Impact of Dual Cell Co-culture and Cell-conditioned Media on Yield and Function of a Human Olfactory Cell Line for Regenerative Medicine

Bioengineering, 2020 · DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering7020037 · Published: April 12, 2020

Simple Explanation

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are promising for neuronal tissue repair but require appropriate conditions to stimulate regeneration. This study examines how coculturing OECs with other cells, like fibroblasts, and using conditioned media (CM) impacts their growth and function. The study found that rat OECs grown on fibroblast feeder layers expressed more of the OEC marker p75NTR. However, fibroblast-conditioned media increased Thy1.1, a marker of fibroblast contamination, which is undesirable. Experiments with human OECs showed that coculture with fibroblast feeders negatively affected their phenotype, contrary to what was observed in rat OECs. Similarly, conditioned media negatively affected both rat and human OECs.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Three adult female Sprague-Dawley 200–250g rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Rat OECs cultured on fibroblast feeders had greater expression of p75NTR compared to those cultured on laminin.
2
Fibroblast-conditioned media increased the expression of Thy1.1, an undesirable cell marker, in rat OECs.
3
Co-culture with fibroblast feeders had a negative effect on human OECs, and conditioned media negatively affected both rat and human OECs.

Research Summary

This study investigated the impact of dual cell co-culture and cell-conditioned media on the yield and function of human olfactory cell lines for regenerative medicine. The research found that conditions that supported higher S100β expression in human OECs resulted in better neuronal growth support, indicating a link between OEC phenotype and regenerative potential. The study concluded that preliminary rat models were not predictive of human cell responses in this context and that neither dual co-culture nor fibroblast-conditioned media supported the regenerative OEC phenotype.

Practical Implications

Clinical Translation

Caution should be exercised when translating results from rat models to human OEC therapies due to the differences in cell behavior.

Cell Culture Optimization

Laminin with NT-3 is a promising condition for human OEC protein expression and neurite extension, suggesting a potential direction for optimizing OEC culture protocols.

Targeted Therapies

Further investigation into the components of fibroblast-conditioned media is warranted to understand the upregulation of Thy1 and develop strategies for removing Thy1-positive cells.

Study Limitations

1
The lack of consistency experienced with the S100β antibody limited co-labeling experiments.
2
The study did not perform a comprehensive analysis of the components in the conditioned media.
3
The in vitro nature of the study may not fully replicate the complex in vivo environment.

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