Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Axonal Regrowth of Olfactory Sensory Neurons In Vitro

Published inInternational journal of molecular sciences, vol. 24, no. 16, 12863
Publication date2023-08-16
First online date2023-08-16
Abstract

One of the most prevalent causes of olfactory loss includes traumatic brain injury with subsequent shearing of olfactory axons at the level of the cribriform plate (anterior skull base). Scar tissue at this level may prevent axonal regrowth toward the olfactory bulb. Currently, there is no cure for this debilitating and often permanent condition. One promising therapeutic concept is to implant a synthetic scaffold with growth factors through the cribriform plate/scar tissue to induce neuroregeneration. The first step toward this goal is to investigate the optimum conditions (growth factors, extracellular matrix proteins) to boost this regeneration. However, the lack of a specifically tailored in vitro model and an automated procedure for quantifying axonal length limits our ability to address this issue. The aim of this study is to create an automated quantification tool to measure axonal length and to determine the ideal growth factors and extracellular proteins to enhance axonal regrowth of olfactory sensory neurons in a mouse organotypic 2D model. We harvested olfactory epithelium (OE) of C57BL/6 mice and cultured them during 15 days on coverslips coated with various extracellular matrix proteins (Fibronectin, Collagen IV, Laminin, none) and different growth factors: fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), retinoic acid (RA), transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), and none. We measured the attachment rate on coverslips, the presence of cellular and axonal outgrowth, and finally, the total axonal length with a newly developed automated high-throughput quantification tool. Whereas the coatings did not influence attachment and neuronal outgrowth rates, the total axonal length was enhanced on fibronectin and collagen IV (p = 0.001). The optimum growth factor supplementation media to culture OE compared to the control condition were as follows: FGF2 alone and FGF2 from day 0 to 7 followed by FGF2 in combination with NGF from day 7 to 15 (p < 0.0001). The automated quantification tool to measure axonal length outperformed the standard Neuron J application by reducing the average analysis time from 22 to 3 min per specimen. In conclusion, robust regeneration of murine olfactory neurons in vitro can be induced, controlled, and efficiently measured using an automated quantification tool. These results will help advance the therapeutic concept closer toward preclinical studies.

Keywords
  • Anosmia
  • Axon tracing
  • Axonal regeneration
  • Nerve growth factors
  • Olfactory neurons
  • Traumatic brain injury
Funding
  • Louis-Jeantet Foundation [ME11376]
  • Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust. [ME11948]
Citation (ISO format)
SIPIONE, Rebecca et al. Axonal Regrowth of Olfactory Sensory Neurons In Vitro. In: International journal of molecular sciences, 2023, vol. 24, n° 16, p. 12863. doi: 10.3390/ijms241612863
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
Secondary files (1)
Appendix - Supplementary Figure S1. Organotypic model settings.
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/16/12863
Journal ISSN1422-0067
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37downloads

Technical informations

Creation22/11/2023 14:29:51
First validation27/11/2023 15:08:18
Update27/11/2023 15:08:18
Status update27/11/2023 15:08:18
Last indexation09/12/2024 15:18:00
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