Studying Normal Tissue Radiation Effects using Extracellular Matrix Hydrogels

Summary

This protocol presents a method for decellularization and subsequent hydrogel formation of murine mammary fat pads following ex vivo irradiation.

Abstract

Radiation is a therapy for patients with triple negative breast cancer. The effect of radiation on the extracellular matrix (ECM) of healthy breast tissue and its role in local recurrence at the primary tumor site are unknown. Here we present a method for the decellularization, lyophilization, and fabrication of ECM hydrogels derived from murine mammary fat pads. Results are presented on the effectiveness of the decellularization process, and rheological parameters were assessed. GFP- and luciferase-labeled breast cancer cells encapsulated in the hydrogels demonstrated an increase in proliferation in irradiated hydrogels. Finally, phalloidin conjugate staining was employed to visualize cytoskeleton organization of encapsulated tumor cells. Our goal is to present a method for fabricating hydrogels for in vitro study that mimic the in vivo breast tissue environment and its response to radiation in order to study tumor cell behavior.

Introduction

Cancer is characterized by excess proliferation of cells that can evade apoptosis and also metastasize to distant sites¹. Breast cancer is one of the most common forms among females in the US, with an estimated 266,000 new cases and 40,000 deaths in 2018². A particularly aggressive and difficult to treat subtype is triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), which lacks estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor (HER2). Radiation therapy is commonly used in breast cancer to eliminate residual tumor cells following lumpectomy, but over 13% of TNBC patients still experience recurrence a....

Protocol

Animal studies were performed in accordance with institutional guidelines and protocols approved by the Vanderbilt University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

1. Preparation and ex vivo irradiation of MFPs

1. Sacrifice athymic Nu/Nu mice (8–10 weeks) using CO­₂ asphyxiation followed by cervical dislocation.
2. Clean the skin using 70% ethanol.
3. Collect mammary fat pads (MFPs) from sacrificed mice using pre-sterilized scissors and forceps in a 15 mL conical tube containing complete RPMI media (RPMI supplemented with 1% penicillin-streptomycin and 10% fetal bovine serum) (see the

Results

MFPs were decellularized following irradiation using the procedure shown in Figure 1A. MFPs pre-decellularization (Figure 1B) and post-decellularization (Figure 1C) are shown. Decellularization was confirmed using hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining, and 1-([4-(Xylylazo)xylyl]azo)-2-naphthol staining was used to evaluate lipid content (Figure 2). Rheological properties of the ECM hydrogels were also assessed at 37 .......

Discussion

This method of hydrogel formation is largely dependent on the amount of starting tissue. Murine MFPs are small, and the decellularization process results in a significant reduction of material (Table 1). The process can be repeated with more MFPs to increase final yield. Milling is another important step that may lead to loss of material. Others have shown success with a cryogenic mill, but this protocol is based on milling via a handheld mortar and electric drill with a pestle attachment

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
10% Neutral Buffered Formalin, Cube with Spigot	VWR	16004-128	-
2-methylbutane	Alfa Aesar	19387	-
AR 2000ex Rheometer	TA Instruments	10D4335	rheometer
Bovine Serum Albumin	Sigma-Aldrich	A1933-25G	-
calcein acetoxymethyl (calcein AM)	Molecular Probes, Inc.	C1430	-
D-Luciferin Firefly, potassium salt	Biosynth Chemistry & Biology	L-8820	(S)-4,5-Dihydro-2-(6-hydroxy-2-benzothiazolyl)-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid potassium salt
DPX Mountant for Histology	Sigma-Aldrich	06522-500ML	-
Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline	Gibco	14040133	-
Eosin-Y with Phloxine	Richard-Allan Scientific	71304	eosin
ethidium homodimer	Molecular Probes, Inc.	E1169	ethidium homodimer-1 (EthD-1)
Fetal Bovine Serum	Sigma-Aldrich	F0926-500ML	-
Fisher Healthcare Tissue-Plus O.C.T. Compound	Fisher Scientific	23-730-571	cryostat embedding medium
Fluoromount-G	SouthernBiotech	0100-01	aqueous based mounting medium
FreeZone 4.5	Labconco	7751020	lyophilizer
Hoechst 33342 Solution (20 mM)	Thermo Scientific	62249	blue fluorescent dye
Hydrochloric acid	Sigma-Aldrich	258148-500ML	-
IVIS Lumina III	PerkinElmer	CLS136334	bioluminescence imaging system
Kimtech Science Kimwipes	Kimberly Clark		delicate task wipes
n-Propanol (Peroxide-Free/Sequencing), Fisher BioReagents	Fisher Scientific	BP1130-500	-
Oil Red O	Sigma-Aldrich	O0625-25G	1-([4-(Xylylazo)xylyl]azo)-2-naphthol
OPS Diagnostics CryoGrinder	OPS Diagnostics, LLC	CG-08-02	-
PBS (10X), pH 7.4	Quality Biological, Inc.	119-069-151	Phosphate-buffered saline
Penicillin-Streptomycin	Gibco	15140-122	-
Pepsin from porcine gastric mucosa	Sigma-Aldrich	P6887-5G	pepsin
Peracetic acid	Sigma-Aldrich	77240-100ML	-
Phalloidin-iFluor 594 Reagent (ab176757)	abcam	ab176757	phalloidin conjugate
Propylene glycol	Sigma-Aldrich	W294004-1KG-K	-
Richard-Allan Scientific Signature Series Bluing Reagent	Richard-Allan Scientific	7301L	bluing agent
Richard-Allan Scientific Signature Series Hematoxylin 7211	Richard-Allan Scientific	7211	-
RPMI Medium 1640	Gibco	11875-093	-
Sodium deoxycholate, 98%	Frontier Scientific	JK559522	deoxycholic acid
Sucrose	Sigma-Aldrich	S5016	-
Triton x-100	Sigma-Aldrich	X100-100ML	t-Octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol
Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%), phenol red	Gibco	25200-056	-
Whatman qualitative filter paper, Grade 4	Whatman	1004-110	grade 4 qualitative filter paper
Xylenes (Certified ACS), Fisher Chemical	Fisher Scientific	X5-4	-