Enzyme-Free In-Situ Electrochemical Measurement Using a Porous Membrane Electrode for Glucose Transport into Cell Spheroids.

Microphysiological systems have attracted attention because of their use in drug screening. However, it is challenging to measure cell functions in real time using a device. In this study, we developed a cell culture device using a porous membrane electrode for in situ electrochemical glucose measurements for cell analysis.

AlveoMPU: Bridging the Gap in Lung Model Interactions Using a Novel Alveolar Bilayer Film.

The alveoli, critical sites for gas exchange in the lungs, comprise alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary capillary endothelial cells. Traditional experimental models rely on porous polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate membranes, which restrict direct cell-to-cell contact. To address this limitation, we developed AlveoMPU, a new foam-based mortar-like polyurethane-formed alveolar model that facilitates direct cell-cell interactions.

Efficient transduction of cytotoxic and anti-HIV-1 genes by a gene-regulatable lentiviral vector.

Lentiviral vectors modified from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) offer a promising approach for gene therapy, facilitating transduction of genes into non-dividing cells both in vitro and in vivo. When transducing cytotoxic or anti-HIV genes, however, the vector must avoid self-inhibition by the transgene that can lead to a disruption in production of infectious virions. In this study, we constructed two HIV-1-based lentiviral vectors harboring the mifepristone-inducible gene expression unit in either the forward or the reverse orientation with respect to the direction of viral genomic RNA.

Collaborative work on evaluation of ovarian toxicity. 14) Two- or four-week repeated-dose studies and fertility study of atrazine in female rats.

To investigate the optimal administration period for evaluating ovarian toxicity that reflects abnormal female fertility in the repeated dose toxicity study, atrazine, a potent herbicide with endocrine-disrupting activity, was administered to female Sprague-Dawley (Slc:SD) rats for two or four weeks at doses of 3, 30 or 300 mg/kg for the repeated dose toxicity study, and at doses of 3, 30 or 100 mg/kg for the female fertility study from two weeks before mating to Day 7 of gestation. In the two-week repeated dose toxicity study, prolongation of diestrus and histopathological findings such as loss of the currently formed corpora lutea, decrease in the numbers of previously formed corpora lutea, increase in large-sized atretic follicles, and swelling of the previously formed luteal cells were observed in the 300 mg/kg group, suggesting that atrazine had an anovulatory effect through suppression of the luteinizing hormone surge. In the female fertility study, copulation failure caused by prolongation of diestrus was observed in one animal in the 100 mg/kg group, which could be due to the anovulatory effect of atrazine.