Wang S S, Good T A
Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3122, USA.
J Cell Biochem. 2001;83(4):574-84. doi: 10.1002/jcb.1252.
A variety of evidence suggests that nervous system function is altered during microgravity, however, assessing changes in neuronal physiology during space flight is a non-trivial task. We have used a rotating wall bioreactor with a high aspect ratio vessel (HARV), which simulates the microgravity environment, to investigate the how the viability, neurite extension, and signaling of differentiated neuron-like cells changes in different culture environments. We show that culture of differentiated PC12 and SH-SY5Y cells in the simulated microgravity HARV bioreactor resulted in high cell viability, moderate neurite extension, and cell aggregation accompanied by NO production. Neurite extension was less than that seen in static cultures, suggesting that less than optimal differentiation occurs in simulated microgravity relative to normal gravity. Cells grown in a mixed vessel under normal gravity (a spinner flask) had low viability, low neurite extension, and high glutamate release. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using a rotating wall bioreactor to explore the effects of simulated microgravity on differentiation and physiology of neuron-like cells.
多种证据表明，在微重力环境下神经系统功能会发生改变，然而，评估太空飞行期间神经元生理学的变化并非易事。我们使用了一种具有高长宽比容器的旋转壁生物反应器（HARV），该反应器模拟微重力环境，以研究在不同培养环境中分化的类神经元细胞的活力、神经突延伸和信号传导是如何变化的。我们发现，在模拟微重力的HARV生物反应器中培养分化的PC12和SH-SY5Y细胞，可实现高细胞活力、适度的神经突延伸以及伴随一氧化氮产生的细胞聚集。神经突延伸比静态培养中的要少，这表明相对于正常重力，模拟微重力下的分化未达到最佳状态。在正常重力下于混合容器（转瓶）中培养的细胞活力低、神经突延伸少且谷氨酸释放高。这项工作证明了使用旋转壁生物反应器探索模拟微重力对类神经元细胞分化和生理学影响的可行性。
