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Gonçalves RC, Oliveira MB, Mano JF. Exploring the potential of all-aqueous immiscible systems for preparing complex biomaterials and cellular constructs. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2024; 11:4573-4599. [PMID: 39010747 DOI: 10.1039/d4mh00431k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
All-aqueous immiscible systems derived from liquid-liquid phase separation of incompatible hydrophilic agents such as polymers and salts have found increasing interest in the biomedical and tissue engineering fields in the last few years. The unique characteristics of aqueous interfaces, namely their low interfacial tension and elevated permeability, as well as the non-toxic environment and high water content of the immiscible phases, confer to these systems optimal qualities for the development of biomaterials such as hydrogels and soft membranes, as well as for the preparation of in vitro tissues derived from cellular assembly. Here, we overview the main properties of these systems and present a critical review of recent strategies that have been used for the development of biomaterials with increased levels of complexity using all-aqueous immiscible phases and interfaces, and their potential as cell-confining environments for micropatterning approaches and the bioengineering of cell-rich structures. Importantly, due to the relatively recent emergence of these areas, several key design considerations are presented, in order to guide researchers in the field. Finally, the main present challenges, future directions, and adaptability to develop advanced materials with increased biomimicry and new potential applications are briefly evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel C Gonçalves
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Mariana B Oliveira
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - João F Mano
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
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2
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Lamichhane A, Tavana H. Three-Dimensional Tumor Models to Study Cancer Stemness-Mediated Drug Resistance. Cell Mol Bioeng 2024; 17:107-119. [PMID: 38737455 PMCID: PMC11082110 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-024-00798-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Solid tumors often contain genetically different populations of cancer cells, stromal cells, various structural and soluble proteins, and other soluble signaling molecules. The American Cancer society estimated 1,958,310 new cancer cases and 609,820 cancer deaths in the United States in 2023. A major barrier against successful treatment of cancer patients is drug resistance. Gain of stem cell-like states by cancer cells under drug pressure or due to interactions with the tumor microenvironment is a major mechanism that renders therapies ineffective. Identifying approaches to target cancer stem cells is expected to improve treatment outcomes for patients. Most of our understanding of drug resistance and the role of cancer stemness is from monolayer cell cultures. Recent advances in cell culture technologies have enabled developing sophisticated three-dimensional tumor models that facilitate mechanistic studies of cancer drug resistance. This review summarizes the role of cancer stemness in drug resistance and highlights the various tumor models that are used to discover the underlying mechanisms and test potentially novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astha Lamichhane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
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3
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Mansouri M, Lamichhane A, Das D, Aucejo F, Tavana H, Leipzig ND. Comparison of Engineered Liver 3D Models and the Role of Oxygenation for Patient-Derived Tumor Cells and Immortalized Cell Lines Cocultured with Tumor Stroma in the Detection of Hepatotoxins. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2024; 8:e2300386. [PMID: 37845003 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202300386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
In metabolically active tumors, responses of cells to drugs are heavily influenced by oxygen availability via the surrounding vasculature alongside the extracellular matrix signaling. The objective of this study is to investigate hepatotoxicity by replicating critical features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This includes replicating 3D structures, metabolic activities, and tumor-specific markers. The internal environment of spheroids comprised of cancerous human patient-derived hepatocytes using microparticles is modulated to enhance the oxygenation state and recreate cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Furthermore, the role of hepatic stellate cells in maintaining hepatocyte survival and function is explored and hepatocytes from two cellular sources (immortalized and patient-derived) to create four formulations with and without microparticles are utilized. To investigate drug-induced changes in metabolism and apoptosis in liver cells, coculture spheroids with and without microparticles are exposed to three hepatotoxic drugs. The use of microparticles increases levels of apoptotic markers in both liver models under drug treatments. This coincides with reduced levels of anti-apoptotic proteins and increased levels of pro-apoptotic proteins. Moreover, cells from different origins undergo apoptosis through distinct apoptotic pathways in response to identical drugs. This 3D microphysiological system offers a viable tool for liver cancer research to investigate mechanisms of apoptosis under different microenvironmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Mansouri
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Astha Lamichhane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Dola Das
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Federico Aucejo
- Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Nic D Leipzig
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
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Blyth RRR, Birts CN, Beers SA. The role of three-dimensional in vitro models in modelling the inflammatory microenvironment associated with obesity in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:104. [PMID: 37697381 PMCID: PMC10494415 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01700-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity is an established risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. However, the underlying biological mechanisms of how obesity contributes to breast cancer remains unclear. The inflammatory adipose microenvironment is central to breast cancer progression and has been shown to favour breast cancer cell growth and to reduce efficacy of anti-cancer treatments. Thus, it is imperative to further our understanding of the inflammatory microenvironment seen in breast cancer patients with obesity. Three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models offer a key tool in increasing our understanding of such complex interactions within the adipose microenvironment. This review discusses some of the approaches utilised to recapitulate the breast tumour microenvironment, including various co-culture and 3D in vitro models. We consider how these model systems contribute to the understanding of breast cancer research, with particular focus on the inflammatory tumour microenvironment. This review aims to provide insight and prospective future directions on the utility of such model systems for breast cancer research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhianna Rachael Romany Blyth
- Antibody and Vaccine Group, Centre for Cancer Immunology, School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Charles N Birts
- Antibody and Vaccine Group, Centre for Cancer Immunology, School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Stephen A Beers
- Antibody and Vaccine Group, Centre for Cancer Immunology, School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
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Kim S, Park J, Ho JN, Kim D, Lee S, Jeon JS. 3D vascularized microphysiological system for investigation of tumor-endothelial crosstalk in anti-cancer drug resistance. Biofabrication 2023; 15:045016. [PMID: 37567223 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/acef99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite the advantages of microfluidic system in drug screening, vascular systems responsible for the transport of drugs and nutrients have been hardly considered in the microfluidic-based chemotherapeutic screening. Considering the physiological characteristics of highly vascularized urinary tumors, we here investigated the chemotherapeutic response of bladder tumor cells using a vascularized tumor on a chip. The microfluidic chip was designed to have open-top region for tumor sample introduction and hydrophilic rail for spontaneous hydrogel patterning, which contributed to the construction of tumor-hydrogel-endothelium interfaces in a spatiotemporal on-demand manner. Utilizing the chip where intravascularly injected cisplatin diffuse across the endothelium and transport into tumor samples, chemotherapeutic responses of cisplatin-resistant or -susceptible bladder tumor cells were evaluated, showing the preservation of cellular drug resistance even within the chip. The open-top structure also enabled the direct harvest of tumor samples and post analysis in terms of secretome and gene expressions. Comparing the cisplatin efficacy of the cisplatin-resistant tumor cells in the presence or absence of endothelium, we found that the proliferation rates of tumor cells were increased in the vasculature-incorporated chip. These have suggested that our vascularized tumor chip allows the establishment of vascular-gel-tumor interfaces in spatiotemporal manners and further enables investigations of chemotherapeutic screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seunggyu Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Joonha Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Nyoung Ho
- Department of Urology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Danhyo Kim
- Department of Urology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangchul Lee
- Department of Urology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Jessie S Jeon
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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Li Y, Zhao L, Huo Y, Yang X, Li Y, Xu H, Li XF. Visualization of hypoxia in cancer cells from effusions in animals and cancer patients. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1019360. [PMID: 36620569 PMCID: PMC9820139 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1019360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Tumor hypoxia is frequently observed in primary solid malignancies, but the hypoxic status of tumor cells floating in body cavity effusions is largely unknown, especially in patients. This study was to observe the hypoxia and proliferation status of cancer cells floating in effusions in mice and patients. Methods The distribution of hypoxia in cancer cells floating in ascites was first studied in nude mice. Hypoxia was detected by immunofluorescent visualization of pimonidazole and GLUT-1. For cancer patients, we retrospectively collected 21 ascites and 7 pleural effusion sample blocks of cancer patients, which were confirmed to contain tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of endogenous hypoxic markers HIF-1α and GLUT-1, proliferation index Ki-67. 18F-FDG PET/CT was performed to detect the glucose metabolism status of tumor cells in effusions. Results The tumor cells collected from ascites were positive for pimonidazole and GLUT-1, which suggesting that the cancer cells floating in ascites were hypoxic. Patterns of tumor hypoxia in human patients are similar to those observed in animal. HIF-1α and GLUT-1 were expressed by tumor cells in nearly all 28 cytological cases. For Ki-67 index, ascites tumor cells had a relatively low expression level compared with their corresponding primary or its metastatic lesions. Tumor cells in effusions showed high 18F-FDG uptake indicated the enhanced activity of glucose metabolism. Conclusion Tumor cells in body cavity effusions, as a unique subgroup of tumor, are in a state of hypoxia and low proliferation, which would be one of the driven causes of chemo-radiotherapy resistance. Novel therapeutic interventions are urgently needed to overcome tumor hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), Shenzhen, China,The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Long Zhao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), Shenzhen, China,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yunlong Huo
- Department of Pathology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xianghong Yang
- Department of Pathology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University, Bao’an, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Xiao-Feng Li, ; Hao Xu,
| | - Xiao-Feng Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), Shenzhen, China,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China,Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Xiao-Feng Li, ; Hao Xu,
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7
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Barra T, Falanga A, Bellavita R, Pisano J, Laforgia V, Prisco M, Galdiero S, Valiante S. Neuroprotective Effects of gH625-lipoPACAP in an In Vitro Fluid Dynamic Model of Parkinson’s Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10102644. [PMID: 36289905 PMCID: PMC9599564 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an aggressive and devastating age-related disorder. Although the causes are still unclear, several factors, including genetic and environmental, are involved. Except for symptomatic drugs, there are not, to date, any real cures for PD. For this purpose, it is necessary develop a model to better study this disease. Neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y, differentiated with retinoic acid represents a good in vitro model to explore PD, since it maintains growth cells to differentiated neurons. In the present study, SH-SY5Y cells were treated with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), a neurotoxin that induces Parkinsonism, and the neuroprotective effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), delivered by functionalized liposomes in a blood–brain barrier fluid dynamic model, were evaluated. We demonstrated PACAP neuroprotective effects when delivered by gH625-liposome on MPP+-damaged SH-SY5Y spheroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Barra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Annarita Falanga
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Rosa Bellavita
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Jessica Pisano
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenza Laforgia
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Marina Prisco
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Stefania Galdiero
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Salvatore Valiante
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-081-2535169
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Spector DV, Erofeev AS, Gorelkin PV, Vaneev AN, Akasov RA, Ul'yanovskiy NV, Nikitina VN, Semkina AS, Vlasova KY, Soldatov MA, Trigub AL, Skvortsov DA, Finko AV, Zyk NV, Sakharov DA, Majouga AG, Beloglazkina EK, Krasnovskaya OO. Electrochemical Detection of a Novel Pt(IV) Prodrug with the Metronidazole Axial Ligand in the Hypoxic Area. Inorg Chem 2022; 61:14705-14717. [PMID: 36047922 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c02062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We report herein a Pt(IV) prodrug with metronidazole in axial positions Pt-Mnz. The nitroaromatic axial ligand was conjugated with a cisplatin scaffold to irreversibly reduce under hypoxic conditions, thereby retaining the Pt(IV) prodrug in the area of hypoxia. X-ray near-edge adsorption spectroscopy (XANES) on dried drug-preincubated tumor cell samples revealed a gradual release of cisplatin from the Pt-Mnz prodrug instead of rapid intracellular degradation. The ability of the prodrug to penetrate into three-dimensional (3D) spheroid cellular cultures was evaluated by a novel electrochemical assay via a platinum-coated carbon nanoelectrode, capable of single-cell measurements. Using a unique technique of electrochemical measurements in single tumor spheroids, we were able to both detect the real-time response of the axial ligand to hypoxia and establish the depth of penetration of the drug into the tumor model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniil V Spector
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia.,National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Leninskiy prospect 4, Moscow 119049, Russia
| | - Alexander S Erofeev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia.,National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Leninskiy prospect 4, Moscow 119049, Russia
| | - Petr V Gorelkin
- National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Leninskiy prospect 4, Moscow 119049, Russia
| | - Alexander N Vaneev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia.,National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Leninskiy prospect 4, Moscow 119049, Russia
| | - Roman A Akasov
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Trubetskaya 8-2, Moscow 119991, Russia.,Federal Scientific Research Center "Crystallography and Photonics" Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy Prospect 59, Moscow 119333, Russia
| | - Nikolay V Ul'yanovskiy
- Core Facility Center "Arktika," Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Arkhangelsk 163002, Russia
| | - Vita N Nikitina
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Alevtina S Semkina
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (RNRMU), Ostrovitianov 1, Moscow 117997, Russia.,Department of Basic and Applied Neurobiology, Serbsky National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology, Kropotkinskiy 23, Moscow 119034, Russia
| | - Kseniya Yu Vlasova
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (RNRMU), Ostrovitianov 1, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Mikhail A Soldatov
- The Smart Materials Research Institute Southern Federal University Sladkova, 178/24, Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
| | - Alexander L Trigub
- National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", Akademika Kurcha-tova pl.,1, Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Dmitry A Skvortsov
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Alexander V Finko
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Nikolay V Zyk
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Dmitry A Sakharov
- Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Miusskaya sq. 9, Moscow 125047, Russia
| | - Alexander G Majouga
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia.,National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Leninskiy prospect 4, Moscow 119049, Russia.,Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Miusskaya sq. 9, Moscow 125047, Russia
| | - Elena K Beloglazkina
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Olga O Krasnovskaya
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1,3, Moscow 119991, Russia.,National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Leninskiy prospect 4, Moscow 119049, Russia
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Preparation of Spheroids from Primary Pig Cells in a Mid-Scale Bioreactor Retaining Their Myogenic Potential. Cells 2022; 11:cells11091453. [PMID: 35563757 PMCID: PMC9103977 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional cell culture techniques mimic the in vivo cell environment more adequately than flat surfaces. Spheroids are multicellular aggregates and we aimed to produce scaffold-free spheroids of myogenic origin, called myospheres, using a mid-scale incubator and bioreactor hybrid. For the first time, we obtained spheroids from primary porcine muscle cells (PMCs) with this technology and compared their morphology and growth parameters, marker expression, and myogenic potential to C2C12-derived spheroids. Both cell types were able to form round-shaped spheroids in the bioreactor already after 24 h. The mean diameter of the C2C12 spheroids (44.6 µm) was larger than that of the PMCs (32.7 µm), and the maximum diameter exceeded 1 mm. C2C12 cells formed less aggregates than PMCs with a higher packing density (cell nuclei/mm2). After dissociation from the spheroids, C2C12 cells and PMCs started to proliferate again and were able to differentiate into the myogenic lineage, as shown by myotube formation and the expression of F-Actin, Desmin, MyoG, and Myosin. For C2C12, multinucleated syncytia and Myosin expression were observed in spheroids, pointing to accelerated myogenic differentiation. In conclusion, the mid-scale incubator and bioreactor system is suitable for spheroid formation and cultivation from primary muscle cells while preserving their myogenic potential.
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Gallegos-Martínez S, Lara-Mayorga IM, Samandari M, Mendoza-Buenrostro C, Flores-Garza BG, Reyes-Cortés L, Segoviano-Ramírez JC, Zhang YS, Trujillo de Santiago G, Alvarez MM. Culture of cancer spheroids and evaluation of anti-cancer drugs in 3D-printed miniaturized continuous stirred tank reactors (mCSTR). Biofabrication 2022; 14. [PMID: 35344936 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ac61a4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cancer continues to be a leading cause of mortality in modern societies; therefore, improved and more reliable in vitro cancer models are needed to expedite fundamental research and anti-cancer drug development. Here, we describe the use of a miniaturized continuous stirred tank reactor (mCSTR) to first fabricate and mature cancer spheroids (i.e, derived from MCF7 cells, DU145 cells, and a mix of MCF7 cells and fibroblasts), and then to conduct anti-cancer drug assays under continuous perfusion. This 3 mL mCSTR features an off-center agitation system that enables homogeneous chaotic laminar mixing at low speeds to support cell aggregation. We incubated cell suspensions for 3 days in ultra-low-adherence (ULA) plates to allow formation of discoid cell aggregates (~600 µm in diameter). These cell aggregates were then transferred into mCSTRs and continuously fed with culture medium. We characterized the spheroid morphology and the expression of relevant tumor biomarkers at different maturation times for up to 4 weeks. The spheroids progressively increased in size during the first 5 to 6 days of culture to reach a steady diameter between 600 and 800 µm. In proof-of-principle experiments, we demonstrated the use of this mCSTR in anti-cancer drug testing. Three drugs commonly used in breast cancer treatment (doxorubicin, docetaxel, and paclitaxel) were probed at different concentrations in MCF7 derived spheroids. In these experiments, we evaluated cell viability, glucose consumption, spheroid morphology, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and the expression of genes associated with drug resistance (ABCB1 and ABCC1) and anti-apoptosis (Bcl2). We envision the use of this agitated system as a tumor-on-a-chip platform to expedite efficacy and safety testing of novel anti-cancer drugs and possibly in personalized medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvador Gallegos-Martínez
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Col. Tecnológico, Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, MEXICO
| | - Itzel Montserrat Lara-Mayorga
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Col. Tecnológico, Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, MEXICO
| | - Mohamadmahdi Samandari
- University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut, 06032-1941, UNITED STATES
| | - Christian Mendoza-Buenrostro
- Centro de Innovación en Diseño y Tecnología, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Monterrey, Nuevo León, 64849, MEXICO
| | - Brenda Giselle Flores-Garza
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Col. Tecnológico, Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, MEXICO
| | - Luisa Reyes-Cortés
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Col. Tecnológico, Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, MEXICO
| | - Juan Carlos Segoviano-Ramírez
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Dr. José Eleuterio González (Gonzalitos), Mitras Centro, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon, 64460, MEXICO
| | - Yu Shrike Zhang
- Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, UNITED STATES
| | - Grissel Trujillo de Santiago
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Col. Tecnológico, Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, MEXICO
| | - Mario Moisés Alvarez
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Col. Tecnológico, Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, MEXICO
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11
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Brenna C, Simioni C, Varano G, Conti I, Costanzi E, Melloni M, Neri LM. Optical tissue clearing associated with 3D imaging: application in preclinical and clinical studies. Histochem Cell Biol 2022; 157:497-511. [PMID: 35235045 PMCID: PMC9114043 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-022-02081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the inner morphology of intact tissues is one of the most competitive challenges in modern biology. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, optical tissue clearing (OTC) has provided solutions for volumetric imaging, allowing the microscopic visualization of thick sections of tissue, organoids, up to whole organs and organisms (for example, mouse or rat). Recently, tissue clearing has also been introduced in clinical settings to achieve a more accurate diagnosis with the support of 3D imaging. This review aims to give an overview of the most recent developments in OTC and 3D imaging and to illustrate their role in the field of medical diagnosis, with a specific focus on clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Brenna
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.,Medical Research Center, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Carolina Simioni
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.,LTTA - Electron Microscopy Center, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Gabriele Varano
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Ilaria Conti
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Eva Costanzi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Mattia Melloni
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luca Maria Neri
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy. .,LTTA - Electron Microscopy Center, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
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12
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Mansouri M, Beemer S, Kothapalli CR, Rhoades T, Fodor PS, Das D, Leipzig ND. Generation of Oxygenating Fluorinated Methacrylamide Chitosan Microparticles to Increase Cell Survival and Function in Large Liver Spheroids. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:4899-4913. [PMID: 35060707 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c19962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite advances in the development of complex culture technologies, the utility, survival, and function of large 3D cell aggregates, or spheroids, are impeded by mass transport limitations. The incorporation of engineered microparticles into these cell aggregates offers a promising approach to increase spheroid integrity through the creation of extracellular spaces to improve mass transport. In this study, we describe the formation of uniform oxygenating fluorinated methacrylamide chitosan (MACF) microparticles via a T-shaped microfluidic device, which when incorporated into spheroids increased extracellular spacing and enhanced oxygen transport via perfluorocarbon substitutions. The addition of MACF microparticles into large liver cell spheroids supported the formation of stable and large spheroids (>500 μm in diameter) made of a heterogeneous population of immortalized human hepatoma (HepG2) and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) (4 HepG2/1 HSC), especially at a 150:1 ratio of cells to microparticles. Further, as confirmed by the albumin, urea, and CYP3A4 secretion amounts into the culture media, biological functionality was maintained over 10 days due to the incorporation of MACF microparticles as compared to controls without microparticles. Importantly, we demonstrated the utility of fluorinated microparticles in reducing the number of hypoxic cells within the core regions of spheroids, while also promoting the diffusion of other small molecules in and out of these 3D in vitro models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Mansouri
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, University of Akron, 200 E Buchtel Avenue, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Samantha Beemer
- Department of Biology, University of Akron, 235 Carroll Street, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Chandrasekhar R Kothapalli
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Tyler Rhoades
- Department of Physics, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, Unied States
| | - Petru S Fodor
- Department of Physics, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, Unied States
| | - Dola Das
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9620 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Nic D Leipzig
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, University of Akron, 200 E Buchtel Avenue, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
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13
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Sukanya VS, Rath SN. Microfluidic Biosensor-Based Devices for Rapid Diagnosis and Effective Anti-cancer Therapeutic Monitoring for Breast Cancer Metastasis. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1379:319-339. [PMID: 35760998 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-04039-9_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer with unpredictable metastatic recurrence is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Early cancer detection and optimized therapy are the principal determining factors for increased survival rate. Worldwide, researchers and clinicians are in search of efficient strategies for the timely management of cancer progression. Efficient preclinical models provide information on cancer initiation, malignancy progression, relapse, and drug efficacy. The distinct histopathological features and clinical heterogeneity allows no single model to mimic breast tumor. However, engineering three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models incorporating cells and biophysical cues using a combination of organoid culture, 3D printing, and microfluidic technology could recapitulate the tumor microenvironment. These models serve to be preferable predictive models bridging the translational research gap in drug development. Microfluidic device is a cost-effective advanced in vitro model for cancer research, diagnosis, and drug assay under physiologically relevant conditions. Integrating a biosensor with microfluidics allows rapid real-time analytical validation to provide highly sensitive, specific, reproducible, and reliable outcomes. In this manner, the multi-system approach in identifying biomarkers associated with cancer facilitates early detection, therapeutic window optimization, and post-treatment evaluation.This chapter showcases the advancements related to in vitro breast cancer metastasis models focusing on microfluidic devices. The chapter aims to provide an overview of microfluidic biosensor-based devices for cancer detection and high-throughput chemotherapeutic drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- V S Sukanya
- Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Laboratory (RMS), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangareddy, Telangana, India
| | - Subha Narayan Rath
- Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Laboratory (RMS), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangareddy, Telangana, India.
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14
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Li Y, Zhao L, Li XF. Targeting Hypoxia: Hypoxia-Activated Prodrugs in Cancer Therapy. Front Oncol 2021; 11:700407. [PMID: 34395270 PMCID: PMC8358929 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.700407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is an important characteristic of most solid malignancies, and is closely related to tumor prognosis and therapeutic resistance. Hypoxia is one of the most important factors associated with resistance to conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therapies targeting tumor hypoxia have attracted considerable attention. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs) are bioreductive drugs that are selectively activated under hypoxic conditions and that can accurately target the hypoxic regions of solid tumors. Both single-agent and combined use with other drugs have shown promising antitumor effects. In this review, we discuss the mechanism of action and the current preclinical and clinical progress of several of the most widely used HAPs, summarize their existing problems and shortcomings, and discuss future research prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Long Zhao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, China.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, China.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
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15
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Lamichhane A, Thakuri PS, Rafsanjani Nejad P, Tavana H. Modeling adaptive drug resistance of colorectal cancer and therapeutic interventions with tumor spheroids. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2021; 246:2372-2380. [PMID: 34102903 DOI: 10.1177/15353702211014185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance is a major barrier against successful treatments of cancer patients. Various intrinsic mechanisms and adaptive responses of tumor cells to cancer drugs often lead to failure of treatments and tumor relapse. Understanding mechanisms of cancer drug resistance is critical to develop effective treatments with sustained anti-tumor effects. Three-dimensional cultures of cancer cells known as spheroids present a biologically relevant model of avascular tumors and have been increasingly incorporated in tumor biology and cancer drug discovery studies. In this review, we discuss several recent studies from our group that utilized colorectal tumor spheroids to investigate responses of cancer cells to cytotoxic and molecularly targeted drugs and uncover mechanisms of drug resistance. We highlight our findings from both short-term, one-time treatments and long-term, cyclic treatments of tumor spheroids and discuss mechanisms of adaptation of cancer cells to the treatments. Guided by mechanisms of resistance, we demonstrate the feasibility of designing specific drug combinations to effectively block growth and resistance of cancer cells in spheroid cultures. Finally, we conclude with our perspectives on the utility of three-dimensional tumor models and their shortcomings and advantages for phenotypic and mechanistic studies of cancer drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astha Lamichhane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Pradip Shahi Thakuri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | | | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
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16
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Qu F, Zhao S, Cheng G, Rahman H, Xiao Q, Chan RWY, Ho YP. Double emulsion-pretreated microwell culture for the in vitro production of multicellular spheroids and their in situ analysis. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2021; 7:38. [PMID: 34567752 PMCID: PMC8433470 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-021-00267-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Multicellular spheroids have served as a promising preclinical model for drug efficacy testing and disease modeling. Many microfluidic technologies, including those based on water-oil-water double emulsions, have been introduced for the production of spheroids. However, sustained culture and the in situ characterization of the generated spheroids are currently unavailable for the double emulsion-based spheroid model. This study presents a streamlined workflow, termed the double emulsion-pretreated microwell culture (DEPMiC), incorporating the features of (1) effective initiation of uniform-sized multicellular spheroids by the pretreatment of double emulsions produced by microfluidics without the requirement of biomaterial scaffolds; (2) sustained maintenance and culture of the produced spheroids with facile removal of the oil confinement; and (3) in situ characterization of individual spheroids localized in microwells by a built-in analytical station. Characterized by microscopic observations and Raman spectroscopy, the DEPMiC cultivated spheroids accumulated elevated lipid ordering on the apical membrane, similar to that observed in their Matrigel counterparts. Made possible by the proposed technological advancement, this study subsequently examined the drug responses of these in vitro-generated multicellular spheroids. The developed DEPMiC platform is expected to generate health benefits in personalized cancer treatment by offering a pre-animal tool to dissect heterogeneity from individual tumor spheroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyang Qu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shirui Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Guangyao Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Habibur Rahman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Qinru Xiao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Renee Wan Yi Chan
- CUHK-UMCU Joint Research Laboratory of Respiratory Virus and Immunobiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Laboratory for Paediatric Respiratory Research, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Hong Kong Hub of Paediatric Excellence, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yi-Ping Ho
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Hong Kong Branch of CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Regeneration Medicine, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Novel Biomaterials, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
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17
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Rafsanjani Nejad P, Shahi Thakuri P, Singh S, Lamichhane A, Heiss J, Tavana H. Toxicity of Combinations of Kinase Pathway Inhibitors to Normal Human Cells in a Three-Dimensional Culture. SLAS Technol 2021; 26:255-264. [PMID: 33880947 DOI: 10.1177/24726303211008858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to single-agent chemotherapy and molecularly targeted drugs prevents sustained efficacy of treatments. To address this challenge, combination drug treatments have been used to improve outcomes for patients. Potential toxicity of combination treatments is a major concern, however, and has led to the failure of several clinical trials in different cancers. The use of cell-based models of normal tissues in preclinical studies enables testing and identifying toxic effects of drug combinations and facilitates an informed decision-making process for advancing the treatments to animal models and clinical trials. Recently, we established that combinations of molecular inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathways effectively and synergistically inhibit growth of BRAFmut and KRASmut colorectal tumor spheroids by blocking feedback signaling of downstream kinase pathways. These pathways are important for cell proliferation, however, and their simultaneous inhibition may cause toxicity to normal cells. We used a cellular spheroid model to study toxicities of drug combinations to human bone marrow and colon. Our results indicated that MAPK and PI3K/Akt inhibitors used simultaneously were only moderately toxic to bone marrow cells but significantly more toxic to colon cells. Our molecular analysis of proliferative cell activities and housekeeping proteins further corroborated these results. Overall, our approach to identify toxic effects of combinations of cancer drugs to normal cells in three-dimensional cultures will facilitate more informed treatment selections for subsequent animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sunil Singh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
| | - Astha Lamichhane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
| | - Jacob Heiss
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
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18
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Li Y, Zhao L, Li XF. The Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug TH-302: Exploiting Hypoxia in Cancer Therapy. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:636892. [PMID: 33953675 PMCID: PMC8091515 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.636892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is an important feature of most solid tumors, conferring resistance to radiation and many forms of chemotherapy. However, it is possible to exploit the presence of tumor hypoxia with hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs), agents that in low oxygen conditions undergo bioreduction to yield cytotoxic metabolites. Although many such agents have been developed, we will focus here on TH-302. TH-302 has been extensively studied, and we discuss its mechanism of action, as well as its efficacy in preclinical and clinical studies, with the aim of identifying future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Long Zhao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, China.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, China.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
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19
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The New Serum-Free OptiPASS ® Medium in Cold and Oxygen-Free Conditions: An Innovative Conservation Method for the Preservation of MDA-MB-231 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Spheroids. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081945. [PMID: 33919619 PMCID: PMC8073891 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Cancer spheroids are reproducible and relevant multicellular in vitro preclinical models. Thus, their use is required more and more for drug development processes in oncology in order to improve the prediction of anticancer drugs responses. Moreover, spheroid models allow for the reduction in animal experimentation, in accordance with the rule of Reduce, Refine, Replace (3Rs). In order to optimize and extend the use of these spheroid models, this works was focused on the development of an original methodology to keep these cancer spheroids in the long term. This innovative concept is based on a cold storage for up to 7 days of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) spheroids cultured in the synthetic serum-free OptiPASS® culture medium. Major spheroid characteristics could be preserved with this new conservation method, allowing their use in high throughput screening tests. Abstract Cancer spheroids are very effective preclinical models to improve anticancer drug screening. In order to optimize and extend the use of spheroid models, these works were focused on the development of a new storage concept to maintain these models in the longer term using the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231 spheroid models. The results highlight that the combination of a temperature of 4 °C and oxygen-free conditions allowed the spheroid characteristics of OptiPASS® serum-free culture medium to preserve the spheroid characteristics during 3-, 5- or 7-day-long storage. Indeed, after storage they were returned to normal culture conditions, with recovered spheroids presenting similar growth rates (recovery = 96.2%), viability (Live/Dead® profiles) and metabolic activities (recovery = 90.4%) compared to nonstored control spheroids. Likewise, both recovered spheroids (after storage) and nonstored controls presented the same response profiles as two conventional drugs, i.e., epirubicin and cisplatin, and two anti-PARP1 targeted drugs—i.e., olaparib and veliparib. This new original storage concept seems to induce a temporary stop in spheroid growth while maintaining their principal characteristics for further use. In this way, this innovative and simple storage concept may instigate future biological sample preservation strategies.
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20
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Pt(IV) Prodrugs with NSAIDs as Axial Ligands. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22083817. [PMID: 33917027 PMCID: PMC8067705 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A chemo-anti-inflammatory strategy is of interest for the treatment of aggressive cancers. The platinum (IV) prodrug with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as axial ligands is designed to efficiently enter tumor cells due to high lipophilicity and release the cytotoxic metabolite and NSAID intracellularly, thereby reducing side effects and increasing the therapeutic efficacy of platinum chemotherapy. Over the last 7 years, a number of publications have been devoted to the design of such Pt(IV) prodrugs in combination with anti-inflammatory chemotherapy, with high therapeutic efficacy in vitro and In vivo. In this review, we summarize the studies devoted to the development of Pt(IV) prodrugs with NSAIDs as axial ligands, the study of the mechanism of their cytotoxic action and anti-inflammatory activity, the structure-activity ratio, and therapeutic efficacy.
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21
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Le MCN, Xu K, Wang Z, Beverung S, Steward RL, Florczyk SJ. Evaluation of the effect of 3D porous Chitosan-alginate scaffold stiffness on breast cancer proliferation and migration. J Biomed Mater Res A 2021; 109:1990-2000. [PMID: 33811775 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BCa) is one of the most common cancers for women and metastatic BCa causes the majority of deaths. The extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffens during cancer progression and provides biophysical signals to modulate proliferation, morphology, and metastasis. Cells utilize mechanotransduction and integrins to sense and respond to ECM stiffness. Chitosan-alginate (CA) scaffolds have been used for 3D culture, but lack integrin binding ligands, resulting in round cell morphology and limited cell-material interaction. In this study, 2, 4, and 6 wt% CA scaffolds were produced to mimic the stages of BCa progression and evaluate the BCa response to CA scaffold stiffness. All three CA scaffold compositions highly porous with interconnected pores and scaffold stiffness increased with increasing polymer concentration. MDA-MB-231 (231) cells were cultured in CA scaffolds and 2D cultures for 7 d. All CA scaffold cultures had similar cell numbers at 7 d and the 231 cells formed clusters that increased in size during the culture. The 2 wt% CA had the largest clusters throughout the 7 d culture compared with the 4 and 6 wt% CA. The 231 cell migration was evaluated on 2D surfaces after 7 d culture. The 6 wt% CA cultured cells had the greatest migration speed, followed by 4 wt% CA, 2D cultures, and 2 wt% CA. These results suggest that 231 cells sensed the stiffness of CA scaffolds without the presence of focal adhesions. This indicates that a non-integrin-based mechanism may explain the observed mechanotransduction response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh-Chau N Le
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.,Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Kailei Xu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Zi Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Sean Beverung
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Robert L Steward
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.,Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Stephanie J Florczyk
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.,Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
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22
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Decarli MC, do Amaral RLF, Dos Santos DP, Tofani LB, Katayama E, Rezende RA, Silva JVLD, Swiech K, Suazo CAT, Mota C, Moroni L, Moraes ÂM. Cell spheroids as a versatile research platform: formation mechanisms, high throughput production, characterization and applications. Biofabrication 2021; 13. [PMID: 33592595 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/abe6f2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Three-dimensional cell culture has tremendous advantages to closely mimic the in vivo architecture and microenvironment of healthy tissue and organs, as well as of solid tumors. Spheroids are currently the most attractive 3D model to produce uniform reproducible cell structures as well as a potential basis for engineering large tissues and complex organs. In this review we discuss, from an engineering perspective, processes to obtain uniform 3D cell spheroids, comparing dynamic and static cultures and considering aspects such as mass transfer and shear stress. In addition, computational and mathematical modelling of complex cell spheroid systems are discussed. The non-cell-adhesive hydrogel-based method and dynamic cell culture in bioreactors are focused in detail and the myriad of developed spheroid characterization techniques is presented. The main bottlenecks and weaknesses are discussed, especially regarding the analysis of morphological parameters, cell quantification and viability, gene expression profiles, metabolic behavior and high-content analysis. Finally, a vast set of applications of spheroids as tools for in vitro study model systems is examined, including drug screening, tissue formation, pathologies development, tissue engineering and biofabrication, 3D bioprinting and microfluidics, together with their use in high-throughput platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monize Caiado Decarli
- School of Chemical Engineering/Department of Engineering of Materials and of Bioprocesses, University of Campinas, Av. Albert Einstein, 500 - Bloco A - Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, 13083-852, BRAZIL
| | - Robson Luis Ferraz do Amaral
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto/Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida do Café, no number, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, BRAZIL
| | - Diogo Peres Dos Santos
- Departament of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luiz (SP-310), km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, BRAZIL
| | - Larissa Bueno Tofani
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto/Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida do Café, no number, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, BRAZIL
| | - Eric Katayama
- Departament of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luiz (SP-310), km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, BRAZIL
| | - Rodrigo Alvarenga Rezende
- Centro de Tecnologia da Informacao Renato Archer, Rod. Dom Pedro I (SP-65), km 143,6 - Amarais, Campinas, SP, 13069-901, BRAZIL
| | - Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva
- Centro de Tecnologia da Informacao Renato Archer, Rod. Dom Pedro I (SP-65), km 143,6 - Amarais, Campinas, SP, 13069-901, BRAZIL
| | - Kamilla Swiech
- University of Sao Paulo, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto/Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ribeirao Preto, SP, 14040-903, BRAZIL
| | - Cláudio Alberto Torres Suazo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luiz (SP-310), km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, BRAZIL
| | - Carlos Mota
- Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration (CTR), University of Maastricht , Universiteitssingel, 40, office 3.541A, Maastricht, 6229 ER, NETHERLANDS
| | - Lorenzo Moroni
- Complex Tissue Regeneration, Maastricht University, Universiteitsingel, 40, Maastricht, 6229ER, NETHERLANDS
| | - Ângela Maria Moraes
- School of Chemical Engineering/Department of Engineering of Materials and of Bioprocesses, University of Campinas, Av. Albert Einstein, 500 - Bloco A - Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, 13083-852, BRAZIL
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23
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Wang A, Madden LA, Paunov VN. Advanced biomedical applications based on emerging 3D cell culturing platforms. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:10487-10501. [PMID: 33136103 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01658f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
It is of great value to develop reliable in vitro models for cell biology and toxicology. However, ethical issues and the decreasing number of donors restrict the further use of traditional animal models in various fields, including the emerging fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The huge gap created by the restrictions in animal models has pushed the development of the increasingly recognized three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, which enables cells to closely simulate authentic cellular behaviour such as close cell-to-cell interactions and can achieve higher functionality. Furthermore, 3D cell culturing is superior to the traditional 2D cell culture, which has obvious limitations and cannot closely mimic the structure and architecture of tissues. In this study, we review several methods used to form 3D multicellular spheroids. The extracellular microenvironment of 3D spheroids plays a role in many aspects of biological sciences, including cell signalling, cell growth, cancer cell generation, and anti-cancer drugs. More recently, they have been explored as basic construction units for tissue and organ engineering. We review this field with a focus on the previous research in different areas using spheroid models, emphasizing aqueous two-phase system (ATPS)-based techniques. Multi-cellular spheroids have great potential in the study of biological systems and can closely mimic the in vivo environment. New technologies to form and analyse spheroids such as the aqueous two-phase system and magnetic levitation are rapidly overcoming the technical limitations of spheroids and expanding their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anheng Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
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24
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Aggarwal V, Miranda O, Johnston PA, Sant S. Three dimensional engineered models to study hypoxia biology in breast cancer. Cancer Lett 2020; 490:124-142. [PMID: 32569616 PMCID: PMC7442747 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of mortality among women worldwide. Despite the available therapeutic regimes, variable treatment response is reported among different breast cancer subtypes. Recently, the effects of the tumor microenvironment on tumor progression as well as treatment responses have been widely recognized. Hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factors in the tumor microenvironment have long been known as major players in tumor progression and survival. However, the majority of our understanding of hypoxia biology has been derived from two dimensional (2D) models. Although many hypoxia-targeted therapies have elicited promising results in vitro and in vivo, these results have not been successfully translated into clinical trials. These limitations of 2D models underscore the need to develop and integrate three dimensional (3D) models that recapitulate the complex tumor-stroma interactions in vivo. This review summarizes role of hypoxia in various hallmarks of cancer progression. We then compare traditional 2D experimental systems with novel 3D tissue-engineered models giving accounts of different bioengineering platforms available to develop 3D models and how these 3D models are being exploited to understand the role of hypoxia in breast cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaishali Aggarwal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Oshin Miranda
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Paul A Johnston
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA; UPMC-Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Shilpa Sant
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA; UPMC-Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
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25
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Shahi Thakuri P, Lamichhane A, Singh S, Gupta M, Luker GD, Tavana H. Modeling Adaptive Resistance of KRAS Mutant Colorectal Cancer to MAPK Pathway Inhibitors with a Three-Dimensional Tumor Model. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:1176-1187. [PMID: 33344895 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Single-agent drug treatment of KRASmut colorectal cancers is often ineffective because the activation of compensatory signaling pathways leads to drug resistance. To mimic cyclic chemotherapy treatments of patients, we showed that intermittent treatments of 3D tumor spheroids of KRASmut colorectal cancer cells with inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway temporarily suppressed growth of spheroids. However, the efficacy of successive single-agent treatments was significantly reduced. Molecular analysis showed compensatory activation of PI3K/AKT and STAT kinases and EGFR family proteins. To overcome the adaptation of cancer cells to MAPK pathway inhibitors, we treated tumor spheroids with a combination of MEK and EGFR inhibitors. This approach significantly blocked signaling of MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways and prevented the growth of spheroids, but it was not effective against STAT signaling. Although the combination treatment blocked the matrix invasion of DLD1 cells, additional treatments with STAT inhibitors were necessary to prevent invasiveness of HCT116 cells. Overall, our drug resistance model elucidated the mechanisms of treatment-induced growth and invasiveness of cancer cells and allowed design-driven testing and identifying of effective treatments to suppress these phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradip Shahi Thakuri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Astha Lamichhane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Sunil Singh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Megha Gupta
- Department of Arts and Sciences, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Gary D Luker
- Department of Radiology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, United States.,Department of Radiology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, United States.,Department of Radiology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, United States
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
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26
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Thakuri PS, Gupta M, Plaster M, Tavana H. Quantitative Size-Based Analysis of Tumor Spheroids and Responses to Therapeutics. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2020; 17:140-149. [PMID: 30958703 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2018.895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance remains a major clinical problem despite advances in targeted therapies. In recent years, methods to culture cancer cells in three-dimensional (3D) environments to better mimic native tumors have gained increasing popularity. Nevertheless, unlike traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures, analysis of 3D cultures is not straightforward. Most biochemical assays developed for 2D cultures have to be optimized for use with 3D cultures. We addressed this important problem by presenting a simple method of quantitative size-based analysis of growth and drug responses of 3D cultures of cancer cells as tumor spheroids. We used an aqueous two-phase system to form consistently sized tumor spheroids of colorectal cancer cells. Using spheroid images, we computed the size of spheroids over time and demonstrated that growth of spheroids from this analysis strongly correlates with that using a PrestoBlue biochemical assay optimized for 3D cultures. Next, we cyclically treated the tumor spheroids with a MEK inhibitor, trametinib, for 6-day periods with a recovery phase in between. This inhibitor was selected because of mutation of colon cancer cells in the MEK/ERK pathway. We used size measurements to evaluate the efficacy of trametinib and predict development of resistance of colon cancer cells during the cyclical treatment and recovery regimen. This size-based analysis closely matched the biochemical analysis of drug responses of spheroids. We performed molecular analysis and showed that resistance to trametinib emerged due to feedback activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Therefore, we combined trametinib with a PI3K/AKT inhibitor, dactolisib, and demonstrated that size-based analysis of spheroids reliably allowed quantifying the effect of the combination treatment to prevent drug resistance. This study established that size measurements of spheroids can be used as a straightforward method for quantitative studies of drug responses of tumor spheroids and identifying drug combinations that block resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megha Gupta
- 2 Department of Arts and Sciences, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
| | - Madison Plaster
- 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering and The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
| | - Hossein Tavana
- 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering and The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
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27
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Singh S, Tran S, Putman J, Tavana H. Three-dimensional models of breast cancer-fibroblasts interactions. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2020; 245:879-888. [PMID: 32276543 DOI: 10.1177/1535370220917366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPACT STATEMENT Tumor stroma plays an important role in progression of cancers to a fatal metastatic disease. Modern treatment strategies are considering targeting tumor stroma to improve outcomes for cancer patients. A current challenge to develop stroma-targeting therapeutics is the lack of preclinical physiologic tumor models. Animal models widely used in cancer research lack human stroma and are not amenable to screening of chemical compounds for cancer drug discovery. In this review, we outline in vitro three-dimensional tumor models that we have developed to study the interactions among cancer cells and stromal cells. We describe development of the tumor models in a modular fashion, from a spheroid model to a sophisticated organotypic model, and discuss the importance of using correct physiologic models to recapitulate tumor-stromal signaling. These biomimetic tumor models will facilitate understanding of tumor-stromal signaling biology and provide a scalable approach for testing and discovery of cancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Singh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Sydnie Tran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Justin Putman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
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28
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Ma Q, Song Y, Sun W, Cao J, Yuan H, Wang X, Sun Y, Shum HC. Cell-Inspired All-Aqueous Microfluidics: From Intracellular Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation toward Advanced Biomaterials. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2020; 7:1903359. [PMID: 32274317 PMCID: PMC7141073 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201903359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Living cells have evolved over billions of years to develop structural and functional complexity with numerous intracellular compartments that are formed due to liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Discovery of the amazing and vital roles of cells in life has sparked tremendous efforts to investigate and replicate the intracellular LLPS. Among them, all-aqueous emulsions are a minimalistic liquid model that recapitulates the structural and functional features of membraneless organelles and protocells. Here, an emerging all-aqueous microfluidic technology derived from micrometer-scaled manipulation of LLPS is presented; the technology enables the state-of-art design of advanced biomaterials with exquisite structural proficiency and diversified biological functions. Moreover, a variety of emerging biomedical applications, including encapsulation and delivery of bioactive gradients, fabrication of artificial membraneless organelles, as well as printing and assembly of predesigned cell patterns and living tissues, are inspired by their cellular counterparts. Finally, the challenges and perspectives for further advancing the cell-inspired all-aqueous microfluidics toward a more powerful and versatile platform are discussed, particularly regarding new opportunities in multidisciplinary fundamental research and biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingming Ma
- Department of PharmaceuticsSchool of PharmacyQingdao UniversityQingdao266021China
| | - Yang Song
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical EngineeringGeorgia Institute of Technology & Emory School of MedicineAtlantaGA30332USA
| | - Wentao Sun
- Center for Basic Medical ResearchTEDA International Cardiovascular HospitalChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeTianjin300457China
| | - Jie Cao
- Department of PharmaceuticsSchool of PharmacyQingdao UniversityQingdao266021China
| | - Hao Yuan
- Institute of Applied MechanicsNational Taiwan UniversityTaipei10617Taiwan
| | - Xinyu Wang
- Institute of Thermal Science and TechnologyShandong UniversityJinan250061China
| | - Yong Sun
- Department of PharmaceuticsSchool of PharmacyQingdao UniversityQingdao266021China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Hong KongPokfulam RoadHong Kong
- HKU‐Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU‐SIRI)Shenzhen518000China
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29
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Bahcecioglu G, Basara G, Ellis BW, Ren X, Zorlutuna P. Breast cancer models: Engineering the tumor microenvironment. Acta Biomater 2020; 106:1-21. [PMID: 32045679 PMCID: PMC7185577 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms behind cancer initiation and progression are not clear. Therefore, development of clinically relevant models to study cancer biology and drug response in tumors is essential. In vivo models are very valuable tools for studying cancer biology and for testing drugs; however, they often suffer from not accurately representing the clinical scenario because they lack either human cells or a functional immune system. On the other hand, two-dimensional (2D) in vitro models lack the three-dimensional (3D) network of cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) and thus do not represent the tumor microenvironment (TME). As an alternative approach, 3D models have started to gain more attention, as such models offer a platform with the ability to study cell-cell and cell-material interactions parametrically, and possibly include all the components present in the TME. Here, we first give an overview of the breast cancer TME, and then discuss the current state of the pre-clinical breast cancer models, with a focus on the engineered 3D tissue models. We also highlight two engineering approaches that we think are promising in constructing models representative of human tumors: 3D printing and microfluidics. In addition to giving basic information about the TME in the breast tissue, this review article presents the state-of-the-art tissue engineered breast cancer models. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Involvement of biomaterials and tissue engineering fields in cancer research enables realistic mimicry of the cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and thus creation of better models that reflect the tumor response against drugs. Engineering the 3D in vitro models also requires a good understanding of the TME. Here, an overview of the breast cancer TME is given, and the current state of the pre-clinical breast cancer models, with a focus on the engineered 3D tissue models is discussed. This review article is useful not only for biomaterials scientists aiming to engineer 3D in vitro TME models, but also for cancer researchers willing to use these models for studying cancer biology and drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gokhan Bahcecioglu
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
| | - Gozde Basara
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
| | - Bradley W Ellis
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
| | - Xiang Ren
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
| | - Pinar Zorlutuna
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States; Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States; Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States.
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30
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Koudan EV, Gryadunova AA, Karalkin PA, Korneva JV, Meteleva NY, Babichenko II, Volkov AV, Rodionov SA, Parfenov VA, Pereira FDAS, Khesuani YD, Mironov VA, Bulanova EA. Multiparametric Analysis of Tissue Spheroids Fabricated from Different Types of Cells. Biotechnol J 2020; 15:e1900217. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201900217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizaveta V. Koudan
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
| | - Anna A. Gryadunova
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineI. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow 119991 Russia
| | - Pavel A. Karalkin
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
- Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Moscow 125284 Russia
| | - Janetta V. Korneva
- I. D. Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters RAS Borok 152742 Russia
| | - Nina Y. Meteleva
- I. D. Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters RAS Borok 152742 Russia
| | - Igor I. Babichenko
- Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) Moscow 117198 Russia
| | - Aleksey V. Volkov
- Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) Moscow 117198 Russia
- N. N. Priorov National Medical Research Center of Traumatology and Orthopedics Moscow Russia
| | - Sergey A. Rodionov
- N. N. Priorov National Medical Research Center of Traumatology and Orthopedics Moscow Russia
| | - Vladislav A. Parfenov
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
| | - Frederico D. A. S. Pereira
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
| | - Yusef D. Khesuani
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
| | - Vladimir A. Mironov
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineI. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow 119991 Russia
| | - Elena A. Bulanova
- Laboratory for Biotechnological Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions Kashirskoe Highway, 68‐2 Moscow 115409 Russia
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31
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Costa EC, Silva DN, Moreira AF, Correia IJ. Optical clearing methods: An overview of the techniques used for the imaging of 3D spheroids. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:2742-2763. [PMID: 31282993 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Spheroids have emerged as in vitro models that reproduce in a great extent the architectural microenvironment found in human tissues. However, the imaging of 3D cell cultures is highly challenging due to its high thickness, which results in a light-scattering phenomenon that limits light penetration. Therefore, several optical clearing methods, widely used in the imaging of animal tissues, have been recently explored to render spheroids with enhanced transparency. These methods are aimed to homogenize the microtissue refractive index (RI) and can be grouped into four different categories, namely (a) simple immersion in an aqueous solution with high RI; (b) delipidation and dehydration followed by RI matching; (c) delipidation and hyperhydration followed by RI matching; and (d) hydrogel embedding followed by delipidation and RI matching. In this review, the main optical clearing methods, their mechanism of action, advantages, and disadvantages are described. Furthermore, the practical examples of the optical clearing methods application for the imaging of 3D spheroids are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabete C Costa
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilha, Portugal
| | - Daniel N Silva
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilha, Portugal
| | - André F Moreira
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilha, Portugal
| | - Ilídio J Correia
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilha, Portugal.,CIEPQF, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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32
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Thakuri PS, Gupta M, Joshi R, Singh S, Tavana H. Synergistic Inhibition of Kinase Pathways Overcomes Resistance of Colorectal Cancer Spheroids to Cyclic Targeted Therapies. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2019; 2:275-284. [PMID: 32259061 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.9b00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cancer cells often adapt to single-agent treatments with chemotherapeutics. Activation of alternative survival pathways is a major mechanism of drug resistance. A potential approach to block this feedback signaling is using combination treatments of a pair of drugs, although toxicity has been a limiting factor. Preclinical tumor models to identify mechanisms of drug resistance and determine low but effective combination doses are critical to effectively suppress tumor growth with reduced toxicity to patients. Using our aqueous two-phase system microtechnology, we developed colorectal tumor spheroids in high-throughput and evaluated resistance of cancer cells to three mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors (MAPKi) in long-term cyclic treatments. Our quantitative analysis showed that the efficacy of MAPKi significantly reduced over time, leading to an increase in proliferation of HCT116 colorectal cancer cells and growth of spheroids. We established that resistance was due to feedback activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Using high-throughput, dose-dependent combinations of each MAPKi and a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, we identified low-dose, synergistic combinations that blocked resistance to MAPKi and effectively suppressed the growth of colorectal tumor spheroids in long-term treatments. Our approach to study drug resistance offers the potential to determine high priority treatments to test in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradip Shahi Thakuri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Megha Gupta
- Department of Arts and Sciences, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Ramila Joshi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Sunil Singh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
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33
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Zhang L, Wang Y, Yang D, Huang W, Hao P, Feng S, Appelhans D, Zhang T, Zan X. Shape Effect of Nanoparticles on Tumor Penetration in Monolayers Versus Spheroids. Mol Pharm 2019; 16:2902-2911. [PMID: 31184906 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.9b00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The physical properties of nanoparticles (NPs), such as size, surface chemistry, elasticity, and shape, have exerted a profound influence on tumor penetration. However, the effect of shape on cellular uptake and tumor penetration is still unclear because of the different chemical compositions and shapes of tested particles and the use of inapposite cellular models. To discover the effect of NP shapes on cellular uptake and tumor penetration and bridge the gap between models in vivo and in vitro, elongated polystyrene (PS) NPs with a fixed volume, an identical chemical composition, and the same zeta potential, but with different aspect ratios (ARs), were generated. The physical properties, cellular uptake, tumor penetration, and corresponding mechanisms of these NPs were thoroughly investigated. We discovered that the elongated PS particles with higher ARs had lower uptake rates in the 2-dimensional cell monolayer culture model in vitro, but they showed optimal ARs in the evaluated three-dimensional spheroid model. Although the elongated PS particles had a similar tumor penetration mechanism (mainly through extracellular pathways), the percentage of penetration using these mechanisms was strongly dependent on the ARs. As an alternative model for studies in vivo, spheroids were used instead of the cell monolayer for the development of drug delivery systems. In addition, the physicochemical properties of NPs must be delicately balanced and adjusted to achieve the best therapeutic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Zhang
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, School of Biomedical Engineering , Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325035 , PR China.,Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, CNITECH , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China.,Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering , CAS , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China
| | - Yong Wang
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering , Fusionopolis Way , Innovis 138634 , Singapore
| | - Dejun Yang
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, School of Biomedical Engineering , Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325035 , PR China.,Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, CNITECH , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China
| | - Wenjuan Huang
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, School of Biomedical Engineering , Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325035 , PR China.,Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, CNITECH , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China.,Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering , CAS , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China
| | - Pengyan Hao
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, School of Biomedical Engineering , Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325035 , PR China.,Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, CNITECH , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China.,Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering , CAS , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China
| | - Sheng Feng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine , Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19107 , United States
| | - Dietmar Appelhans
- Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden , Hohe Straße 6 , Dresden 01069 , Germany
| | - Tinghong Zhang
- Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, CNITECH , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China.,Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering , CAS , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China
| | - Xingjie Zan
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, School of Biomedical Engineering , Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325035 , PR China.,Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, CNITECH , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China.,Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering , CAS , Wenzhou , Zhejiang Province 325001 , PR China
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34
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Shahi Thakuri P, Luker GD, Tavana H. Cyclical Treatment of Colorectal Tumor Spheroids Induces Resistance to MEK Inhibitors. Transl Oncol 2018; 12:404-416. [PMID: 30550927 PMCID: PMC6299152 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2018.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive drug resistance is a major obstacle to successful treatment of colorectal cancers. Physiologic tumor models of drug resistance are crucial to understand mechanisms of treatment failure and improve therapy by developing new therapeutics and treatment strategies. Using our aqueous two-phase system microtechnology, we developed colorectal tumor spheroids and periodically treated them with sub-lethal concentrations of three Mitogen Activated Kinase inhibitors (MEKi) used in clinical trials. We used long-term, periodic treatment and recovery of spheroids to mimic cycles of clinical chemotherapy and implemented a growth rate metric to quantitatively assess efficacy of the MEKi during treatment. Our results showed that efficacy of the MEKi significantly reduced with increased treatment cycles. Using a comprehensive molecular analysis, we established that resistance of colorectal tumor spheroids to the MEKi developed through activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. We also showed that other potential feedback mechanisms, such as STAT3 activation or amplified B-RAF, did not account for resistance to the MEKi. We combined each of the three MEKi with a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor and showed that the combination treatments synergistically blocked resistance to the MEKi. Importantly, and unlike the individual inhibitors, we demonstrated that synergistic concentrations of combinations of MEK and PI3K/mTOR inhibitors effectively inhibited growth of colorectal tumor spheroids in long-term treatments. This proof-of-concept study to model treatment-induced drug resistance of cancer cells using 3D cultures offers a unique approach to identify underlying molecular mechanisms and develop effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradip Shahi Thakuri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Gary D Luker
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA.
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Singh S, Tavana H. Collagen Partition in Polymeric Aqueous Two-Phase Systems for Tissue Engineering. Front Chem 2018; 6:379. [PMID: 30234101 PMCID: PMC6132203 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran (DEX) are commonly used to partition proteins. Protein partition in ATPS is a complex phenomenon and depends on factors including molecular weight of polymers, and electrochemical and ionic properties of the phases. We studied the effect of polymer molecular weight on the partition of a natural protein, collagen, in several ATPS formulations made with non-ionic polymers polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran (DEX). We found that partitioning of collagen to an aqueous phase significantly increases when the molecular weight of the corresponding phase polymer decreases. Additionally, a large difference between the molecular weight of the phase-forming polymers was necessary to cause a significant uneven collagen distribution between the aqueous phases. We then employed one of the systems to create a three-dimensional breast cancer microtissue by entrapping a spheroid of breast cancer cells within the partitioned collagen. This convenient technique to generate 3D microtissues offers a convenient and promising approach for tissue engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Singh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, United States
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, United States
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Cheng CC, Shi LH, Wang XJ, Wang SX, Wan XQ, Liu SR, Wang YF, Lu Z, Wang LH, Ding Y. Stat3/Oct-4/c-Myc signal circuit for regulating stemness-mediated doxorubicin resistance of triple-negative breast cancer cells and inhibitory effects of WP1066. Int J Oncol 2018; 53:339-348. [PMID: 29750424 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2018.4399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Doxorubicin (Dox) is widely used in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs), however resistance limits its effectiveness. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are associated with Dox resistance in MCF-7 estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) may functionally shift non-CSCs towards CSCs. However, whether Stat3 drives the formation of CSCs during the development of resistance in TNBC, and whether a Stat3 inhibitor reverses CSC-mediated Dox resistance, remains to be elucidated. In the present study, human MDA-MB-468 and murine 4T1 mammary carcinoma cell lines with the typical characteristics of TNBCs, were compared with estrogen receptor-positive MCF-7 cells as a model system. The MTT assay was used to detect cytotoxicity of Dox. In addition, the expression levels of CSC-specific markers and transcriptional factors were measured by western blotting, immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. The mammosphere formation assay was used to detect stem cell activity. Under long-term continuous treatment with Dox at a low concentration, TNBC cultures not only exhibited a drug-resistant phenotype, but also showed CSC properties. These Dox-resistant TNBC cells showed activation of Stat3 and high expression levels of pluripotency transcription factors octamer-binding transcription factor-4 (Oct-4) and c-Myc, which was different from the high expression of superoxide dismutase 2 (Sox2) in Dox-resistant MCF-7 cells. WP1066 inhibited the phosphorylation of Stat3, and decreased the expression of Oct-4 and c-Myc, leading to a reduction in the CD44-positive cell population, and restoring the sensitivity of the cells to Dox. Taken together, a novel signal circuit of Stat3/Oct-4/c-Myc was identified for regulating stemness-mediated Dox resistance in TNBC. The Stat3 inhibitor WP1066 was able to overcome the resistance to Dox through decreasing the enrichment of CSCs, highlighting the therapeutic potential of WP1066 as a novel sensitizer of Dox-resistant TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong-Cong Cheng
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Li-Hong Shi
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Jian Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Shu-Xiao Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Qing Wan
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Shu-Rong Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Yi-Fei Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Zhong Lu
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Li-Hua Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
| | - Yi Ding
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China
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Carranza-Rosales P, Guzmán-Delgado NE, Carranza-Torres IE, Viveros-Valdez E, Morán-Martínez J. Breast Organotypic Cancer Models. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2018:199-223. [PMID: 29556825 DOI: 10.1007/82_2018_86] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer type diagnosed in women, it represents a critical public health problem worldwide, with 1,671,149 estimated new cases and nearly 571,000 related deaths. Research on breast cancer has mainly been conducted using two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures and animal models. The usefulness of these models is reflected in the vast knowledge accumulated over the past decades. However, considering that animal models are three-dimensional (3D) in nature, the validity of the studies using 2D cell cultures has recently been questioned. Although animal models are important in cancer research, ethical questions arise about their use and usefulness as there is no clear predictivity of human disease outcome and they are very expensive and take too much time to obtain results. The poor performance or failure of most cancer drugs suggests that preclinical research on cancer has been based on an over-dependence on inadequate animal models. For these reasons, in the last few years development of alternative models has been prioritized to study human breast cancer behavior, while maintaining a 3D microenvironment, and to reduce the number of experiments conducted in animals. One way to achieve this is using organotypic cultures, which are being more frequently explored in cancer research because they mimic tissue architecture in vivo. These characteristics make organotypic cultures a valuable tool in cancer research as an alternative to replace animal models and for predicting risk assessment in humans. This chapter describes the cultures of multicellular spheroids, organoids, 3D bioreactors, and tumor slices, which are the most widely used organotypic models in breast cancer research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Carranza-Rosales
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Centro de Investigación Biomédica del Noreste, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.
| | - Nancy Elena Guzmán-Delgado
- Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad # 34, División de Investigación, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Irma Edith Carranza-Torres
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Centro de Investigación Biomédica del Noreste, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Ezequiel Viveros-Valdez
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Javier Morán-Martínez
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Ultraestructura, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
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Tsai HF, Trubelja A, Shen AQ, Bao G. Tumour-on-a-chip: microfluidic models of tumour morphology, growth and microenvironment. J R Soc Interface 2018. [PMID: 28637915 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death, albeit enormous efforts to cure the disease. To overcome the major challenges in cancer therapy, we need to have a better understanding of the tumour microenvironment (TME), as well as a more effective means to screen anti-cancer drug leads; both can be achieved using advanced technologies, including the emerging tumour-on-a-chip technology. Here, we review the recent development of the tumour-on-a-chip technology, which integrates microfluidics, microfabrication, tissue engineering and biomaterials research, and offers new opportunities for building and applying functional three-dimensional in vitro human tumour models for oncology research, immunotherapy studies and drug screening. In particular, tumour-on-a-chip microdevices allow well-controlled microscopic studies of the interaction among tumour cells, immune cells and cells in the TME, of which simple tissue cultures and animal models are not amenable to do. The challenges in developing the next-generation tumour-on-a-chip technology are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsieh-Fu Tsai
- Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Alen Trubelja
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Amy Q Shen
- Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Gang Bao
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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40
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Thakuri PS, Liu C, Luker GD, Tavana H. Biomaterials-Based Approaches to Tumor Spheroid and Organoid Modeling. Adv Healthc Mater 2018; 7:e1700980. [PMID: 29205942 PMCID: PMC5867257 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201700980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Evolving understanding of structural and biological complexity of tumors has stimulated development of physiologically relevant tumor models for cancer research and drug discovery. A major motivation for developing new tumor models is to recreate the 3D environment of tumors and context-mediated functional regulation of cancer cells. Such models overcome many limitations of standard monolayer cancer cell cultures. Under defined culture conditions, cancer cells self-assemble into 3D constructs known as spheroids. Additionally, cancer cells may recapitulate steps in embryonic development to self-organize into 3D cultures known as organoids. Importantly, spheroids and organoids reproduce morphology and biologic properties of tumors, providing valuable new tools for research, drug discovery, and precision medicine in cancer. This Progress Report discusses uses of both natural and synthetic biomaterials to culture cancer cells as spheroids or organoids, specifically highlighting studies that demonstrate how these models recapitulate key properties of native tumors. The report concludes with the perspectives on the utility of these models and areas of need for future developments to more closely mimic pathologic events in tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradip Shahi Thakuri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Chun Liu
- Departments of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Gary D Luker
- Departments of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
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Ham SL, Thakuri PS, Plaster M, Li J, Luker KE, Luker GD, Tavana H. Three-dimensional tumor model mimics stromal - breast cancer cells signaling. Oncotarget 2017; 9:249-267. [PMID: 29416611 PMCID: PMC5787462 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor stroma is a major contributor to the biological aggressiveness of cancer cells. Cancer cells induce activation of normal fibroblasts to carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which promote survival, proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance of cancer cells. A better understanding of these interactions could lead to new, targeted therapies for cancers with limited treatment options, such as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). To overcome limitations of standard monolayer cell cultures and xenograft models that lack tumor complexity and/or human stroma, we have developed a high throughput tumor spheroid technology utilizing a polymeric aqueous two-phase system to conveniently model interactions of CAFs and TNBC cells and quantify effects on signaling and drug resistance of cancer cells. We focused on signaling by chemokine CXCL12, a hallmark molecule secreted by CAFs, and receptor CXCR4, a driver of tumor progression and metastasis in TNBC. Using three-dimensional stromal-TNBC cells cultures, we demonstrate that CXCL12 – CXCR4 signaling significantly increases growth of TNBC cells and drug resistance through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways. Despite resistance to standard chemotherapy, upregulation of MAPK and PI3K signaling sensitizes TNBC cells in co-culture spheroids to specific inhibitors of these kinase pathways. Furthermore, disrupting CXCL12 – CXCR4 signaling diminishes drug resistance of TNBC cells in co-culture spheroid models. This work illustrates the capability to identify mechanisms of drug resistance and overcome them using our engineered model of tumor-stromal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Lemmo Ham
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Pradip Shahi Thakuri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Madison Plaster
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Kathryn E Luker
- Department of Radiology, Microbiology and Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Gary D Luker
- Department of Radiology, Microbiology and Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Hossein Tavana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
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Gheibi P, Zeng S, Son KJ, Vu T, Ma AH, Dall'Era MA, Yap SA, de Vere White RW, Pan CX, Revzin A. Microchamber Cultures of Bladder Cancer: A Platform for Characterizing Drug Responsiveness and Resistance in PDX and Primary Cancer Cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12277. [PMID: 28947782 PMCID: PMC5612935 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12543-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Precision cancer medicine seeks to target the underlying genetic alterations of cancer; however, it has been challenging to use genetic profiles of individual patients in identifying the most appropriate anti-cancer drugs. This spurred the development of patient avatars; for example, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) established in mice and used for drug exposure studies. However, PDXs are associated with high cost, long development time and low efficiency of engraftment. Herein we explored the use of microfluidic devices or microchambers as simple and low-cost means of maintaining bladder cancer cells over extended periods of times in order to study patterns of drug responsiveness and resistance. When placed into 75 µm tall microfluidic chambers, cancer cells grew as ellipsoids reaching millimeter-scale dimeters over the course of 30 days in culture. We cultured three PDX and three clinical patient specimens with 100% success rate. The turn-around time for a typical efficacy study using microchambers was less than 10 days. Importantly, PDX-derived ellipsoids in microchambers retained patterns of drug responsiveness and resistance observed in PDX mice and also exhibited in vivo-like heterogeneity of tumor responses. Overall, this study establishes microfluidic cultures of difficult-to-maintain primary cancer cells as a useful tool for precision cancer medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pantea Gheibi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Shuxiong Zeng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Kyung Jin Son
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Tam Vu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.,Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Ai-Hong Ma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Marc A Dall'Era
- Department of Urology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95817, USA
| | | | | | - Chong-Xian Pan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA. .,Department of Urology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95817, USA.
| | - Alexander Revzin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. .,Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
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Mármol I, Virumbrales-Muñoz M, Quero J, Sánchez-de-Diego C, Fernández L, Ochoa I, Cerrada E, Yoldi MJR. Alkynyl gold(I) complex triggers necroptosis via ROS generation in colorectal carcinoma cells. J Inorg Biochem 2017; 176:123-133. [PMID: 28892675 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2017.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Given the rise of apoptosis-resistant tumors, there exist a growing interest in developing new drugs capable of inducing different types of cell death to reduce colorectal cancer-related death rates. As apoptosis and necroptosis do not share cellular machinery, necroptosis induction may have a great therapeutic potential on those apoptosis-resistant cancers, despite the inflammatory effects associated with it. We have synthesized an alkynyl gold(I) complex [Au(CC-2-NC5H4)(PTA)] whose anticancer effect was tested on the colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cell line. With regard to its mechanism of action, this gold complex enters the mitochondria and disrupts its normal function, leading to an increase in ROS production, which triggers necroptosis. Necroptosis induction has been found dependent of TNF-α (Tumor necrosisfactor α) and TNFR1(Tumor necrosisfactor receptor 1) binding, RIP1(Receptor-Interacting Protein 1) activation and NF-κB (Nuclear Factor Kappa-Light-Chain-Enhancer of Activated B Cells) signaling. Moreover, the antitumor potential of [Au(CC-2-NC5H4)(PTA)] has also been confirmed on the 3D cancer model spheroid. Overall, the obtained data show firstly that gold complexes might have the ability of inducing necroptosis, and secondarily that our compound [Au(CC-2-NC5H4)(PTA)] is an interesting alternative to current chemotherapy drugs in cases of apoptosis resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inés Mármol
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Zaragoza, CIBERobn, IIS Aragón, IA2, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - María Virumbrales-Muñoz
- Group of Applied Mechanics and Bioengineering (AMB), University of Zaragoza, CIBER-BBN, I3A, Aragon Institute of Biomedical Research, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Javier Quero
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Zaragoza, CIBERobn, IIS Aragón, IA2, Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | - Luis Fernández
- Group of Applied Mechanics and Bioengineering (AMB), University of Zaragoza, CIBER-BBN, I3A, Aragon Institute of Biomedical Research, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ignacio Ochoa
- Group of Applied Mechanics and Bioengineering (AMB), University of Zaragoza, CIBER-BBN, I3A, Aragon Institute of Biomedical Research, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Elena Cerrada
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Zaragoza, ISQCH-C.S.I.C, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Mª Jesús Rodríguez Yoldi
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Zaragoza, CIBERobn, IIS Aragón, IA2, Zaragoza, Spain.
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44
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Advanced biomaterials and microengineering technologies to recapitulate the stepwise process of cancer metastasis. Biomaterials 2017; 133:176-207. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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45
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Shahi Thakuri P, Tavana H. Single and Combination Drug Screening with Aqueous Biphasic Tumor Spheroids. SLAS DISCOVERY 2017; 22:507-515. [PMID: 28324660 DOI: 10.1177/2472555217698817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Spheroids of cancer cells represent a physiologic model of solid tumors for cancer drug screening. Despite this known benefit, difficulties with generating large quantities of uniformly sized spheroids in standard plates, individually addressing spheroids with drug compounds, and quantitatively analyzing responses of cancer cells have hindered the use of spheroids in high-throughput screening applications. Recently, we addressed this challenge by using an aqueous two-phase system technology to generate a spheroid within an aqueous drop immersed in a second, immiscible aqueous phase. Integrating this approach with robotics resulted in convenient formation, maintenance, and drug treatment of spheroids. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of high-throughput compound screening against colon cancer spheroids using 25 anticancer compounds. Using a strictly standardized mean difference and based on a preliminary testing with each compound, we select effective compounds for further dose-response testing. Finally, we use molecular inhibitors to target upregulated protein kinases and use them for drug combination studies against spheroids. We quantitatively analyze the combination treatment results using statistical metrics to identify synergy between pairs of inhibitors in compromising viability of colon cancer cells. This study demonstrates the utility of our spheroid culture technology for identification of effective drug compounds, dose-response analysis, and combination drug treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hossein Tavana
- 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
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46
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Gencoglu MF, Barney LE, Hall CL, Brooks EA, Schwartz AD, Corbett DC, Stevens KR, Peyton SR. Comparative Study of Multicellular Tumor Spheroid Formation Methods and Implications for Drug Screening. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2017. [PMID: 29527571 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.7b00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Improved in vitro models are needed to better understand cancer progression and bridge the gap between in vitro proof-of-concept studies, in vivo validation, and clinical application. Multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) are a popular method for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, because they capture some aspects of the dimensionality, cell-cell contact, and cell-matrix interactions seen in vivo. Many approaches exist to create MCTS from cell lines, and they have been used to study tumor cell invasion, growth, and how cells respond to drugs in physiologically relevant 3D microenvironments. However, there are several discrepancies in the observations made of cell behaviors when comparing between MCTS formation methods. To resolve these inconsistencies, we created and compared the behavior of breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer cells across three MCTS formation methods: in polyNIPAAM gels, in microwells, or in suspension culture. These methods formed MCTS via proliferation from single cells or passive aggregation, and therefore showed differential reliance on genes important for cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions. We also found that the MCTS formation method dictated drug sensitivity, where MCTS formed over longer periods of time via clonal growth were more resistant to treatment. Toward clinical application, we compared an ovarian cancer cell line MCTS formed in polyNIPAAM with cells from patient-derived malignant ascites. The method that relied on clonal growth (PolyNIPAAM gel) was more time and cost intensive, but yielded MCTS that were uniformly spherical, and exhibited the most reproducible drug responses. Conversely, MCTS methods that relied on aggregation were faster, but yielded MCTS with grapelike, lobular structures. These three MCTS formation methods differed in culture time requirements and complexity, and had distinct drug response profiles, suggesting the choice of MCTS formation method should be carefully chosen based on the application required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria F Gencoglu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, N540 Life Sciences Laboratories, 240 Thatcher Road, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9364, United States
| | - Lauren E Barney
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, N540 Life Sciences Laboratories, 240 Thatcher Road, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9364, United States
| | - Christopher L Hall
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, N540 Life Sciences Laboratories, 240 Thatcher Road, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9364, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Brooks
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, N540 Life Sciences Laboratories, 240 Thatcher Road, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9364, United States
| | - Alyssa D Schwartz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, N540 Life Sciences Laboratories, 240 Thatcher Road, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9364, United States
| | - Daniel C Corbett
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Kelly R Stevens
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Shelly R Peyton
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, N540 Life Sciences Laboratories, 240 Thatcher Road, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9364, United States
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