Organotypic Spinal Cord Culture: a Proper Platform for the Functional Screening

Abstract

Recent improvements in organotypic slice culturing and its accompanying technological innovations have made this biological preparation increasingly useful ex vivo experimental model. Among organotypic slice cultures obtained from various central nervous regions, spinal cord slice culture is an absorbing model that represents several unique advantages over other current in vitro and in vivo models. The culture of developing spinal cord slices, as allows real-time observation of embryonic cells behaviors, is an instrumental platform for developmental investigation. Importantly, due to the ability of ex vivo models to recapitulate different aspects of corresponding in vivo conditions, these models have been subject of various manipulations to derive disease-relevant slice models. Moreover spinal cord slice cultures represent a potential platform for screening of different pharmacological agents and evaluation of cell transplantation and neuroregenerative materials. In this review, we will focus on studies carried out using the ex vivo model of spinal cord slice cultures and main advantages linked to practicality of these slices in both normal and neuropathological diseases and summarize them in different categories based on application.

Valproic acid preserves motoneurons following contusion in organotypic spinal cord slice culture

“…Based on growing number of evidence, organotypic spinal cord slice culture has been considered as a promising replacement of animal models and it is a proper context for addressing the impact of numerous treatments following SCI. 13 Pharmacological intervention is one of the potential strategies that have gained considerable insight to promote recovery after SCI alone or in combination with other treatments as an enhancer to attenuate the inhospitable environment of SCI for elevating the impacts of other subsequent main therapeutic strategies like cell-based therapies. [14][15][16] The delivery of a pharmacological agents with neuroprotective role shortly after SCI has been long explored.…”

“…Up to the present, a variety of enhancing drugs have been tested in the animal SCI models. Since modeling injury in organotypic spinal cord slice culture is rapidly increasing, 13,17 finding the effective therapeutic interventions in this new context is required for future combinatory therapies.…”

In Vitro Models of Spinal Cord Injury

“…Moreover, OTS-SCs can be utilized to improve the ex vivo neurological disorders and thus represent an intermediate step between in vitro experiments and animal models [53].…”

Ex Vivo Rat Transected Spinal Cord Slices as a Model to Assess Lentiviral Vector Delivery of Neurotrophin-3 and Short Hairpin RNA against NG2

“…These animal models are also important for evaluating the efficacy and safety of new therapies to promote regeneration and repair of damaged tissue. However, the animal-based models of SCI require substantial post-operative care and are time consuming and expensive [4]. Furthermore, there is an international effort to replace, reduce and refine animal-based studies (the three Rs).…”