的组织。双网络生物墨水内部具有两种交联网络,能使体外构建的组织具有良好的机械性能,适用于不同的应用场景。 同轴细胞打印：生物3D打印也叫细胞打印,是指操控细胞生物墨水体外构建活性组织的过程。同轴细胞打印是生物3D打印的延伸和发展,通过结合多层同轴针头可以直接快速制备含有内部连通网络的组织工程支架。 背景：细胞体外培养情况下无法在远离营养物质200 μm以上的区域存活,血管网络构建对组织工程领域厚组织和器官再生至关重要,同轴细胞打印为体外构建类血管通道提供了一种新的方式。 目的：优化生物墨水的同轴细胞打印性能,制备具有类血管结构的组织工程支架。 方法：通过间歇式巴氏灭菌制备无菌海藻酸钠溶液,冷冻保存;以脱胶蚕丝为原料制备无菌丝素蛋白冻干粉,密封保存;将丝素蛋白冻干粉加入解冻的海藻酸钠溶液中,再加入人脐静脉内皮细胞,作为生物墨水;将生物3D打印机的外轴连接生物墨水,内轴连接交联剂,同轴打印类血管支架材料,进行光学相干层析成像扫描、扫描电镜观察;拉伸测试海藻酸钠与丝素蛋白/海藻酸钠同轴打印环形试件(不含细胞)的弹性模量。采用冷冻保存7 d的海藻酸钠溶液与人脐静脉内皮细胞制作同轴打印支架,冷冻保存7 d的海藻酸钠溶液、人脐静脉内皮细胞与密封保存6个月的丝素蛋白冻干粉制作同轴打印支架,培养24 h后死活染色观察细胞存活率。设计打印串联与并联结构的类血管支架,培养1,3,7,10,14 d后检测细胞增殖情况。 结果与结论：①光学相干层析成像扫描显示,该混合生物墨水最高打印高度为9层,整体厚度约为4.4 mm;扫描电镜显示,类血管支架的中空纤维丝外壁呈无规则条状卷曲,存在微米级内部连通孔隙结构,中空纤维丝内壁具有更致密的孔隙结构;②丝素蛋白/海藻酸钠同轴打印环形试件的弹性模量大于单纯海藻酸钠同轴打印环形试件(P < 0.05);③采用保存7 d海藻酸钠溶液制作的支架细胞存活率为(86.7±3.4)%,加入丝素蛋白冻干粉支架的细胞存活率为(98.1±1.2)%,说明冷冻保存7 d的海藻酸钠溶液未染菌,丝素蛋白的保质期可达6个月;④并联结构类血管支架培养7,10,14 d的细胞增殖活性高于串联结构的类血管支架(P < 0.05);⑤结果表明,实验制备的类血管支架材料具有良好的生物相容性与机械性能。 ORCID: 0000-0002-5556-6672(张一帆) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：生物材料;骨生物材料; 口腔生物材料; 纳米材料; 缓释材料; 材料相容性;组织工程     

A combined acetylcholinesterase and immunohistochemical method for precise anatomical analysis of intrinsic cardiac neural structures

A significant challenge when investigating autonomic neuroanatomy is being able to reliably obtain tissue that contains neuronal structures of interest. Currently, histochemical staining for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) remains the most feasible and reliable method to visualize intrinsic nerves and ganglia in whole organs. In order to precisely visualize and sample intrinsic cardiac nerves and ganglia for subsequent immunofluorescent labeling, we developed a modified histochemical AChE method using material from pig and sheep hearts. The method involves: (1) chemical prefixation of the whole heart, (2) short-term and weak histochemical staining for AChE in situ, (3) visual examination and extirpation of the stained neural structures from the whole heart, (4) freezing, embedding and cryostat sectioning of the tissue of interest, and (5) immunofluorescent labeling and microscopic analysis of neural structures. Firstly, our data demonstrate that this modified AChE protocol labeled intrinsic cardiac nerves as convincingly as our previously published data. Secondly, there was the added advantage that adrenergic, cholinergic and peptidergic neuropeptides, namely protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), neurofilament (NF), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), and substance P may be identified. Our method allows the precise sampling of neural structures including autonomic ganglia, intrinsic nerves and bundles of nerve fibers and even single neurons from the whole heart. This method saves time, effort and a substantial amount of antisera. Nonetheless, the proof of specific staining for many other autonomic neuronal markers has to be provided in subsequent studies.     

Polymorphonuclear cell apoptosis in exudates generated by polymers.

Flow cytometry was used to quantify apoptotic and necrotic polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells in an exudate generated by biomaterials, and the results were compared with determinations of spontaneous apoptosis and necrosis in PMN cells from the bloodstream. The exudate formed inside cylindrical tubes subcutaneously implanted in the dorsal region of rats was collected over a 1-week period. A rapid and simple staining procedure based on the spectral properties of the bisbenzemide Hoechst 33342 was used to identify apoptotic PMN cells. Quantification of permeabilized PMN cells stained by propidium iodide was possible in the same unfixed specimens. The percentages of apoptotic and permeabilized PMN cells in peripheral rat blood were low (1.8 +/-0 0.5% and 1.7 +/- 0.7%, respectively), similar to results found in humans. In exudates generated by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the percentages of apoptotic and permeabilized PMN cells were higher than in the blood. The percentage of PMN cells undergoing apoptosis progressively increased with time and reached a maximum at day 2 (27% +/- 6%). The percentage of permeabilized cells progressively increased with time and was much higher than the percentage of apoptotic cells on days 4 and 8. Apoptosis and necrosis of PMN cells at day 2 were inhibited when tubes were filled with 10% serum. Selective inhibition of apoptosis with a caspase inhibitor in vivo indicated that apoptosis and necrosis are two separate pathways leading to the death of PMN cells in the exudate. At day 2, polyurethane (PU) was associated with a lower rate of apoptosis than PVC or a random copolymer of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) and epsiloncaprolactone (ECL). Apoptosis was interpreted as an organized cell removal process that limits inflammation. Apoptosis was the natural route of PMN cell death at the early stage of inflammation.     

Hematopoietic stem cell and multilineage defects generated by constitutive beta-catenin activation

Gain of Wnt signaling through beta-catenin has been ascribed a critical function in the stimulation of hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal, whereas loss of beta-catenin is reportedly dispensable for hematopoiesis. Here we have used conditional mouse genetics and transplantation assays to demonstrate that constitutive activation of beta-catenin blocked multilineage differentiation, leading to the death of mice. Blood cell depletion was accompanied by failure of hematopoietic stem cells to repopulate irradiated hosts and to differentiate into mature cells. Activation of beta-catenin enforced cell cycle entry of hematopoietic stem cells, thus leading to exhaustion of the long-term stem cell pool. Our data suggest that fine-tuned Wnt stimulation is essential for hematopoiesis and is thus critical for therapeutic hematopoietic stem cell population expansion.     

Cytocompatibility of brushite and monetite cell culture scaffolds made by three-dimensional powder printing

This study investigated the cytocompatibility of low-temperature direct 3-D printed calcium phosphate scaffolds in vitro. The fabrication of the scaffolds was performed with a commercial 3-D powder printing system. Diluted phosphoric acid was printed into tricalcium phosphate powder, leading to the formation of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (brushite). Hydrothermal conversion of the brushite matrices led to the formation of dicalcium phosphate anhydrous (monetite). The biocompatibility was investigated using the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. Cell viability and the expression of alkaline phosphatase served as parameters. The culture medium was analyzed for pH value, concentration of free calcium and phosphate ions and osteocalcin. Both types of scaffolds showed a considerable increase of cell proliferation and viability; the monetite matrices were a little inferior compared with the brushite ones. The activity of alkaline phosphatase showed a similar pattern. Optical and electron microscopy revealed an obvious cell growth on the surface of both materials. Analysis of the culture medium showed minor alterations of pH value within the physiological range. The concentrations of free calcium and phosphate ions were obviously different among brushite and monetite cultures, due to their different solubility. The content of osteocalcin of the culture medium was reduced by the printed scaffolds due to adsorption. We conclude that the powder printed brushite and monetite matrices have a suitable biocompatibility for their use as cell culture scaffolds. Both materials enable osteoblastic cells in vitro to proliferate and differentiate due to the expression of typical osteoblastic markers.     

Nitric oxide generated by muscle corrects defects in hippocampal neurogenesis and neural differentiation caused by muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) results from null mutation of dystrophin, a membrane-associated structural protein that is expressed in skeletal muscle. Dystrophin deficiency causes muscle membrane lesions, muscle degeneration and eventually death in afflicted individuals. However, dystrophin deficiency also causes cognitive defects that are difficult to relate to the loss of dystrophin. We assayed neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) in the mdx mouse model of DMD, using bromodeoxyuridine incorporation as a marker of proliferation and NeuN expression as a marker of differentiation. Our findings show that dystrophin mutation disrupts adult neurogenesis by promoting cell proliferation in the DG and suppressing neuronal differentiation. Because loss of dystrophin from muscle results in the secondary loss of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and NO is able to modulate neurogenesis, we assayed whether the genetic restoration of nNOS to mdx muscles corrected defects in adult, hippocampal neurogenesis. Assays of NO in the sera of active mice showed significant reductions in NO caused by the dystrophin mutation. However, over-expression of nNOS in the muscles of mdx mice increased serum NO and normalized cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation in the DG. These findings indicate that muscle-derived NO regulates adult neurogenesis in the brain and loss of muscle nNOS may underlie defects in the central nervous system in DMD.