High-Throughput and Dynamic Study of Drug and Cell Interactions Using Contrast Images in Aluminum-Based Nanoslit Arrays.

High-throughput and dynamic measurement for living cell activities can benefit biological research and drug development. A low-cost metallic nanostructure-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging platform, comprising multiple aluminum nanoslit arrays and a color image device, is proposed for label-free study of cell and drug interactions. The multiple nanoslit sensing arrays were fabricated using the compression-injection molding process. These sensing chips showed a detectable depth of 600 nm and refractive index resolution of ∼5 × 10-5 refractive index unit (RIU) by using a self-referenced two-color analysis. Two examples of kinetic studies of living cells under various doses of drugs are presented. The focal adhesion kinases inhibitor (FAKi 14) and cell interactions show exponential changes of cellular adhesion and time constants for different concentrations of antiadhesion drugs. The anticancer drug (doxorubicin (DOX))-treated cells show slow increases of SPR signals in the first 2 h due to the nucleus swelling. The DOX-treated cells further process plasma membrane disruption and become floating cells and debris in the medium, resulting in rapid drops of the SPR signals.

Hyperpolyploidization of hepatocyte initiates preneoplastic lesion formation in the liver.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most predominant primary malignancy in the liver. Genotoxic and genetic models have revealed that HCC cells are derived from hepatocytes, but where the critical region for tumor foci emergence is and how this transformation occurs are still unclear. Here, hyperpolyploidization of hepatocytes around the centrilobular (CL) region is demonstrated to be closely linked with the development of HCC cells after diethylnitrosamine treatment. We identify the CL region as a dominant lobule for accumulation of hyperpolyploid hepatocytes and preneoplastic tumor foci formation. We also demonstrate that upregulation of Aurkb plays a critical role in promoting hyperpolyploidization. Increase of AURKB phosphorylation is detected on the midbody during cytokinesis, causing abscission failure and hyperpolyploidization. Pharmacological inhibition of AURKB dramatically reduces nucleus size and tumor foci number surrounding the CL region in diethylnitrosamine-treated liver. Our work reveals an intimate molecular link between pathological hyperpolyploidy of CL hepatocytes and transformation into HCC cells.

Minocycline attenuates 5-fluorouracil-induced small intestinal mucositis in mouse model.

Minocycline exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects distinct from its antimicrobial function. In this study we investigated the effect of this drug on chemotherapy-induced gut damage. Body weight loss results, diarrhea scores, and villi measurements showed that minocycline attenuated the severity of intestinal mucositis induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Minocycline repressed the expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and iNOS, decreased the apoptotic index, and inhibited poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) activity in the mouse small intestine. In vitro experiments showed that minocycline suppressed the upregulation of PARP-1 activity in enterocyte IEC-6 cells treated with 5-FU. In addition, minocycline treatment appeared to enhance the antitumor effects of 5-FU in tumor CT-26 xenograft mice. Our results indicate that minocycline protects mice from gut injury induced by 5-FU and enhances the antitumor effects of 5-FU in xenograft mice. These observations suggest that minocycline treatment may benefit patients undergoing standard cancer chemotherapy by alleviating chemical-associated intestinal mucositis.

Simultaneous assessment of cell morphology and adhesion using aluminum nanoslit-based plasmonic biosensing chips.

A variety of physiological and pathological processes rely on cell adhesion, which is most often tracked by changes in cellular morphology. We previously reported a novel gold nanoslit-based biosensor that is capable of real-time and label-free monitoring of cell morphological changes and cell viability. However, the preparation of gold biosensors is inefficient, complicated and costly. Recently, nanostructure-based aluminum (Al) sensors have been introduced for biosensing applications. The Al-based sensor has a longer decay length and is capable of analyzing large-sized mass such as cells. Here, we developed two types of double-layer Al nanoslit-based plasmonic biosensors, which were nanofabricated and used to evaluate the correlation between metastatic potency and adhesion of lung cancer and melanoma cell lines. Cell adhesion was determined by Fano resonance signals that were induced by binding of the cells to the nanoslit. The peak and dip of the Fano resonance spectrum respectively reflected long- and short-range cellular changes, allowing us to simultaneously detect and distinguish between focal adhesion and cell spreading. Also, the Al nanoslit-based biosensor chips were used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of drugs on cancer cell spreading. We are the first to report the use of double layer Al nanoslit-based biosensors for detection of cell behavior, and such devices may become powerful tools for anti-metastasis drug screening in the future.

Galectin-1 Restricts Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Motility Via Modulating Adhesion Force and Focal Adhesion Dynamics.

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration play a key role in the development of intimal hyperplasia and atherosclerosis. Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a redox-sensitive ß-galactoside-binding lectin expressed in VSMCs with intracellular and extracellular localizations. Here we show that VSMCs deficient in Gal-1 (Gal-1-KO) exhibited greater motility than wild type (WT) cells. Likewise, Gal-1-KO-VSMC migration was inhibited by a redox-insensitive but activity-preserved Gal-1 (CSGal-1) in a glycan-dependent manner. Gal-1-KO-VSMCs adhered slower than WT cells on fibronectin. Cell spreading and focal adhesion (FA) formation examined by phalloidin and vinculin staining were less in Gal-1-KO-VSMCs. Concomitantly, FA kinase (FAK) phosphorylation was induced to a lower extent in Gal-1-KO cells. Analysis of FA dynamics by nocodazole washout assay demonstrated that FA disassembly, correlated with FAK de-phosphorylation, was faster in Gal-1-KO-VSMCs. Surface plasmon resonance assay demonstrated that CSGal-1 interacted with α5ß1integrin and fibronectin in a glycan-dependent manner. Chemical crosslinking experiment and atomic force microscopy further revealed the involvement of extracellular Gal-1 in strengthening VSMC-fibronectin interaction. In vivo experiment showed that carotid ligation-induced neointimal hyperplasia was more severe in Gal-1-KO mice than WT counterparts. Collectively, these data disclose that Gal-1 restricts VSMC migration by modulating cell-matrix interaction and focal adhesion turnover, which limits neointimal formation post vascular injury.

Designing Microfluidic Devices for Studying Cellular Responses Under Single or Coexisting Chemical/Electrical/Shear Stress Stimuli.

Microfluidic devices are capable of creating a precise and controllable cellular micro-environment of pH, temperature, salt concentration, and other physical or chemical stimuli. They have been commonly used for in vitro cell studies by providing in vivo like surroundings. Especially, how cells response to chemical gradients, electrical fields, and shear stresses has drawn many interests since these phenomena are important in understanding cellular properties and functions. These microfluidic chips can be made of glass substrates, silicon wafers, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymers, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrates, or polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) substrates. Out of these materials, PMMA substrates are cheap and can be easily processed using laser ablation and writing. Although a few microfluidic devices have been designed and fabricated for generating multiple, coexisting chemical and electrical stimuli, none of them was considered efficient enough in reducing experimental repeats, particular for screening purposes. In this report, we describe our design and fabrication of two PMMA-based microfluidic chips for investigating cellular responses, in the production of reactive oxygen species and the migration, under single or coexisting chemical/electrical/shear stress stimuli. The first chip generates five relative concentrations of 0, 1/8, 1/2, 7/8, and 1 in the culture regions, together with a shear stress gradient produced inside each of these areas. The second chip generates the same relative concentrations, but with five different electric field strengths created within each culture area. These devices not only provide cells with a precise, controllable micro-environment but also greatly increase the experimental throughput.

Electrotaxis Studies of Lung Cancer Cells using a Multichannel Dual-electric-field Microfluidic Chip.

The behavior of directional cell migration under a direct current electric-field (dcEF) is referred to as electrotaxis. The significant role of physiological dcEF in guiding cell movement during embryo development, cell differentiation, and wound healing has been demonstrated in many studies. By applying microfluidic chips to an electrotaxis assay, the investigation process is shortened and experimental errors are minimized. In recent years, microfluidic devices made of polymeric substances (e.g., polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA, or acrylic) or polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) have been widely used in studying the responses of cells to electrical stimulation. However, unlike the numerous steps required to fabricate a PDMS device, the simple and rapid construction of the acrylic microfluidic chip makes it suitable for both device prototyping and production. Yet none of the reported devices facilitate the efficient study of the simultaneous chemical and dcEF effects on cells. In this report, we describe our design and fabrication of an acrylic-based multichannel dual-electric-field (MDF) chip to investigate the concurrent effect of chemical and electrical stimulation on lung cancer cells. The MDF chip provides eight combinations of electrical/chemical stimulations in a single test. The chip not only greatly shortens the required experimental time but also increases accuracy in electrotaxis studies.

Correlation between cell migration and reactive oxygen species under electric field stimulation.

Cell migration is an essential process involved in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Electric fields (EFs) are one of the many physical and chemical factors known to affect cell migration, a phenomenon termed electrotaxis or galvanotaxis. In this paper, a microfluidics chip was developed to study the migration of cells under different electrical and chemical stimuli. This chip is capable of providing four different strengths of EFs in combination with two different chemicals via one simple set of agar salt bridges and Ag/AgCl electrodes. NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were seeded inside this chip to study their migration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in response to different EF strengths and the presence of ß-lapachone. We found that both the EF and ß-lapachone level increased the cell migration rate and the production of ROS in an EF-strength-dependent manner. A strong linear correlation between the cell migration rate and the amount of intracellular ROS suggests that ROS are an intermediate product by which EF and ß-lapachone enhance cell migration. Moreover, an anti-oxidant, α-tocopherol, was found to quench the production of ROS, resulting in a decrease in the migration rate.

Label-free detection of rare cell in human blood using gold nano slit surface plasmon resonance.

Label-free detection of rare cells in biological samples is an important and highly demanded task for clinical applications and various fields of research, such as detection of circulating tumor cells for cancer therapy and stem cells studies. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) as a label-free method is a promising technology for detection of rare cells for diagnosis or research applications. Short detection depth of SPR (400 nm) provides a sensitive method with minimum interference of non-targets in the biological samples. In this work, we developed a novel microfluidic chip integrated with gold nanoslit SPR platform for highly efficient immunomagnetic capturing and detection of rare cells in human blood. Our method offers simple yet efficient detection of target cells with high purity. The approach for detection consists of two steps. Target cells are firs captured on functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with specific antibody I. The suspension containing the captured cells (MNPs-cells) is then introduced into a microfluidic chip integrated with a gold nanoslit film. MNPs-cells bind with the second specific antibody immobilized on the surface of the gold nanoslit and are therefore captured on the sensor active area. The cell binding on the gold nanoslit was monitored by the wavelength shift of the SPR spectrum generated by the gold nanoslits.

Antiangiogenesis targeting tumor microenvironment synergizes glucuronide prodrug antitumor activity.

PURPOSE: This study is aimed at investigating the in vivo antitumor activity of a novel cell-impermeable glucuronide prodrug, 9-aminocamptothecin glucuronide (9ACG), and elucidating the synergistically antitumor effects of antiangiogenesis therapy by targeting the tumor microenvironment. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed the antitumor effects of 9ACG alone or combined with antiangiogenic monoclonal antibody DC101 on human tumor xenografts by measuring tumor growth and mouse survival in BALB/c nu/nu nude and NOD/SCID mice. The drug delivery, immune response, and angiogenesis status in treated tumors were assessed by high performance liquid chromatography, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence assays. RESULTS: We developed a nontoxic and cell-impermeable glucuronide prodrug, 9ACG, which can only be activated by extracellular beta-glucuronidase to become severely toxic. 9ACG possesses potent antitumor activity against human tumor xenografts in BALB/c nu/nu nude mice but not for tumors implanted in NOD/SCID mice deficient in macrophages and neutrophils, suggesting that these cells play an important role in activating 9ACG in the tumor microenvironment. Most importantly, antiangiogenic monoclonal antibody DC101 potentiated single-dose 9ACG antitumor activity and prolonged survival of mice bearing resistant human colon tumor xenografts by providing strong beta-glucuronidase activity and prodrug delivery through enhancing inflammatory cell infiltration and normalizing tumor vessels in the tumor microenvironment. We also show that inflammatory cells (neutrophils) were highly infiltrated in advanced human colon cancer tissues compared with normal counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides in vivo evidence that 9ACG has potential for prodrug monotherapy or in combination with antiangiognesis treatment for tumors with infiltration of macrophage or neutrophil inflammatory cells.