Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) Induce Cell Junction Alterations in a Human 3D In Vitro Model of the Blood-Brain Barrier

• Main Authors: Ellaine Salvador (Author), Theresa Köppl (Author), Julia Hörmann (Author), Sebastian Schönhärl (Author), Polina Bugaeva (Author), Almuth F. Kessler (Author), Malgorzata Burek (Author), Ralf-Ingo Ernestus (Author), Mario Löhr (Author), Carsten Hagemann (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

In a recent study, we showed in an in vitro murine cerebellar microvascular endothelial cell (cerebEND) model as well as in vivo in rats that Tumor-Treating Fields (TTFields) reversibly open the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This process is facilitated by delocalizing tight junction proteins such as claudin-5 from the membrane to the cytoplasm. In investigating the possibility that the same effects could be observed in human-derived cells, a 3D co-culture model of the BBB was established consisting of primary microvascular brain endothelial cells (HBMVEC) and immortalized pericytes, both of human origin. The TTFields at a frequency of 100 kHz administered for 72 h increased the permeability of our human-derived BBB model. The integrity of the BBB had already recovered 48 h post-TTFields, which is earlier than that observed in cerebEND. The data presented herein validate the previously observed effects of TTFields in murine models. Moreover, due to the fact that human cell-based in vitro models more closely resemble patient-derived entities, our findings are highly relevant for pre-clinical studies.

Item Description

10.3390/pharmaceutics15010185
1999-4923