Abstract:
The basic idea behind the use of 3-dimensional (3D) tools in biomedical research is the assumption that the structures under study will perform at the best in vitro if cultivated in an environment that is as similar as possible to their natural in vivo embedding. Tissue slicing fulfills this premise optimally: it is an accessible, unexpensive, imaging-friendly, and technically rather simple procedure which largely preserves the extracellular matrix and includes all or at least most supportive cell types in the correct tissue architecture with little cellular damage. Vibrating microtomes (vibratomes) can further improve the quality of the generated slices because of the lateral, saw-like movement of the blade, which significantly reduces tissue pulling or tearing compared to a straight cut. In spite of its obvious advantages, vibrating microtome slices are rather underrepresented in the current discussion on 3D tools, which is dominated by methods as organoids, organ-on-chip and bioprinting. Here, we review the development of vibrating microtome tissue slices, the major technical features underlying its application, as well as its current use and potential advances, such as a combination with novel microfluidic culture chambers. Once fully integrated into the 3D toolbox, tissue slices may significantly contribute to decrease the use of laboratory animals and is likely to have a strong impact on basic and translational research as well as drug screening.
摘要:
在生物医学研究中使用三维(3D)工具的基本思想是假设,如果在与其自然体内嵌入尽可能相似的环境中培养,所研究的结构将在体外表现最佳。组织切片最佳地满足了这个前提:它是一个可访问的,不贵,成像友好,以及技术上相当简单的程序,该程序在很大程度上保留了细胞外基质,并在正确的组织结构中包括所有或至少大多数支持细胞类型,而细胞损伤很小。振动显微切片(振动)可以进一步提高生成切片的质量,因为横向,锯片的类似运动,与直切相比,显着减少了组织拉扯或撕裂。尽管有明显的优势,在当前关于3D工具的讨论中,振动切片机切片的代表性不足,以类器官的方法为主,器官芯片和生物打印。这里,我们回顾了振动切片机组织切片的发展,其应用的主要技术特征,以及它目前的使用和潜在的进步,例如与新型微流体培养室的组合。一旦完全集成到3D工具箱中,组织切片可能显著有助于减少实验动物的使用,并可能对基础和转化研究以及药物筛选产生重大影响。