Article
Chemistry, Applied
Merve Varcin, Berke Bilgenur Sener, Ceren Bayrac
Summary: The study found that adsorption of resazurin on PAA hydrogels improved its stability and reliability in viability assays for both bacteria and mammalian cells. For E. coli inoculums higher than 1.0 x 10(4) CFU/mL, there was no significant difference in the reduction rates of resazurin adsorbed on hydrogels compared to resazurin free in the growth medium, but the stability of resazurin was higher when adsorbed on hydrogels.
Article
Parasitology
Arkadi Kundik, Zaneta D. Musimbi, Juergen Kruecken, Thomas Hildebrandt, Oleg Kornilov, Susanne Hartmann, Friederike Ebner
Summary: The study optimized a fluorometric technique using resazurin for evaluating the metabolic activity of Ascaris suum third-stage larvae (L3) and found that both metabolic stressors and anthelmintic drugs significantly reduced the larval metabolic activity. This method is sensitive and easy-to-use for assessing the metabolic activity of A. suum L3 in vitro.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Benjamin Crane, Jack P. Hughes, Samuel J. Rowley Neale, Mamun Rashid, Patricia E. Linton, Craig E. Banks, Kirsty J. Shaw
Summary: The study successfully demonstrated the electrochemical detection of antibiotic susceptibility in complicated UTIs using resazurin bulk modified screen-printed macroelectrodes (R-SPEs). This method can determine antibiotic susceptibility within 90 minutes, offering a faster and more accurate alternative to traditional culture methods.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Alice Pasini, Joseph Lovecchio, Marilisa Cortesi, Chiara Liverani, Chiara Spadazzi, Laura Mercatali, Toni Ibrahim, Emanuele Giordano
Summary: This study suggests a breast cancer cell culture model that combines a 3D environment and fluid perfusion, improving cell distribution viability and uniformity while inducing morphological, functional, and molecular remodeling of cancer cells.
ANNALS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Polina Bikmulina, Nastasia Kosheleva, Yuri Efremov, Artem Antoshin, Zahra Heydari, Valentina Kapustina, Valery Royuk, Vasily Mikhaylov, Victor Fomin, Massoud Vosough, Peter Timashev, Yury Rochev, Anastasia Shpichka
Summary: Cell viability is an important parameter for evaluating tissue equivalents and chemicals, and analyzing 3D cell systems requires a combination of multiple methods to obtain accurate results.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ji-Eun Seo, Kelly Davis, Pritpal Malhi, Xiaobo He, Matthew Bryant, John Talpos, Susan Burks, Nan Mei, Xiaoqing Guo
Summary: Non-human primates (NHPs) have been crucial in various studies due to their physiological and genetic similarity to humans. This study isolated primary hepatocytes from rhesus macaques and compared their sensitivity and specificity in detecting genotoxic/carcinogenic compounds with primary human hepatocytes. Despite differences in CYP450 enzyme activities, the results showed that PMHs can be a reliable surrogate for PHHs in evaluating genotoxic hazards.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Erkka Jarvinen, Ann-Cathrine Dalgard Dunvald, Martin Thomsen Ernst, Helen S. Hammer, Oliver Poetz, Anton Pottegard, Tore B. Stage
Summary: This study investigated the effect of dicloxacillin on the efficacy of warfarin and assessed its induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes. The results showed that dicloxacillin can induce CYPs and reduce the clinical efficacy of warfarin in patients. Therefore, caution is warranted for warfarin patients that initiate dicloxacillin or flucloxacillin, especially for a long-term treatment of endocarditis.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Klaudia Glowacz, Sandra Skorupska, Ilona Grabowska-Jadach, Patrycja Ciosek-Skibinska
Summary: Monitoring cells viability is crucial in biomedical applications, and spectroscopic techniques offer non-invasive, label-free, and non-destructive advantages. This study demonstrates that excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy can reliably determine cells viability with high correlation to the MTT test.
Article
Toxicology
Luise Hochmuth, Christiane Korner, Fritzi Ott, Daniela Volke, Kaja Blagotinsek Cokan, Peter Juvan, Mario Brosch, Ute Hofmann, Ralf Hoffmann, Damjana Rozman, Thomas Berg, Madlen Matz-Soja
Summary: The liver is one of the most sexually dimorphic organs, with significant differences in metabolic pathways and disease prevalence between males and females. Research shows that sex affects gene expression, proteome, and metabolome parameters of liver cells, which may have important implications for drug metabolism, treatment, and efficacy.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Zuyan Lu, Shiny Amala Priya Rajan, Qianqian Song, Yu Zhao, Meimei Wan, Julio Aleman, Aleksander Skardal, Colin Bishop, Anthony Atala, Baisong Lu
Summary: Generating human induced hepatocytes from fibroblasts provides a potential solution for the shortage of primary hepatocytes, enabling personalized drug prediction. Combining 3D scaffold-free microliver spheroids with a microfluidic system allows for drug evaluation and interaction studies between liver cells and tumor cells.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Rewa Rai, Nitin Nitin
Summary: This study develops a novel low-cost microbial delivery system using apple tissue as a 3D scaffold. The scaffold was constructed by decellularizing the apple tissue and then infusing it with probiotic cells. The results show that the infused cells had high survivability during digestion and were able to grow in the scaffold. Overall, this apple tissue-derived 3D scaffold has the potential to deliver probiotic cells and support their growth in the colon.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jiazhen Chen, Xuyang Wang, Shiyong Wang, Chen Chen, Wenhong Zhang, Ying Zhang
Summary: The study optimized and validated a drug susceptibility test method using SYBR Green I/PI on Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, showing higher survival rates in antibiotic-resistant strains compared to susceptible strains. The ultra-rapid SG-PI assay accurately detected antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates within 60-90 minutes, with high concordance rates compared to conventional methods.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ravi Kumar, Nermin Seda Kehr
Summary: Nanocomposite hydrogels have adjustable properties and are widely studied in tissue engineering and biomedical applications. Nanoparticles that can carry bioactive molecules and provide sustained release in hydrogels are ideal for local drug delivery. By preparing drug-loaded oxygen-carrying nanoparticles and 3D-printable hydrogel scaffolds, cell viability can be improved under both normal and low oxygen conditions. Improved properties and 3D printability suggest the potential use of nanocomposite hydrogels as artificial tissue constructs.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Liang Zhu, Zhenfeng Wang, Huanming Xia, Hanry Yu
Summary: The study introduces a novel vertical-flow bioreactor (VfB) that is able to mimic the mechanical microenvironment in vivo and enhance hepatic functions in a 2D culture setup. By optimizing the design and fabrication of VfB as a prototype for drug testing, the enhanced hepatic function is demonstrated, showcasing the performance of the bioreactor.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wanjing Cen, Suya Wang, Felix Umrath, Siegmar Reinert, Dorothea Alexander
Summary: Perfused bioreactor systems are a promising approach for improving the quality of stem cell culture. This study aimed to establish an optimal perfusion culture system for jaw periosteal cell (JPC)-seeded scaffolds. The results showed that dynamic conditions increased cell metabolic and proliferation activity, as well as cell density, compared to static conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Nina Meyer, Lisa Henkel, Benedikt Linder, Svenja Zielke, Georg Tascher, Sandra Trautmann, Gerd Geisslinger, Christian Muench, Simone Fulda, Irmgard Tegeder, Donat Koegel
Summary: Pimozide and loperamide induce a specific form of cell death in GBM cells by triggering changes in lipid and cholesterol metabolic processes, leading to impaired lipid transport and accumulation in lysosomes. This effect is enhanced by inhibition of SMPD1 activity and results in lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and cell death. These findings suggest that targeting autophagy and lipotoxicity could be a promising approach for treating GBM.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Gubas, Christina Karantanou, Doris Popovic, Georg Tascher, Marina E. Hoffmann, Anna Platzek, Nina Dawe, Ivan Dikic, Daniela S. Krause, David G. McEwan
Summary: PLEKHM1 acts as an adaptor for the fusion of endocytic and autophagic vesicles with the lysosome and is regulated by mTOR and ERK2 through direct phosphorylation at a conserved region, suggesting a convergence of growth factor and amino acid-sensing pathways at PLEKHM1, placing it at a critical juncture of cellular metabolism.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lena Seidemann, Anne Krueger, Victoria Kegel-Huebner, Daniel Seehofer, Georg Damm
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of end-stage liver disease, with unsatisfactory pharmacological treatment options available. Genistein, a soy isoflavone, shows beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and may be a candidate for NAFLD treatment. In an in vitro model, genistein treatment affects PPAR alpha and SREBP-1c signaling pathways, playing a significant role in hepatic lipid metabolism.
Article
Biology
Andrea Scheffschick, Jonas Babel, Sebastian Sperling, Julia Nerusch, Natalie Herzog, Daniel Seehofer, Georg Damm
Summary: Research has found that hepatocytes with continuous multiplying ability share many similarities with liver cancer cells in terms of energy metabolism, making them a potential pre-cancer model and valuable tool for liver cancer research.
Article
Oncology
Gerda Schicht, Lena Seidemann, Rene Haensel, Daniel Seehofer, Georg Damm
Summary: Energy metabolism plays a central role in liver cancer, and metabolic alterations are crucial for diagnostic screening and therapeutic intervention. This study compared the metabolic profiles of commonly used hepatoma cell lines (HCLs) and primary human hepatoma cells (PHCs) to investigate their representation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The findings showed that HCLs are a poor substitute for primary cells, and metabolic adaptions had already occurred in non-tumor-bearing liver tissue of HCC patients. These results have implications for optimizing HCC models for future research.
Article
Hematology
Christina Karantanou, Valentina R. Minciacchi, Rahul Kumar, Costanza Zanetti, Jimena Bravo, Raquel S. Pereira, Georg Tascher, Tobias Tertel, Adriana Covarrubias-Pinto, Katrin Bankov, Lisa -Marie Pfeffermann, Halvard Bonig, Paola Divieti-Pajevic, David G. McEwan, Bernd Giebel, Christian Muench, Ivan Dikic, Daniela S. Krause
Summary: Leukemia cells interact with their surrounding bone marrow microenvironment through the release of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), promoting leukemia cell survival. However, the deficiency of PLEKHM1 in the bone marrow microenvironment accelerates BCR-ABL1+ B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) by affecting the cargo of sEVs released by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from the bone marrow. PLEKHM1-deficient MSCs and their sEVs carry increased amounts of syntenin and syndecan-1, leading to immature B-cell phenotype and enhanced leukemia-initiating cell (LIC) function in B-ALL. In addition, inflammatory cytokines secreted by cancer cells modulate the tumor microenvironment, further perpetuating the sEV-associated circuit.
Article
Cell Biology
Pablo Sanchez-Martin, Franziska Kriegenburg, Ludovico Alves, Julius Adam, Jana Elsaesser, Riccardo Babic, Hector Mancilla, Mariya Licheva, Georg Tascher, Christian Muench, Stefan Eimer, Claudine Kraft
Summary: Autophagy is a process in which cytosolic material is wrapped in autophagosomes and degraded in lytic compartments. The fusion of autophagosomes with lytic compartments relies on SNARE proteins, among which the conserved protein YKT6 plays a crucial role. Our study demonstrates that alterations in YKT6 function result in autophagy defects and reduced survival in both mammalian cells and nematodes.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Melinda Metzler, Rebecca George Tharyan, Kevin Klann, Katharina Grikscheit, Denisa Bojkova, Jindrich Cinatl, Georg Tascher, Sandra Ciesek, Christian Munch
Summary: The ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain that caused the Covid-19 pandemic has evolved into multiple concerning variants with different pathogenicity and immune escape strategies. Differences in host antiviral responses to these variants remain unclear. Through whole-cell proteomics, we identified host signaling pathways that are differentially regulated upon infection with the ancestral B.1 strain and the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variants. Our findings highlight changes in the host proteome and immune responses upon infection with SARS-CoV-2 variants, providing insights into the differential pathogenicity.
MOLECULAR & CELLULAR PROTEOMICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
F. X. Reymond Sutandy, Ines Goessner, Georg Tascher, Christian Muench
Summary: This study demonstrates that cytosol-mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and accumulation of mitochondrial protein precursors in the cytosol (c-mtProt) play a critical role in initiating the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt). The findings reveal a link between mitochondrial and cytosolic proteostasis and provide molecular insight into UPRmt signaling in human cells.
Editorial Material
Toxicology
Klaus-Michael Wollin, Monika Batke, Georg Damm, Alexius Freyberger, Ursula Gundert-Remy, Aswin Mangerich, Jan G. Hengstler, Falko Partosch, Thomas Schupp, Anna Sonnenburg, Heidi Foth
Summary: PFASs are substances that contain fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atoms. They have excellent technical properties and are used in various applications. There are over 10,000 compounds in this group, but data on their toxicokinetics and effects is lacking for most of them. The high persistence of PFASs and their degradation products poses a problem, and the European Commission plans to take action. However, closing the data gaps would take a long time, and the precautionary principle has been chosen as a suitable approach. Communication about PFASs has led to misunderstandings, and it should clarify the justification for the broad inclusion of substances based on the precautionary principle, communicate data gaps and current knowledge, mention the possibility of derogation for essential use, discuss suitable substitutes to avoid unintended health consequences, and emphasize the need for innovation in remediation techniques to address persistent environmental contamination.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Lena Seidemann, Sarah Prinz, Jan-Constantin Scherbel, Christina Goetz, Daniel Seehofer, Georg Damm
Summary: Mixed matrices composed of collagen type I and Matrigel promote the maintenance and reestablishment of hepatic functions and differentiation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rodrigo A. Gama-Brambila, Jie Chen, Jun Zhou, Georg Tascher, Christian Munich, Xinlai Cheng
Summary: PROTACs are a new technology for degrading target proteins, but limited by lack of chemical binders. By utilizing a compound O4I2 in combination with thalidomide, SF3B1 protein can be selectively degraded, inducing apoptosis and improving survival in a Drosophila intestinal tumor model.
CELL CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rodrigo A. Gama-Brambila, Jie Chen, Yasamin Dabiri, Georg Tascher, Vaclav Nemec, Christian Muench, Guangqi Song, Stefan Knapp, Xinlai Cheng
Summary: The discovery of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and their associated proteins has led to the development of new methods to control Cas proteins, including fusion proteins and PROTACs. Engineering Cas proteins with a pi-clamp system allows for labeling and degradation in live cells, showing a wide range of potential applications in regulating stability and activity of FCPF-tagging proteins through perfluoroaromatics-induced proximity.
Meeting Abstract
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
C. Roehl, M. Batke, G. Damm, A. Freiberger, T. Gebel, U. Gundert-Remy, J. Hengstler, A. Mangerich, F. Partosch, T. Schupp, K. M. Wollin, H. Foth
NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERGS ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
M. Busche, S. Werner, B. Hagmeyer, M. Pawlak, H. Becker, J. Schnabel, K. Gall, R. Hemmler, G. Damm, S. Beuck, T. Klaassen, J. Moer, A. Ullrich, T. Mayr, M. Matz-Soja, R. Gebhardt, M. Stelzle
NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERGS ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)