Cell growth of immortalized arachnoid cells in the presence of fibroblasts and blood products.
OBJECTIVE
The pathophysiology of non-obstructive hydrocephalus involves alteration in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathways. The exact mechanism is unknown, but as arachnoid CSF egress is a major route of CSF removal, damage or alteration to the growth of arachnoid cells may influence the rate of CSF absorption. We investigated the effect of soluble factors secreted by fibroblasts and the presence of blood products on arachnoid cell growth.


METHODS
An immortalized arachnoid cell line was developed and cells were grown on semipermeable membranes in a culture chamber. Arachnoid cells were plated in Transwells®, with fibroblasts separated from the arachnoid cells. Cell phenotype was analyzed and cell growth rates were determined by manual counts. Similar experiments were conducted with biliverdin, bilirubin, as well as fibroblast challenge. DNA content in the cell cultures was then determined as corroborative data. Cell counts for the additional arachnoid cell lines were calculated at each day and represented the controls.


RESULTS
Cell counts increased with each time point. Arachnoid cells in the three experimental conditions showed a statistically significant decrease in cell counts for each day when compared to the control group. Post hoc analysis showed differences between the control and experimental conditions but no significant difference between groups. The DNA content for each experimental condition was reduced at all time points when compared to the control arachnoid cells, but only became statistically significant at day 7.


CONCLUSIONS
Inflammation and hemorrhage are two common conditions associated with the development of hydrocephalus. The arachnoid membrane is exposed to fibroblasts and blood products (bilirubin, biliverdin) in these conditions, and their effect on arachnoid cell growth was studied. We have shown that arachnoid cell growth decreases in the presence of fibroblasts, bilirubin, and biliverdin. Given its intimate relationship with CSF, it is possible that the decreased growth of arachnoid cells may affect absorption and thus contribute to the development of hydrocephalus.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, USA.
Catherine A
CA
Miller
Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, USA. Electronic address: hanse989@umn.edu.
Eric A
EA
Hansen
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, USA.
Cornelius H
CH
Lam
D000818:Animals; D001099:Arachnoid / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D001664:Biliverdine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D001664:Biliverdine
Arachnoid cells; Bilirubin; Biliverdin; Fibroblasts; Hydrocephalus