Gerd Klöck

Biocompatibility of mannuronic acid-rich alginates

Highly purified algin preparations free of adverse contaminants with endotoxins and other mitogens recently became available by a new purification process (Klöck et al., Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 1994, 40, 638-643). An advantage of this purification protocol is that it can be applied to alginates with various ratios of mannuronic acid to guluronic acid. High mannuronic acid alginate capsules are of particular practical interest for cell transplantation and for biohybrid organs, because mannuronate-rich alginates are usually less viscous, allowing one to make gels with a higher alginate content. This will increase their stability and reduce the diffusion permeability and could therefore protect immobilized cells more efficiently against the host immune system. Here we report the biocompatibility of purified, mannuronic acid-rich alginate (68% mannuronate residues) in a series of in vitro, as well as in vivo, assays. In contrast to raw alginate extracts, the purified product showed no mitogenic activity towards murine lymphocytes in vitro. Its endotoxin content was reduced to the level of the solvent. Animal studies with these new, purified algin formulations revealed the absence of a mitogen-induced foreign body reaction, even when the purified material (after cross-linking with Ba2+ ions) is implanted into animal models with elevated macrophage activity (diabetes-prone BB/OK rat). Thus, alginate capsules with high mannuronic acid content become available for applications such as implantation. In addition to the utilization as implantable cell reactors in therapy and biotechnology, these purified algins have broad application potential as ocular fillings, tissue replacements, microencapsulated growth factors and/or interleukins or slow-release dosage forms of antibodies, surface coatings of sensors and other invasive medical devices, and in encapsulation of genetically engineered cells for gene therapy.

Production of purified alginates suitable for use in immunoisolated transplantation.

Alginate is used as a matrix for immunoisolation of cells and tissues in vivo. We have demonstrated previously that commercial alginates contain various fractions of mitogenic impurities and that they can be removed by free flow electrophoresis. The use of purified material is a necessity in order to reveal the parameters that control biocompatibility of the implanted material (such as stability, size, surface charge and curvature, etc.). In this study, we present a protocol for the chemical purification of alginates on a large-scale. Beads made from alginates purified by this multi-step chemical extraction procedure did not induce a significant foreign body reaction when implanted for 3 weeks either intraperitoneally or beneath the kidney capsule of Lewis or non-diabetic BB/Gi rats.

Photosynthesis and apparent affinity for dissolved inorganic carbon by cells and chloroplasts of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii grown at high and low CO2 concentrations.

Chloroplasts with high rates of photosynthetic O2 evolution (up to 120 μmol O2· (mg Chl)-1·h-1 compared with 130 μmol O2· (mg Chl)-1·h-1 of whole cells) were isolated from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells grown in high and low CO2 concentrations using autolysine-digitonin treatment. At 25° C and pH=7.8, no O2 uptake could be observed in the dark by high- and low-CO2 adapted chloroplasts. Light saturation of photosynthetic net oxygen evolution was reached at 800 μmol photons·m-2·s-1 for high- and low-CO2 adapted chloroplasts, a value which was almost identical to that observed for whole cells. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) saturation of photosynthesis was reached between 200–300 μM for low-CO2 adapted chloroplasts, whereas high-CO2 adapted chloroplasts were not saturated even at 700 μM DIC. The concentrations of DIC required to reach half-saturated rates of net O2 evolution (Km(DIC)) was 31.1 and 156 μM DIC for low- and high-CO2 adapted chloroplasts, respectively. These results demonstrate that the CO2 concentration provided during growth influenced the photosynthetic characteristics at the whole cell as well as at the chloroplast level.

Barium-cross-linked alginate beads: a simple, one-step method for successful immunoisolated transplantation of islets of Langerhans

Transplantation of xenogeneic islets in immunoisolating membranes may solve the problems of the availability of human donor organs and long-term immunosuppression. Alginates are widely used for microencapsulation of isolated islets. This study presents data of a new method in which alginate was cross-linked with barium ions. In the perifusion experiment microencapsulated rat islets showed a biphasic insulin release with a short delay of the first phase. During static glucose challenge the insulin release ranged from 40% to 70% compared to free floating controls. In 3 of 11 diabetic mice, transplantation of 800 barium-alginate-bead encapsulated rat islets resulted in a non-fasting normoglycaemia at least up to 70 days. In the same model, transplantation of 3000 encapsulated porcine islets resulted in 6 of 10 recipients in normoglycaemia up to day 70, while 3 animals were still normoglycaemic on day 100. On day 21 after transplantation of encapsulated rat and porcine islets and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test revealed rapid glucose assimilation in both groups. Histological examination demonstrated well-preserved islets at the end of the experiments. Immunohistological B-cell staining revealed the absence of recruitment of β-cells in the recipients own pancreas. The barium-alginate microencapsulation method represents a simple one-step method for effective immunoisolated transplantation of large-scale islet preparations.

Microscale production of hybridomas by hypo-osmolar electrofusion

We have developed and tested a novel electrofusion chamber, the adjustable plate microchamber, that permits the successful electrofusion and production of hybridomas in a hanging droplet from as few as 1,000 B lymphocytes. Cell suspension volumes of 10 microliters may be used without excessive difficulty in aseptically recovering fused cells. With a modification of the hypo-osmolar electrofusion protocol with this microchamber, fusion efficiencies of the order of 10(-3) may be attained. These efficiencies are comparable to those attained with standard hardware and much higher numbers of input B lymphocytes. This technology should permit high efficiency hybridoma production using a variety of hitherto inaccessible B lymphocyte populations such as B cells isolated from human organ biopsies.

Amitogenic Alginates: Key to First Clinical Application of Microencapsulation Technology

Abstract. Microencapsulation refers to a technique of immunoisolation by coating single cells or tissue with a semipermeable membrane. By combining microencapsulation with a specific tissue culturing method, iso-, allo-, and xenotransplantation of parathyroid tissue has been achieved without immunosuppression in a long-term animal model. Prior to its clinical use, continued analyses of the alginate, used as a coating substance, determined its mitogenic properties. Purification of the commercially available alginate was achieved using patented electrophoretic procedures, resulting in an amitogenic alginate suitable for use in humans. However, this alginate exhibited entirely different physical properties. We have recently shown that isotransplanted parathyroid tissue remains vital and functioning in vivo over long periods of time using the novel amitogenic alginate. It is essential to document, whether the alginate is able to maintain immunoisolation. We have therefore assessed its in vivo function compared to the mitogenic alginate in a transgenic animal model. Altogether 600 parathyroid glands from 300 Lewis rats (donor animals) were excised and subjected to tissue culture. Thereafter they were allotransplanted to 30 parathyroidectomized Dark-Auita rats, microencapsulated with the amitogenic or the mitogenic alginate or naked, with 10 recipient animals in each group. Total serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels were monitored continuously at weekly intervals for 30 weeks. After 26 weeks the transplant beds were excised and subjected to histologic examination. More than 6 months after allotransplantation 9 of 10 animals that had received amitogenic transplants, compared to 7 of 10 animals in the group with mitogenic microcapsules were normocalcemic. Animals that had received naked parathyroid tissue were hypocalcemic as soon as 2 weeks after allotransplantation. Correspondingly, normocalcemic animals showed vital parathyroid tissue inside the microcapsules, which were surrounded by a significantly smaller rim of fibroblasts when amitogenic alginate had been used. In addition to confirming physiologic long-term function, we were able to document for the first time that immunoisolation can also be achieved with the novel amitogenic alginate, which is suitable for clinical use.

Fractions from commercial collagenase preparations: Use in enzymic isolation of the islets of Langerhans from porcine pancreas

Transplantation of isolated islets of Langerhans is an intriguing possibility for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The isolation of islets from pancreata requires the specific dissociation of the tissue. Commercial collagenases from Clostridium histolyticum are widely used for this purpose. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these commercial enzymes is not predictable and differs considerably between suppliers and even from lot to lot. This is due mainly to differences in their specific collagenase activity and to the presence of other lytic enzymes, as well as to other contaminants. Free flow zone electrophoresis (FFZE) was used to separate the effective protein components from undesired compounds and to prepare a digestive enzyme mixture with controlled composition of lytic activities. Fractionation of crude collagenases by FFZE resulted in partially purified protein fractions that were enriched for collagenase and tryptic activities, and contained only trace amounts of neutral protease. These preparations proved to be highly effective in an in vitro assay for the libration of viable islets from porcine pancreas. To scale up the production of these collagenases with defined enzyme composition, we fractionated two different lots of a commercial collagenase from C. histolyticum (one lot effective in islet isolation, the other not) by using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on hydroxyapatite. Again, high efficacy of islet release from pancreatic tissue was correlated to high specific tryptic and collagenase activities and low levels of neutral protease. The chromatographic protocol developed in this study converted a non-effective collagenase lot into a preparation that allowed successful islet isolation.

Transplantation of free and microencapsulated islets in rats: evidence for the requirement of an increased islet mass for transplantation into the peritoneal site.

Microencapsulation of islets of Langerhans may avoid the necessity of a permanent immunosuppressive drug therapy and opens up new perspectives for xenotransplantation in the treatment of insulin dependent diabetes. In a mouse model we recently showed long-term normoglycemia after microencapsulated xenotransplantation. Since the acceptance of mice to any kind of foreign material is quite high we assume that the rat model better reflects the situation of higher mammalians or even humans. Due to the volume of the transplanted material (i.e. islets + alginate-capsule) only the peritoneal cavity can be used up to now. The quantity of islets necessary to normalize the non-fasting blood glucose level was much higher than expected and free transplants needed even a higher amount of islets than encapsulated ones (3000 encapsulated vs. 2 x 3000 non-encapsulated). Transplantation beneath the kidney capsule was successful with only 1200-1500 islets per rat proving the metabolic potency of the islets. Implantation of empty capsules did not alter the diabetic state. We conclude that the alginate matrix may act as a “spacer” creating a distance between the consuments of a lacking substrate esp. oxygen in an unfavourable environment and perhaps protect it from unspecific mediators released during the postoperative period. Our findings underline the necessity for smaller capsules that would enable us to use other transplantation sites.

TRANSPLANTATION OF PARATHYROID TISSUE IN EXPERIMENTAL HYPOPARATHYROIDISM :IN VITRO AND IN VIVO FUNCTION OF PARATHYROID TISSUE MICROENCAPSULATED WITH A NOVEL AMITOGENIC ALGINATE

Microencapsulation of tissues is an alternative to postoperative immunosuppression in transplantation. In 1994 iso-, allo- and xenotransplantation of microencapsulated parathyroid tissue was achieved in vivo. However, continued analysis of the coating substance (an alginate) determined mitogenic properties. Here, we report on the in vitro and in vivo function of parathyroid tissue microencapsulated with a novel amitogenic alginate suitable for use in humans. To assess in vitro function, parathyroid tissue encapsulated with mitogenic and amitogenic alginate was exposed to rising concentrations of calcium. For in vivo experiments, it was isotransplanted into parathyroidectomized rats. PTH release into medium and PTH serum levels as well as calcium levels of recipient rats were analyzed and compared to native (non-microencapsulated) tissue and empty capsules, respectively. In vivo, transplants were excised and subjected to histologic examination six months after trans-plantation. In vitro, parathyroid tissue encapsulated with amitogenic alginate releases approximately half of the PTH of native tissue, not different from tissue encapsulated with the mitogenic alginate. In vivo, the novel alginate preserved parathyroid function similar to that of native tissue over the six month period resulting in complete reversal of hypoparathyroidism. Correspondingly, histologic examination revealed vital parathyroid tissue in intact microcapsules. By establishing in vitro function and successful long-term transplantation, we have documented the principle of microencapsulation of parathyroid tissue to be effective also with the novel amitogenic alginate, which is suitable for clinical use.

COMPARTMENTED METABOLITE POOLS IN PROTOPLASTS FROM THE GREEN ALGA CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII : CHANGES AFTER TRANSITION FROM AEROBIOSIS TO ANAEROBIOSIS IN THE DARK

A rapid fractionation method for determination of metabolite levels in the chloroplast and the extrachloroplast compartment of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been developed. Protoplasts containing one large chloroplast were fractionated by passing them through a multilayer gradient containing digitonin, polyacrylamide, and a mixture of silicone oil and bromodecane. Lysis of the plasma membrane and the separation of the chloroplasts from most of the extrachloroplast material was achieved within less than 5 s. The chloroplast enriched fraction was contaminated with 3% fumarase (mitochondria) and 13% phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase (cytosol). Metabolites of the upper glycolytic chain were detected mainly in the chloroplasts, whereas 2-phosphoglycerate was found only in the extrachloroplast compartment. Analysis of changes in metabolite concentrations after transition to anaerobic conditions in the dark pointed to a regulation of carbohydrate catabolism by chloroplast phosphofructokinase and by cytosolic pyruvatekinase.