Browsing by Author "Ehrenfeld, Carolina"

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    Development of a Novel Perfusable Solution for ex vivo Preservation: Towards Photosynthetic Oxygenation for Organ Transplantation
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2021) Veloso Gimenez, Valentina; Escamilla, Rosalba; Necuñir, David; Corrales Orovio, Rocio; Riveros, Sergio; Marino, Carlo; Ehrenfeld, Carolina; Guzman, Christian Dani; Boric, Mauricio P.; Rebolledo, Rolando; Egaña, José Tomas
    Oxygen is the key molecule for aerobic metabolism, but no animal cells can produce it, creating an extreme dependency on external supply. In contrast, microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms, therefore, they are able to produce oxygen as plant cells do. As hypoxia is one of the main issues in organ transplantation, especially during preservation, the main goal of this work was to develop the first generation of perfusable photosynthetic solutions, exploring its feasibility for ex vivo organ preservation. Here, the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was incorporated in a standard preservation solution, and key aspects such as alterations in cell size, oxygen production and survival were studied. Osmolarity and rheological features of the photosynthetic solution were comparable to human blood. In terms of functionality, the photosynthetic solution proved to be not harmful and to provide sufficient oxygen to support the metabolic requirement of zebrafish larvae and rat kidney slices. Thereafter, isolated porcine kidneys were perfused, and microalgae reached all renal vasculature, without inducing damage. After perfusion and flushing, no signs of tissue damage were detected, and recovered microalgae survived the process. Altogether, this work proposes the use of photosynthetic microorganisms as vascular oxygen factories to generate and deliver oxygen in isolated organs, representing a novel and promising strategy for organ preservation.
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    Microalgae share key features with human erythrocytes and can safely circulate through the vascular system in mice
    (2023) Ehrenfeld, Carolina; Veloso-Giménez, Valentina; Corrales-Orovio, Rocío; Rebolledo, Rolando; Boric, Mauricio P.; Egaña, José Tomás
    As animal cells cannot produce oxygen, erythrocytes are responsible for gas interchange, being able to capture and deliver oxygen upon tissue request. Interestingly, several other cells in nature produce oxygen by photosynthesis, raising the question of whether they could circulate within the vascular networks, acting as an alternative source for oxygen delivery. To address this long-term goal, here some physical and mechanical features of the photosynthetic microalga Chlamydomona reinhardtii were studied and compared with erythrocytes, revealing that both exhibit similar size and rheological properties. Moreover, key biocompatibility aspects of the microalgae were evaluated in vitro and in vivo, showing that C. reinhardtii can be co-cultured with endothelial cells, without affecting each other’s morphology and viability. Moreover, short-term systemic perfusion of the microalgae showed a thoroughly intravascular distribution in mice. Finally, the systemic injection of high numbers of microalgae did not trigger deleterious responses in living mice. Altogether, this work provides key scientific insights to support the notion that photosynthetic oxygenation could be achieved by circulating microalgae, representing another important step towards human photosynthesis.