Method Article

3D Bioprinting of Murine Cortical Astrocytes for Engineering Neural-Like Tissue

DOI:

10.3791/62691

⸱

July 16th, 2021

 ,  ,  ,  , 
1Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo

In This Article

Summary

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Here we report a method of 3D bioprinting murine cortical astrocytes for biofabricating neural-like tissues to study the functionality of astrocytes in the central nervous system and the mechanisms involving glial cells in neurological diseases and treatments.

Abstract

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Astrocytes are glial cells with an essential role in the central nervous system (CNS), including neuronal support and functionality. These cells also respond to neural injuries and act to protect the tissue from degenerative events. In vitro studies of astrocytes' functionality are important to elucidate the mechanisms involved in such events and contribute to developing therapies to treat neurological disorders. This protocol describes a method to biofabricate a neural-like tissue structure rich in astrocytes by 3D bioprinting astrocytes-laden bioink. An extrusion-based 3D bioprinter was used in this work, and astrocytes were extracted from C57Bl/6 mice pups' brain cortices. The bioink was prepared by mixing cortical astrocytes from up to passage 3 to a biomaterial solution composed of gelatin, gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA), and fibrinogen, supplemented with laminin, which presented optimal bioprinting conditions. The 3D bioprinting conditions minimized cell stress, contributing to the high viability of the astrocytes during the process, in which 74.08% ± 1.33% of cells were viable right after bioprinting. After 1 week of incubation, the viability of astrocytes significantly increased to 83.54% ± 3.00%, indicating that the 3D construct represents a suitable microenvironment for cell growth. The biomaterial composition allowed cell attachment and stimulated astrocytic behavior, with cells expressing the specific astrocytes marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and possessing typical astrocytic morphology. This reproducible protocol provides a valuable method to biofabricate 3D neural-like tissue rich in astrocytes that resembles cells' native microenvironment, useful to researchers that aim to understand astrocytes' functionality and their relation to the mechanisms involved in neurological diseases.

Introduction

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Astrocytes are the most abundant cell type in the Central Nervous System (CNS) and play a key role in brain homeostasis. In addition to enduring neuronal support, astrocytes are responsible for modulating neurotransmitters uptake, maintaining the blood-brain barrier integrity, and regulating neuronal synaptogenesis1,2. Astrocytes also have an essential role in CNS inflammation, responding to injuries to the brain in a process that leads to astrocitary reactivity or reactive astrogliosis3,4, forming a glial scar that prevents healthy tissue exposition to degenerative agents5. This event results in changes in astrocytes' gene expression, morphology, and function6,7. Therefore, studies involving astrocytes' functionality are helpful for the development of therapies to treat neurologic disorders.

In vitro models are crucial for studying mechanisms related to neurological injuries, and although successful isolation and two-dimensional (2D) culture of cortical astrocytes have been established8, this model fails to provide a realistic environment that mimics native cell behavior and to reproduce the complexity of the brain9. In 2D condition, the poor mechanical and biochemical support, low cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, and cell flattening leading to the absence of basal-apical polarity, affect cell signaling dynamics and experimental outcomes leading to altered cell morphology and gene expression, which compromise response to treatments10. Therefore, it is crucial to develop alternatives that provide a more realistic neural environment, aiming to translate the results to the clinic.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture represents a more advanced model that recapitulates with increased fidelity features of organs and tissues, including the CNS11. Regarding glial culture, 3D models contribute to the maintenance of astrocytes morphology, cell basal-apical polarity, and cell signaling12,13. The 3D bioprinting technology emerged as a powerful tool to biofabricate 3D living tissues in a controlled manner by using cells and biomaterials to recreate the structure and properties of native tissues. The use of this technology has led to a substantial improvement of results prediction and has contributed to regenerative medicine applied to the CNS14,15,16.

The protocol described here details the isolation and culture of cortical astrocytes. The protocol also details a reproducible method to bioprint astrocytes embedded in gelatin/gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)/fibrinogen, supplemented with laminin. In this work, an extrusion-based bioprinter was used to print the biomaterial composition containing cortical astrocytes at a density of 1 x 106 cells/mL. Bioprinting shear stress was minimized by controlling the printing speed, and astrocytes showed high viability after the process. Bioprinted constructs were cultured for 1 week, and astrocytes were able to spread, attach, and survive within the hydrogel, maintaining the astrocytic morphology and expressing a specific marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)4.

This procedure is compatible with piston-driven extrusion-based bioprinters and can be used to bioprint astrocytes derived from different sources. The 3D bioprinted model proposed here is suitable for a wide range of neural engineering applications, such as studies of the mechanisms involved in astrocytes functionality in healthy tissues and understanding the progression of neurological pathologies and treatment development.

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Protocol

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All the procedures involving animals followed international guidelines for animal use in research (http://www.iclas.org) and were approved by the Committee for Ethics in Research of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (CEUA 2019/ 9292090519).

1. Mice brain dissection

  1. Transfer 10 mL of cold Hanks Buffered Salt Solution (HBSS) to a 100 mm culture dish and 1 mL to a 1.5 mL microtube. Prepare one microtube per animal.
    NOTE: Both the culture dish and the microtube need to be kept on ice.
  2. Prepare astrocytes culture medium using DMEM F12 + 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), 2% glutamine, and 1% Penicillin-Streptomycin (P/S). Sterilize the medium by filtering using a 0.2 µm filter.
  3. Euthanize C57Bl/6 mice pups (postnatal day 1) by decapitation using a sharp operating scissor. Using forceps, pull the skin and expose the skull. Ensure both scissors and forceps are sterilized with 70% ethanol.
  4. Cut the skull from the foramen magnum to the top of the head along the sagittal plane using a sharp curved tip scissor.
    NOTE: Make sure the encephalic tissue is not damaged.
  5. Using a spatula previously sterilized with ethanol 70%, lift the brain from the cranial cavity and place it in the culture dish containing 10 mL of cold HBSS.
  6. Place the culture dish containing the brain under the stereomicroscope, and using two blunt-tip forceps, remove the meninges from the brain (Figure 1).
  7. Separate the cortices from the rest of the brain by gently rolling them away from the median line of the brain using a spatula.
  8. Collect both cortices and immediately transfer them to the same microtube containing 1 mL of cold HBSS.

2. Astrocytes isolation and culture

  1. Under the laminar flow, cut the cortical tissue into small pieces using a curved micro scissor, and wash them with 1 mL of HBSS by pipetting up and down 3x. Wait for the tissue to settle down. Remove HBSS and add fresh HBSS, repeating the process two more times.
  2. Remove HBSS and incubate the tissue with 1 mL of 0.05% trypsin at 37 °C for 5 min.
    NOTE: Only trypsin digestion is sufficient at this point.
  3. Mechanically dissociate the tissue by gently pipetting up and down 15x.
    NOTE: The complete dissociation of the tissue is observed by the increase in the suspension turbidity and by the absence of large fragments of tissue in the suspension.
  4. Transfer the solution to a 15 mL conical tube, neutralize trypsin activity by adding an equal volume of FBS, and filter the solution in a cell strainer filter of 0.4 µm to remove non dissociated fragments.
  5. Wash the filter with 1 mL of astrocytes medium, collect the cell suspension that passed through the strainer, and centrifuge it for 5 min at 200 x g and 25 °C. After centrifugation, discard the supernatant and suspend the pellet in 1 mL of astrocytes culture medium.
  6. Transfer the cell suspension to a T25 culture flask, make up the volume of the medium to 3.5 mL, and incubate the cells at 37 °C and 5% CO2.
  7. Ensure that after 24 h, the cells are adherent. Then, replace the medium and change it every 3 days.
  8. After 7 days, remove microglia and oligodendrocytes from the culture by washing the cells with 2 mL of 1x PBS.
  9. Replace the PBS solution with the astrocytes culture medium and leave the culture flask in an orbital shaker at 180 rpm overnight.
    ​NOTE: Astrocytes form a confluent monolayer in approximately 10-12 days of culture.

3. Synthesis of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)

  1. Weigh 10 g of gelatin obtained from porcine skin and dissolve in 100 mL of PBS by letting the solution stir on a heating plate at 240 rpm and 50 °C until complete dissolution.
  2. Under a hood, add 2 mL of methacrylic anhydride (MA) for a low degree of functionalization, and let the gelatin emulsion stir at 240 rpm and 50 °C for 2 h.
    CAUTION: MA hazard statement: H302 + H332 (harmful if swallowed or inhaled), H311 (toxic in contact with skin), 314 (causes severe skin burns and eye damage), 315 (causes skin irritation), H317 (may cause an allergic skin reaction), H318 (causes serious eye damage), 331 (toxic if inhaled), H332 (harmful if inhaled), H335 (may cause respiratory irritation). Handling guidelines: P261 (avoid breathing dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray), P305 + P351 + P338 + P310 (IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing. Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor), P301 + P312 + P330 (IF SWALLOWED: Call a POISON CENTER/doctor if you feel unwell. Rinse mouth).
    NOTE: Add MA very slowly, drop by drop.
  3. Dilute the gelatin-MA solution in 100 mL of preheated PBS (50 °C) to obtain 200 mL of final volume and let the solution stir at 240 rpm and 50 °C for 10 min.
  4. Cut ~20 cm of dialysis membrane (molecular cutoff 12-14 kDa) and soak it in deionized water until it is soft.
    NOTE: Fill the membranes with deionized water to make sure there are no holes or defects.
  5. Using a funnel, transfer the gelatin-MA solution to the membranes.
    NOTE: Close both sides leaving extra space inside to allow mixture.
  6. Place the membranes containing the gelatin-MA solution into a container with 2 L of distilled water for dialysis, letting them stir at 40 °C for 5 days (500 rpm).
    NOTE: Cover the container to avoid water evaporation.
  7. Change the distilled water two times in a day. Each time, flip the membranes upside down for homogenization.
  8. On the fifth day, mix 200 mL of preheated ultrapure water (40 °C) to the dialyzed gelatin-MA, and let it stir for 15 min at 40 °C.
  9. Transfer the gelatin-MA solution to 50 mL conical tubes up to 25 mL and let the tubes remain at -80 °C for 2 days.
    ​NOTE: Store the tubes horizontally to facilitate lyophilization.
  10. Lyophilize the frozen solutions for 3-5 days and store the lyophilized GelMA protected from humidity.

4. Bioink preparation

NOTE: In order to obtain 1 mL of bioink, it is recommended to fabricate at least 3 mL of biomaterial solution, as there may be losses during filtration.

  1. Preparation of fibrinogen solution
    1. Prepare saline solution (NaCl 0.9%) in deionized water, and dissolve 10 mg of fibrinogen from bovine plasma in 1 mL of the saline solution to obtain a concentration of 10 mg/mL.
      NOTE: As fibrinogen adsorbs to glass, do not use glass flasks to prepare the fibrinogen solution.
    2. Leave the solution under agitation at 37 °C until complete dissolution of fibrinogen.
      NOTE: For fibrinogen dissolution, use a rotary system placed inside an oven at 37 °C. Magnetic agitation (180 rpm) of fibrinogen on a hot plate at 37 °C is also suitable. Under this condition, 10 mg/mL fibrinogen takes approximately 40 min to dissolve.
  2. Preparation of gelatin/GelMA solution
    1. Weigh 0.12 g of gelatin and add it to 1.9 mL of preheated PBS (40 °C) to obtain a final concentration of 4% (w/v) gelatin. Vortex to facilitate dissolution.
    2. Keep the emulsion at 40 °C until complete dissolution.
    3. Weigh 0.06 g of lyophilized GelMA and transfer to the gelatin solution to obtain a final concentration of 2% (w/v) GelMA. Vortex to facilitate dissolution.
    4. Keep the solution at 40 °C until complete dissolution.
  3. Preparation of astrocytes-laden gelatin/GelMA/fibrinogen bioink
    1. Pipette 0.9 mL of the 10 mg/mL fibrinogen solution and transfer to the gelatin/GelMA solution to obtain a final concentration of 3 mg/mL of fibrinogen.
    2. Weigh 0.015 g of photoinitiator (PI) and transfer to the gelatin/GelMA/fibrinogen solution to obtain a final concentration of 0.5% (w/v) PI. Mix the solution by flipping the tube up and down and keep it at 40 °C protected from light to avoid PI degradation.
      NOTE: Stock the bioink at 4 °C for a maximum 24 h.
    3. Under the laminar flow, filter the solution using a 0.2 µm filter into a sterile 15 mL conical tube.
      NOTE: The biomaterial solution should be at 37-40 °C to allow filtration.
    4. Transfer 980 µL of the biomaterial solution to a 15 mL conical tube.
    5. Dilute laminin in saline solution to obtain a stock solution of 100 µg/mL.
    6. Pipette 20 µL of laminin and transfer to the tube containing the bioink to obtain a final concentration of 2 µg/mL laminin.
    7. Mix gently by pipetting up and down, avoiding bubbles. If any bubbles persist, centrifuge the conical tube at 200 x g for 2 min. Keep the bioink at 37 °C until it is mixed with the cells.
    8. Trypsinize primary astrocytes with 0.05% trypsin for 5 min.
      NOTE: Use astrocytes from passages 1 to 3.
    9. Neutralize the trypsin activity with FBS at a ratio of 1:1 and transfer the cells to a 15 mL conical tube. Centrifuge it at 200 x g for 5 min.
    10. Count the cells and transfer 1 x 106 cells to a different conical tube. Centrifuge it at 200 x g for 5 min.
    11. Remove the supernatant leaving a small volume (~200 µL) to suspend the cell pellet, by gently tapping the bottom of the conical tube.
    12. Transfer 1 mL of gelatin/GelMA/fibrinogen solution to the tube containing the cells and gently pipette up and down to homogenize, obtaining a final concentration of 1 x 106 cells/mL.

5. Preparation of the crosslinker solution

  1. Thrombin reconstitution
    1. Prepare a stock solution of thrombin 100 U/mL in sterile deionized water with 0.1% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) in a 15 mL conical tube. Stock in microtubes at -20 °C.
      NOTE: As thrombin adsorbs to glass, do not use glass flasks to prepare the stock solution or store the aliquots.
  2. Preparation of thrombin-CaCl2 solution
    1. Pipette 100 µL of thrombin stock solution and transfer to a 50 mL conical tube containing 8.9 mL of sterile deionized water to obtain a final concentration of 1 U/mL thrombin.
    2. Prepare a 10% (w/v) CaCl2 solution in deionized water and sterilize using a 0.2 µm filter.
    3. Transfer 1.1 mL of the 10% CaCl2 solution to the conical tube containing thrombin, in order to obtain a final ratio of 1:9 (CaCl2 to thrombin).
      ​NOTE: Prepare the crosslinker solution at the volume to be used in the experiment, avoiding storage.

6. Bioprinting astrocytes-laden bioink using an extrusion-based bioprinter

  1. Design of the neural tissue
    1. Using the G-code: construct a grid of 6 x 6 mm (squared shape) with 1 mm of distance between each bioprinted line on the X and Y-axis, and 6 layers on the Z-axis (0.2 mm between each line); set the extrusion (E) to 0.01 mm, increasing 0.001 mm at each new layer of the Z-axis; and set the printing speed (F) to 400 mm/min (Supplemental Information).
  2. Bioprinter set up
    1. Expose the machine to UV light for 15 min, and then wipe it down with ethanol 70%.
    2. Turn on the bioprinter using the power switch. Connect the machine to the computer through a USB cable. Open the controlling software to connect it to the bioprinter and load the file design.
  3. Preparation of the bioprinting syringe
    1. Transfer the astrocytes-laden gelatin/GelMA/fibrinogen bioink to a 5 mL plastic syringe using a 1,000 µL pipette.
      NOTE: Transfer slowly to avoid bubble formation.
    2. Connect a sterile 22 G blunt needle to the syringe.
      NOTE: Leave the syringe at 4 °C for 2 min.
    3. Connect the syringe to the bioprinter printhead and manually flush the bioink to remove the remaining bubbles.
  4. Bioprinting
    NOTE: The bioprinting was performed outside the laminar hood.
    1. Place a 35 mm culture dish on the bioprinter table and position the needle 0.1 mm away from the culture dish surface to allow movement of the needle.
      NOTE: Use one 35 mm culture dish for each bioprinting.
    2. Press the Print button.
    3. Once the bioprinting over, ensure that the syringe moves away from the dish. Then, close the culture dish and prepare for the crosslinking process.
      ​NOTE: The bioprinting of one construct takes approximately 1 min and 10 s.
  5. Crosslinking the bioprinted construct and culture
    1. Place the culture dish under UV light at 2 mW/cm2 for 2 x 60 s (up and down) for GelMA crosslinking.
    2. Under the laminar flow, transfer the bioprinted construct to a 24-well plate using a sterile spatula.
    3. Add 500 µL of thrombin/CaCl2 solution and leave for 30 min to allow fibrin crosslinking.
    4. Remove the crosslinking solution and wash the construct with 2 mL of PBS 1x. Then, replace the PBS with 1 mL of astrocytes culture medium and incubate at 37 °C and 5% CO2. Change the medium every 3 days.

7. Assessment of astrocytes viability

  1. Viability of bioprinted astrocytes
    1. Transfer the bioprinted construct to a 35 mm culture dish using a spatula.
    2. Wash the construct with 1 mL of 1x PBS.
    3. Deposit 100 µL of the Live/Dead reagent over the construct and keep it at 37 °C for 30 min, keeping it protected from light.
    4. Remove the Live/Dead reagent and wash the construct with 1 mL of 1x PBS.
    5. Transfer the sample to a confocal dish using a spatula, and observe the cells within the construct under a confocal microscope using 488 and 570 nm excitation for images acquirement.
      NOTE: Use a magnification of 10x for an overall visualization of the cells within the construct.
    6. Make sure the sample is sitting flat. If necessary, place a coverslip over the sample to increase the flatness.
      NOTE: During imaging, ensure the confocal dish is well sealed to prevent the sample from drying out.
    7. Calculate the number of viable (green) and dead (red) using a computational software.
  2. Viability of 2D astrocytes culture
    1. Seed 0.5 x 106 astrocytes (passage 1-3) in a 35 mm confocal dish, add astrocytes medium, and incubate them at 37 °C and 5% CO2.
    2. When cells are confluent, remove the culture medium and wash with 1 mL of 1x PBS.
    3. Deposit 200 µL of the Live/Dead reagent, and keep the dish at 37 °C for 30 min, protected from light.
    4. Remove the Live/Dead reagent and wash the cells with 1 mL of 1x PBS.
    5. Take the dish to a confocal microscope coupled with a digital camera, and use 488 and 570 nm excitation for image acquirement.
    6. Calculate the number of viable (green) and dead (red) using a computational software.

8. Immunostaining of astrocytes

  1. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) staining of 3D bioprinted astrocytes
    NOTE: To investigate the presence of other cell markers, change the primary antibody accordingly.
    1. Remove the medium from the well and wash the construct with 1 mL of 3x PBS.
    2. Add 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) in PBS to the well until the construct is completely covered and leave it for 2 h at 4 °C.
    3. Remove the PFA and wash the construct with 1 mL of 3x PBS.
      NOTE: This procedure can be paused for several months if stored at 4 °C in PBS. Make sure the well plate is sealed to avoid PBS evaporation.
    4. Treat the sample with glycine 0.1 mol/L for 5 min.
    5. Wash with 1 mL of 1x PBS for 5 min.
    6. Permeabilize the sample with PBS containing 0.1% Triton X-100 and 10% FBS for 1 h at 25 °C under orbital agitation.
    7. Incubate the construct with chicken anti-GFAP (primary antibody dilution 1:500) at 4 °C overnight.
    8. Aspirate the primary antibody and wash the sample with 1 mL of PBS for 5 min, 3 times.
      NOTE: Primary antibody can be reused for several times when stored at 4 °C.
    9. Incubate the sample with Alexa fluor 488-conjugated anti-chicken (secondary antibody dilution 1:500) and 1 µg/mL DAPI for 1 h at 25 °C under orbital agitation.
      NOTE: Keep the sample protected from light.
    10. Wash the sample with 1 mL of PBS for 5 min, 3 times.
    11. Transfer the construct to a 35 mm confocal dish.
      NOTE: Make sure the dish is well sealed to prevent the sample from drying out.
  2. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) staining of 2D astrocytes culture
    1. Seed 0.5 x 106 astrocytes (passage 1-3) in a 35 mm confocal dish, add astrocytes medium, and incubate them at 37 °C and 5% CO2.
    2. When the cells are confluent, remove the culture medium and wash them with 1 mL of 1x PBS.
    3. Repeat steps 8.1.2-8.1.10.
  3. Astrocytes cytoskeleton staining
    1. Repeat steps 8.1.1-8.1.6.
    2. Add 200 µL of 50 µg/mL of fluorescent-conjugated phalloidin solution in PBS and 1 µg/mL of DAPI over the construct.
    3. Incubate for 1 h at 25 °C under orbital agitation, keeping the sample protected from light.
    4. Wash the sample with 1 mL of PBS for 5 min 3 times , and transfer the construct to a confocal dish using a spatula.
      ​NOTE: Make sure the dish is well sealed to prevent the sample from drying out.

9. Confocal imaging

  1. Take the dishes to a confocal microscope coupled with a digital camera for imaging (359, 488, and 570 nm excitation).
  2. Use magnification of 10x for an overall visualization and 40 or 63x for zoomed images of cells.
    NOTE: Make sure the sample is sitting flat. If necessary, place a coverslip over the sample to increase the flatness.

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Results

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This work aimed to develop a neural-like tissue using the 3D bioprinting technology to deposit layer-by-layer primary astrocytes-laden gelatin/GelMA/fibrinogen bioink. Astrocytes were extracted and isolated from the cerebral cortex of mice pups (Figure 1), added to a biomaterial composition, allowing the biofabrication of a living 3D construct.

The computer-aided-design (CAD) was developed using the G-code (Supplemental file) as an interconnected ...

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Discussion

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The 3D bioprinting technology has emerged as a biofabrication alternative that allows the engineering of refined constructs that structurally and physiologically resemble native tissues22, including the brain23. The biofabrication of neural-like tissues allows for in vitro native microenvironment modeling, being an important tool for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with the development and treatment of many diseases that affect the CN...

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Disclosures

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The authors have no conflicts to disclose.

Acknowledgements

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This work was supported by The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), grant numbers 2018/23039-3 and 2018/12605-8; National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), grant numbers 465656/2014-5 and 309679/2018-4; and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), financial code 001.

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Materials

List of materials used in this article
NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
3D Bioprinter3D Biotechnology SolutionsExtrusion-based bioprinter
Blunt-tip forcepsIntegra Miltex6--30Forceps for brain dissection previously sterilized
Bovine serum albuminSigma-Aldrich9048-46-8Protease free, fatty acid free, essentially globulin free
CaCl2Sigma-Aldrich10043-52-4
Cell culture flaskFisher Scientific156340Culture flask T25
Cell strainerCorning Incorporated352340Cell strainer 40 µm
Confocal microscopeLeicaConfocal TCS SP8 microscopy coupled with an Olympus FluoView 300 confocal system
Conical tubesThermo Scientific339651, 339652Sterile tubes of 15 mL and 50 mL
DAPIAbcamab224589DAPI staining solution
DMEM/F12Gibco; Life Technologies Corporation12500062DMEM/F-12 50/50, 1X (Dulbecco's Mod. Of Eagle's Medium/Ham's F12 50/50 Mix) with L-glutamine
Dyalisis tubingSigma-AldrichD9527Molecular weight cut-off = 14 kDa
EthanolFisher Scientific64-15-5Reagent grade
Fetal Bovine SerumGibco; Life Technologies Corporation12657011Research Grade
FibrinogenSigma-Aldrich9001-32-5Fibrinogen cristalline powder from bovine plasma
GelatinSigma-Aldrich9000-70-8Gelatin powder from porcine skin
GlycineSigma-Aldrich56-40-6Glycine powder
Hanks Buffered Salt Solution (HBSS)Gibco; Life Technologies Corporation14175095No calcium, no magnesium, no phenol red
L-GlutamineSigma-Aldrich56-85-9L-Glutamine crystalline powder
LamininSigma-Aldrich114956-81-9Laminin 1-2 mg/mL L in 50 mM Tris-HCl
Live dead kit cell imaging kitThermo ScientificR37601Green fluorescence in live cells (ex/em 488 nm/515 nm). Red fluorescence in dead cells (ex/em 570 nm/602 nm)
Methacrylic anhydrideSigma-Aldrich760-93-0For GelMA preparation
MicrotubesCorning IncorporatedMCT-150-CMicrotubes of 1,5 mL
NaClSigma-Aldrich7647-14-5
Needle 22GFisher ScientificNC1362045Sterile blunt needle
Operating scissorIntegra Miltex05--02Sharp scissor for brain dissection previously sterilized
ParaformaldehydeSigma-Aldrich30525-89-4Paraformaldehyde powder
Penicillin/StreptomycinGibco; Life Technologies Corporation15070063Pen Strep (5,000 Units/ mL Penicillin; 5,000 ug/mL Streptomycin)
Petri dishCorning Incorporated430591, 430588Sterile petri dishes of 35 and 100 mm
PhalloidinAbcamab176753iFluor 488 reagent
PhotoinitiatorSigma-Aldrich106797-53-92-Hydroxy-4′-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-2-methylpropiophenone
Phosphate buffer saline (PBS)Gibco; Life Technologies Corporation10010023PBS 1 x, culture grade, no calcium, no magnesium
Poly-L-lysineSigma-Aldrich25988-63-0Poly-L-lysine hydrobromide mol wt 30,000-70,000
Primary antobodyAbcamab4674Chicken polyclonal to GFAP
Secondary antibodyAbcamab150176Alexa fluor 594 anti-chicken
SpatulaMiltexV973-70Number 24 cement spatula previously sterilized
StereomicroscopeFisherbrand3000038Microscope for brain dissection
Syringe 5 mLBD1222C84Sterile syringe
Syringe filter 2 µmFisher Scientific09-740-105Polypropylene filter for sterilization
ThrombinSigma-Aldrich9002--04-4Thrombin cristalline powder from bovine plasma
Triton X-100Sigma-Aldrich9002-93-1Laboratory grade
Trypsin-EDTAGibco; Life Technologies Corporation15400054Trypsin no phenol red 1 x diluted in PBS
Versene solutionGibco; Life Technologies Corporation15040066Versene Solution (0.48 mM) formulated as 0.2 g EDTA(Na4) per liter of PBS
Well plateThermo Scientific144530Sterile 24-well plate

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3D BioprintingCortical AstrocytesNeural Tissue EngineeringAstrocyte BioinkExtrusion BioprintingGlial Fibrillary Acidic ProteinBiomaterial ScaffoldCell Viability AssayImmunofluorescence MicroscopyAstrocytic Morphology

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