Production and Administration of Therapeutic Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell (MSC) Spheroids Primed in 3-D Cultures Under Xeno-free Conditions

Summary

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) is well-documented, however the best method of preparing the cells for patients remains controversial. Herein, we communicate protocols to efficiently generate and administer therapeutic spherical aggregates or 'spheroids' of MSCs primed under xeno-free conditions for experimental and clinical applications.

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) hold great promise in bioengineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs can be isolated from multiple adult tissues via their strong adherence to tissue culture plastic and then further expanded in vitro, most commonly using fetal bovine serum (FBS). Since FBS can cause MSCs to become immunogenic, its presence in MSC cultures limits both clinical and experimental applications of the cells. Therefore, studies employing chemically defined xeno-free (XF) media for MSC cultures are extremely valuable. Many beneficial effects of MSCs have been attributed to their ability to regulate inflammation and immunity, mainly through secretion of immunomodulatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 (TSG6) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). However, MSCs require activation to produce these factors and since the effect of MSCs is often transient, great interest has emerged to discover ways of pre-activating the cells prior to their use, thus eliminating the lag time for activation in vivo. Here we present protocols to efficiently activate or prime MSCs in three-dimensional (3D) cultures under chemically defined XF conditions and to administer these pre-activated MSCs in vivo. Specifically, we first describe methods to generate spherical MSC micro-tissues or 'spheroids' in hanging drops using XF medium and demonstrate how the spheres and conditioned medium (CM) can be harvested for various applications. Second, we describe gene expression screens and in vitro functional assays to rapidly assess the level of MSC activation in spheroids, emphasizing the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential of the cells. Third, we describe a novel method to inject intact MSC spheroids into the mouse peritoneal cavity for in vivo efficacy testing. Overall, the protocols herein overcome major challenges of obtaining pre-activated MSCs under chemically defined XF conditions and provide a flexible system to administer MSC spheroids for therapies.

Introduction

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have shown great potential for various regenerative medicine approaches. MSCs were initially isolated as a stromal component of bone marrow but have since been obtained from numerous other adult tissues, including adipose tissue^1,2,3. Interestingly, the main isolation method embraces the remarkable property of MSCs to adhere tightly onto tissue culture plastic in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS). Whilst this traditional isolation technique permits easy and rapid expansion of MSCs in two-dimensional (2D) culture, it is also very ar....

Protocol

1. MSC Isolation and Expansion

1. Obtain early passage MSCs from Center for the Preparation and Distribution of Adult Stem Cells (http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/irm/msc-distribution.html)¹⁵ as frozen vials. Alternatively, isolate MSCs from bone marrow aspirates following a routine protocol¹⁴ and store as frozen vials.
2. Prepare complete culture medium (CCM), which is minimal essential medium alpha (αMEM) supplemented with 15-20% premium select FBS, 2 mM L-glutamine, and 1x penicillin-streptomycin. Sterilize the medium by ....

Results

In the current work, hanging drop cultures were employed to generate compact spherical micro-tissues or 'spheroids' of activated MSCs under XF conditions. The investigational roadmap in Figure 1 depicts that MSCs are encouraged to self-assemble into spheroids when suspended in hanging drops for 72 hr, after which the spheroids, or the CM loaded with sphere-derived therapeutic factors, can be collected and potentially utilized in both research and clinical applications. Th.......

Discussion

The optimal MSC for use in some research and clinical applications should be highly activated to maximize their benefit, and preferentially prepared under chemically defined XF conditions to minimize the delivery of potential antigens from xenogeneic medium components such as FBS. In the protocols described here, we have shown methods to 1) activate MSCs in 3D culture by formation of spheroids, 2) achieve the 3D activation of MSCs under XF conditions, 3) evaluate the activation levels of spheroid MSCs in regards to their.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
MEM-α (minimal essential medium alpha)	ThermoFisher/Gibco	12561049; 12561056; 12561072	minimal essential medium for preparation of MSC growth medium (CCM)
FBS (fetal bovine serum), premium select	Atlanta Biologicals	S11595; S11510; S11550; S11595-24	component of complete culture media for all types of cells
L-glutamine	ThermoFisher/Gibco	25030081; 25030149; 25030164	component of complete culture media for all types of cells
Penicillin/Streptomycin	ThermoFisher/Gibco	15070063	component of complete culture media for all types of cells
Sterilization Filter Units, 0.22 µm PES membrane	MilliporeSigma	SCGPU01RE; SCGPU02RE; SCGPU05RE; SCGPU10RE; SCGPU11RE	media sterilization
150 mm cell culture dish	Nunc	D8554 SIGMA	cell culture
Thermo Forma water-jacketed CO2 humidified incubator	Thermo Fisher	Model 3110	incubation of cultured cells
Early passage MCSs	Center for the preparation and Distribution of Adult Stem Cells at The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Scott & White	NA	preparation of 2D and 3D cultures of MSCs
water bath	VWR	89501-468	warming media to 37 °C
Pipettes	Eppendorf	492000904	manual liquid handling
Pipete-Aid	Drummond Scientific Company	4-000-300	handling sereological pipetes
Costar sterile serological pipet (5, 10, 25 and 50 ml)	Corning	4487; 4101; 4251; 4490	liquid handling
PBS (phosphate buffered saline), pH 7.4	ThermoFisher/Gibco	10010023; 10010072; 10010031; 10010049	cell culture processing
0.25% trypsin/EDTA solution	ThermoFisher/Gibco	25200056; 25200072; 25200114	lifting adherent cells and dispersing cell aggregates
15 ml conical tube	Corning/BD Falcon	352097	cell centrifugation
50 ml conical tube	Corning/BD Falcon	352098	cell centrifugation
Eppendor refrigerated centrifuge	Eppendorf/Fisher Scientific	Model 5810R	cell centrifugation
hemocytometer	Fisher Scientific	26716	cell counting
trypan blue	Sigma-Aldrich	T8154 SIGMA	dead cell exclusion during cell counting in hemacytometer
Defined xenofree MSC medium-1 (XFM-1)	ThermoFisher/Gibco	A1067501	Xeno-free media specifically formulated for the growth and expansion of human mesenchymal stem cells
Defined xenofree MSC medium-2 (XFM-2)	Stem Cell Technologies	5420	Defined, xeno-free medium for human mesenchymal stem cells
HSA (Human serum albumin)	Gemini	800-120	Component of xeno-free MSC media
rHSA (recombinant Human serum albumin)	Sigma-Aldrich	A9731 SIGMA	Component of xeno-free MSC media
Total RNA isolation Mini Kit	Qiagen	74104	Total RNA extraction
Qiashredder	Qiagen	79654	Sample homogenization prior to total RNA extraction
RNAse-free DNase Set	Qiagen	79254	On-column DNA elimination during total RNA extraction
β-mercaptoethanol	Sigma-Aldrich	M6250 ALDRICH	inhibition of RNAses in RLT buffer
Vortex	VWR	97043-562	mixing sample
Spectrophotometer	Biorad	NA	RNA concentration and quality
High capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription Kit	ThermoFisher/Applied Biosystems	4368814	transcription of total RNA into cDNA
Gene Expression Assays	ThermoFisher/Applied Biosystems	varies	primer/probe combination for real-time PCR
Fast Universal PCR Master Mix	ThermoFisher/Applied Biosystems	4352042; 4364103; 4366073; 4367846	master mix for real-time PCR reaction
Real-time PCR system (ABI Prism 7900 HT Sequence Detection System)	ABI Prizm	NA	real-time PCR
1.5 ml centrifuge tube	Eppendorf	22364111	cell centrifugation, sample collection and storage
(-80 °C) freezer	Thermo Fisher	Model Thermo Forma 8695	sample storage
PGE2 (Prostaglandin E2) ELISA Kit	R&D Systems	KGE004B	estimation of cytokine concentration in the sample
DMEM (Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium)	ThermoFisher/Gibco	10566-016; 10566-024;10566-032	macrophage culture media
J774 mouse macrophages	ATCC	TIB-67	mouse macrophage cell line
12-well plate	Corning	3513	in vitro macrophage stimulation
LPS (lipopolysaccharide)	Sigma-aldrich	L4130	in vitro macrophage stimulation
Mouse TNF-a ELISA kit	R&D Systems	MTA00B	estimation of cytokine concentration in the sample
Mouse IL-10 (interleukin 10) ELISA kit	R&D Systems	M1000B	estimation of cytokine concentration in the sample
RPMI-1640 medium	ThermoFisher/Gibco	11875-085	splenocyte culture media
BALB/c mice	The Jackson Laboratory	651	in vivo spheroid delivery; splenocyte preparation
Anti-Mouse CD3e Functional Grade Purified	eBioscience	145-2C11	in vitro splenocyte stimulation
70 μm strainer	Corning	352350	Splenocyte preparation
Red blood cell lysis solution (1x)	Affymetrix eBioscience	00-4333	removal of red blood cells during splenocyte isolation
Mouse IFN-γ (interferon gamma) ELISA kit	R&D Systems	MIF 00	estimation of cytokine concentration in the sample
LNCaP prostate cancer cells	ATCC	CRL-1740	study the effect of 3D MSCs on cancer cell lines in vitro
DNA-based cell proliferation assay kit	ThermoFisher	C7026	cell number measurement based on DNA content
NaCl	Sigma-Aldrich	S5150	component of lysis reagent
EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)	ThermoFisher	FERR1021	calcium chelator, component of lysis reagent
Rnase A	Qiagen	19101	RNA degradation for measurement of DNA
Filter-based multi-mode microplate reader	BMG Technology	NA	Microplate assays (ELISA, cell quantification, etc.)
HBSS (Hanks balanced salt solution), no calcium, no magnesium, no phenol red	ThermoFisher/Gibco	14175079	resupsension of MSC spheroids prior to in vivo injections
Isoflurane	MWI Vet Supply	502017	Anesthesia for in vivo injections
Oxygen, compressed gas	Praxair	NA	For use with isoflurane
Thermo Forma BSL-2 cabinet	Thermo Fisher	Model 1385	Sterile cell culture
Safety I.V. catheter/needle stiletto, 20 G , 1 inch	Terumo	SR*FNP2025	Delivery of shperoids into peritoneal cavity
Sterile micropipette tips	Eppendorf	varies	liquid/cells handling