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Wei Y, Zhang F, Li J, Qi Z, Wang JH, Wang Z. Composition Tuning of Semi-Open Cell Carriers via Phase Freeze-Shrink Self-Molding. ACS NANO 2024; 18:26872-26881. [PMID: 39299910 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c08148] [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: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking microsized cell carriers featuring a semi-isolated chamber facilitate the study of cellular heterogeneity as well as intercellular communication. However, the semiopen shaping of the designated gel mixture remains unattainable with current methods. We report an oil-phase freeze-shrink self-molding mechanism for generating size- and composition-tunable cradle-shaped microgels (microcradles) from water-in-oil droplets. The universality of this shape transition principle is demonstrated with six types of polysaccharides dispersed in a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) or methacrylate gelatin (GelMA) matrix. By doping the microcradles with the major ECM component, hyaluronic acid sodium, we demonstrate a label-free selective culture of CD44 receptor-rich cells and the formation of cell spheroids within 3 days. This cryo-induced cradle-shaping strategy enables the functionalization of microcarriers for selective cell culture, thereby allowing them to be used for intercellular communication, drug delivery, and the construction of structural units for osteogenesis and 3D printing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Wei
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Fei Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Zhijie Qi
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Jian-Hua Wang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Zejun Wang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
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Chen L, Li F, Li R, Zheng K, Zhang X, Ma H, Li K, Nie L. Thermo-Responsive Hydrogel Based on Lung Decellularized Extracellular Matrix for 3D Culture Model to Enhance Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics. Molecules 2024; 29:4385. [PMID: 39339380 PMCID: PMC11433703 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29184385] [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: 08/17/2024] [Revised: 09/05/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are most likely the main cause of lung cancer formation, metastasis, drug resistance, and genetic heterogeneity. Three-dimensional (3D) ex vivo cell culture models can facilitate stemness improvement and CSC enrichment. Considering the critical role of extracellular matrix (ECM) on CSC properties, the present study developed a thermo-responsive hydrogel using the porcine decellularized lung for 3D cell culture, and the cell-laden hydrogel culturing model was used to explore the CSC characteristics and potential utilization in CSC-specific drug evaluation. Results showed that the lung dECM hydrogel (LEH) was composed of the main ECM components and displayed excellent cellular compatibility. In addition, lung cancer cells 3D cultured in LEH displayed the overexpression of metastasis-related genes and enhanced migration properties, as compared with those in two-dimensional (2D) conditions. Notably, the CSC features, including the expression level of stemness-associated genes, colony formation capability, drug resistance, and the proportion of cancer stem-like cells (CD133+), were also enhanced in 3D cells. Furthermore, the attenuation effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on CSC properties in the 3D model was observed, confirming the potential practicability of the 3D culture on CSC-targeted drug screening. Overall, our results suggest that the fabricated LEH is an effective and facile platform for 3D cell culture and CSC-specific drug evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology of Henan Province, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
| | - Fanglu Li
- Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology of Henan Province, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
| | - Ruobing Li
- Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology of Henan Province, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
| | - Ke Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology of Henan Province, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
| | - Xinyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology of Henan Province, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
| | - Huijing Ma
- Library, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
| | - Kaiming Li
- Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology of Henan Province, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
| | - Lei Nie
- Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology of Henan Province, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
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Rahman Z, Bordoloi AD, Rouhana H, Tavasso M, van der Zon G, Garbin V, Ten Dijke P, Boukany PE. Interstitial flow potentiates TGF-β/Smad-signaling activity in lung cancer spheroids in a 3D-microfluidic chip. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:422-433. [PMID: 38087979 PMCID: PMC10826459 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00886j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Within the tumor microenvironment (TME), cancer cells use mechanotransduction pathways to convert biophysical forces to biochemical signals. However, the underlying mechanisms and functional significance of these pathways remain largely unclear. The upregulation of mechanosensitive pathways from biophysical forces such as interstitial flow (IF), leads to the activation of various cytokines, including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). TGF-β promotes in part via a Smad-dependent signaling pathway the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells. The latter process is linked to increased cancer cell motility and invasion. Current research models have limited ability to investigate the combined effects of biophysical forces (such as IF) and cytokines (TGF-β) in a 3D microenvironment. We used a 3D-matrix based microfluidic platform to demonstrate the potentiating effect of IF on exogenous TGF-β induced upregulation of the Smad-signaling activity and the expression of mesenchymal marker vimentin in A549 lung cancer spheroids. To monitor this, we used stably integrated fluorescent based reporters into the A549 cancer cell genome. Our results demonstrate that IF enhances exogenous TGF-β induced Smad-signaling activity in lung cancer spheroids embedded in a matrix microenvironment. In addition, we observed an increased cell motility for A549 spheroids when exposed to IF and TGF-β. Our 3D-microfluidic model integrated with real-time imaging provides a powerful tool for investigating cancer cell signaling and motility associated with invasion characteristics in a physiologically relevant TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaid Rahman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Ankur Deep Bordoloi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Haifa Rouhana
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Margherita Tavasso
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Gerard van der Zon
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology and Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Valeria Garbin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Peter Ten Dijke
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology and Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Pouyan E Boukany
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
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Jiang N, Xu L, Han Y, Wang S, Duan X, Dai J, Hu Y, Liu X, Liu Z, Huang J. High-Throughput Electromechanical Coupling Chip Systems for Real-Time 3D Invasion/Migration Assay of Cells. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023:e2300882. [PMID: 37088781 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Cell invasion/migration through three-dimensional (3D) tissues is not only essential for physiological/pathological processes, but a hallmark of cancer malignancy. However, how to quantify spatiotemporal dynamics of 3D cell migration/invasion is challenging. Here, this work reports a 3D cell invasion/migration assay (3D-CIMA) based on electromechanical coupling chip systems, which can monitor spatiotemporal dynamics of 3D cell invasion/migration in a real-time, label-free, nondestructive, and high-throughput way. In combination with 3D topological networks and complex impedance detection technology, this work shows that 3D-CIMA can quantitively characterize collective invasion/migration dynamics of cancer cells in 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) with controllable biophysical/biomechanical properties. More importantly, this work further reveals that it has the capability to not only carry out quantitative evaluation of anti-tumor drugs in 3D microenvironments that minimize the impact of cell culture dimensions, but also grade clinical cancer specimens. The proposed 3D-CIMA offers a new quantitative methodology for investigating cell interactions with 3D extracellular microenvironments, which has potential applications in various fields like mechanobiology, drug screening, and even precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Jiang
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, and Beijing Innovation Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Technology, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Liang Xu
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Yiming Han
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, and Beijing Innovation Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Technology, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Shuyi Wang
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, and Beijing Innovation Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Technology, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Xiaocen Duan
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Jingyao Dai
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Air Force Medical Center, Beijing, P. R. China, 100142
| | - Yunxing Hu
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, and Beijing Innovation Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Technology, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Xiaozhi Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Epigenetics for Organ Development of Premature Infants, Fifth Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, 300450, P. R. China
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- Department of Physiology and Pathopgysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Jianyong Huang
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, and Beijing Innovation Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Technology, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
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A Tumor Accelerator Based on Multicomponent Bone Scaffolds and Cancer Cell Homing. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14163340. [PMID: 36015599 PMCID: PMC9416103 DOI: 10.3390/polym14163340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone tissue attracts cancer cell homing biologically, mechanically, or chemically. It is difficult and time consuming to identify their complex cross-talk using existed methods. In this study, a multi-component bone matrix was fabricated using gelatin, hydroxyapatite (HAp), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) as raw materials to investigate how “acellular” bone matrix affects cancer cell homing in bone. Then, EGF-responsive cancer cells were cultured with the scaffold in a dynamical bioreactor. For different culture periods, the effects of HAp, gelatin, and EGF on the cell adhesion, proliferation, 3D growth, and migration of cancer were evaluated. The results indicated that a small amount of calcium ion released from the scaffolds accelerated cancer MDA-MB-231 adhesion on the surface of inner pores. Moreover, degradable gelatin key caused cancer cell growth on the scaffold surface to turn into a 3D aggregation. Despite this, the formation of cancer spheroids was slow, and required 14 days of dynamic culture. Thankfully, EGF promoted cancer cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration, and cancer spheroids were observed only after 3-day culture. We concluded that the combination of the multiple components in this scaffold allows cancer cells to meet multiple requirements of cancer dynamic progression.
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