Isolation methods and characterization of primary rat neurovascular cells

TL;DR

This paper provides detailed methods for isolating and characterizing rat brain cells to study the blood-brain barrier and improve drug screening.

Contribution

The paper introduces optimized, reproducible protocols for isolating astrocytes, pericytes, and endothelial cells with detailed morphological benchmarks.

Findings

The methodology successfully isolated astrocytes, pericytes, and endothelial cells with high viability and maturation over 12 days.

Morphological changes and milestones for each cell type were characterized using microscopy and nuclear staining.

Mixed glial cultures showed decreasing percentages of microglia and neurons after passaging.

Abstract

There is significant interest in isolating cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for use in in vitro screening of therapeutics and analyzing cell specific roles in neurovascular pathology. Primary brain cells play an advantageous role in BBB models; however, isolation procedures often do not produce cells at high enough yields for experiments. In addition, although numerous reports provide primary cell isolation methods, the field is lacking in documentation and detail of expected morphological changes that occur throughout culturing and there are minimal troubleshooting resources. Here, we present simplified, robust, and reproducible methodology for isolating astrocytes, pericytes, and endothelial cells, and demonstrate several morphological benchmarks for each cell type throughout the process and culture timeframe. We also analyze common considerations for developing neurovascular cell isolation procedures and recommend solutions for troubleshooting.

The presented methodology isolated astrocytes, pericytes, and endothelial cells and enabled cell attachment, maturation, and cell viability. We characterized milestones in cell maturation over 12 days in culture, a common timeline for applications of these cell types in BBB models. Phase contrast microscopy was used to show initial cell plating, attachment, and daily growth of isolated cells. Confocal microscopy images were analyzed to determine the identity of cell types and changes to cell morphology. Nuclear staining was also used to show the viability and proliferation of glial cells at four time points. Astrocyte branches became numerous and complex with increased culture time. Microglia, oligodendrocytes, and neurons were present in mixed glial cultures for 12 days, though the percentage of microglia and neurons expectedly decreased after passaging, with microglia demonstrating a less branched morphology.

Neurovascular cells can be isolated through our optimized protocols that minimize cell loss and encourage the adhesion and proliferation of isolated cells. By identifying timepoints of viable glia and neurons within an astrocyte-dominant mixed culture, these cells can be used to evaluate drug targeting, uptake studies, and response to pathological stimulus in the neurovascular unit.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13036-024-00434-3.

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