Long-term electrophysiological activity and pharmacological response of a human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuron and astrocyte co-culture

A Odawara, Y Saitoh, AH Alhebshi, M Gotoh… - … and biophysical research …, 2014 - Elsevier
A Odawara, Y Saitoh, AH Alhebshi, M Gotoh, I Suzuki
Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 2014Elsevier
Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons may be effectively used for
drug discovery and cell-based therapy. However, the immaturity of cultured human iPSC-
derived neurons and the lack of established functional evaluation methods are problematic.
We here used a multi-electrode array (MEA) system to investigate the effects of the co-
culture of rat astrocytes with hiPSC-derived neurons on the long-term culture, spontaneous
firing activity, and drug responsiveness effects. The co-culture facilitated the long-term …
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons may be effectively used for drug discovery and cell-based therapy. However, the immaturity of cultured human iPSC-derived neurons and the lack of established functional evaluation methods are problematic. We here used a multi-electrode array (MEA) system to investigate the effects of the co-culture of rat astrocytes with hiPSC-derived neurons on the long-term culture, spontaneous firing activity, and drug responsiveness effects. The co-culture facilitated the long-term culture of hiPSC-derived neurons for >3 months and long-term spontaneous firing activity was also observed. After >3 months of culture, we observed synchronous burst firing activity due to synapse transmission within neuronal networks. Compared with rat neurons, hiPSC-derived neurons required longer time to mature functionally. Furthermore, addition of the synapse antagonists bicuculline and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione induced significant changes in the firing rate. In conclusion, we used a MEA system to demonstrate that the co-culture of hiPSC-derived neurons with rat astrocytes is an effective method for studying the function of human neuronal cells, which could be used for drug screening.
Elsevier