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Camero S, Milazzo L, Vulcano F, Ceccarelli F, Pontecorvi P, Pedini F, Rossetti A, Scialis ES, Gerini G, Cece F, Pomella S, Cassandri M, Porrazzo A, Romano E, Festuccia C, Gravina GL, Ceccarelli S, Rota R, Lotti LV, Midulla F, Angeloni A, Marchese C, Marampon F, Megiorni F. Antitumour effects of SFX-01 molecule in combination with ionizing radiation in preclinical and in vivo models of rhabdomyosarcoma. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:814. [PMID: 38977944 PMCID: PMC11229215 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12536-8] [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: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite a multimodal approach including surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy, the 5-year event-free survival rate for rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood, remains very poor for metastatic patients, mainly due to the selection and proliferation of tumour cells driving resistance mechanisms. Personalised medicine-based protocols using new drugs or targeted therapies in combination with conventional treatments have the potential to enhance the therapeutic effects, while minimizing damage to healthy tissues in a wide range of human malignancies, with several clinical trials being started. In this study, we analysed, for the first time, the antitumour activity of SFX-01, a complex of synthetic d, l-sulforaphane stabilised in alpha-cyclodextrin (Evgen Pharma plc, UK), used as single agent and in combination with irradiation, in four preclinical models of alveolar and embryonal RMS. Indeed, SFX-01 has shown promise in preclinical studies for its ability to modulate cellular pathways involved in inflammation and oxidative stress that are essential to be controlled in cancer treatment. METHODS RH30, RH4 (alveolar RMS), RD and JR1 (embryonal RMS) cell lines as well as mouse xenograft models of RMS were used to evaluate the biological and molecular effects induced by SFX-01 treatment. Flow cytometry and the modulation of key markers analysed by q-PCR and Western blot were used to assess cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy and production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RMS cells exposed to SFX-01. The ability to migrate and invade was also investigated with specific assays. The possible synergistic effects between SFX-01 and ionising radiation (IR) was studied in both the in vitro and in vivo studies. Student's t-test or two-way ANOVA were used to test the statistical significance of two or more comparisons, respectively. RESULTS SFX-01 treatment exhibited cytostatic and cytotoxic effects, mediated by G2 cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction and suppression of autophagy. Moreover, SFX-01 was able to inhibit the formation and the proliferation of 3D tumorspheres as monotherapy and in combination with IR. Finally, SFX-01, when orally administered as single agent, displayed a pattern of efficacy at reducing the growth of tumour masses in RMS xenograft mouse models; when combined with a radiotherapy regime, it was observed to act synergistically, resulting in a more positive outcome than would be expected by adding each exposure alone. CONCLUSIONS In summary, our results provide evidence for the antitumour properties of SFX-01 in preclinical models of RMS tumours, both as a standalone treatment and in combination with irradiation. These forthcoming findings are crucial for deeper investigations of SFX-01 molecular mechanisms against RMS and for setting up clinical trials in RMS patients in order to use the SFX-01/IR co-treatment as a promising therapeutic approach, particularly in the clinical management of aggressive RMS disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Camero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Milazzo
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Vulcano
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Pontecorvi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Pedini
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Rossetti
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Elena Sofia Scialis
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University "G. D'Annunzio" Chieti - Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Giulia Gerini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Cece
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Pomella
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Cassandri
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Porrazzo
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Romano
- Department of Sense Organs, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Festuccia
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Giovanni Luca Gravina
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Rota
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Midulla
- Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Mungai RW, Hartman RJ, Jolin GE, Piskorowski KW, Billiar KL. Towards a More Objective and High-throughput Spheroid Invasion Assay Quantification Method. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.27.600893. [PMID: 39005385 PMCID: PMC11244881 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.27.600893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Multicellular spheroids embedded in 3D hydrogels are prominent in vitro models for 3D cell invasion. Yet, quantification methods for spheroid cell invasion that are high-throughput, objective and accessible are still lacking. Variations in spheroid sizes and the shapes of the cells within render it difficult to objectively assess invasion extent. The goal of this work is to develop a high-throughput quantification method of cell invasion into 3D matrices that minimizes sensitivity to initial spheroid size and cell spreading and provides precise integrative directionally-dependent metrics of invasion. By analyzing images of fluorescent cell nuclei, invasion metrics are automatically calculated at the pixel level. The initial spheroid boundary is segmented and automated calculations of the nuclear pixel distances from the initial boundary are used to compute common invasion metrics (i.e., the change in invasion area, mean distance) for the same spheroid at a later timepoint. We also introduce the area moment of inertia as an integrative metric of cell invasion that considers the invasion area as well as the pixel distances from the initial spheroid boundary. Further, we show that principal component analysis can be used to quantify the directional influence of a stimuli to invasion (e.g., due to a chemotactic gradient or contact guidance). To demonstrate the power of the analysis for cell types with different invasive potentials and the utility of this method for a variety of biological applications, the method is used to analyze the invasiveness of five different cell types. In all, implementation of this high-throughput quantification method results in consistent and objective analysis of 3D multicellular spheroid invasion. We provide the analysis code in both MATLAB and Python languages as well as a GUI for ease of use for researchers with a range of computer programming skills and for applications in a variety of biological research areas such as wound healing and cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozanne W. Mungai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA 01605
| | | | - Grace E. Jolin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA 01605
| | - Kevin W. Piskorowski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA 01605
| | - Kristen L. Billiar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA 01605
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3
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Heiss J, Tavana H. Automated Analysis of Extracellular Matrix Invasion of Cancer Cells from Tumor Spheroids. ACS MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AU 2024; 4:260-266. [PMID: 38910858 PMCID: PMC11191720 DOI: 10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.3c00064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
The main cause of mortality among cancer patients is metastatic disease. Metastasis develops from cancer cells that invade the stromal tissue and intravasate the circulatory or lymphatic systems to eventually form new tumors in other organs. Blocking cancer cell invasion can potentially prevent or reduce the metastatic progression of cancers. Testing different chemical compounds against cell invasion in three-dimensional cultures is a common laboratory technique. The efficacy of the treatments is often evaluated from confocal microscopic images of the cells using image processing. However, the analysis approaches are often subject to variations and inconsistencies due to user decisions that must be made while processing each image. To overcome this limitation, we developed a fully automated method to quantify the invasion of cancer cells from a 3D tumor spheroid into the surrounding extracellular matrix. We demonstrated that this method resolves cell invasion from spheroids of different shapes and sizes and from cells that invade as a cluster or individually. We also showed that this approach can help quantify the dose-dependent anti-invasive effects of a commonly used chemotherapy drug. Our automated method significantly reduces the time and increases the consistency and accuracy of cancer cell invasion analysis in three-dimensional cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Heiss
- 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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4
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de Oliveira Silva N, de Lima LVA, de Oliveira LM, da Silva MF, de Aguiar AP, Semprebon SC, Favaron PO, Lepri SR, Felicidade I, Mantovani MS. Cellular and molecular antiproliferative effects in 2D monolayer and 3D-cultivated HT-29 cells treated with zerumbone. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 397:1561-1573. [PMID: 37672080 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02701-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Zerumbone (ZER) is a phytochemical isolated from plants of the Zingiberaceae family. Numerous studies have demonstrated its diverse pharmacological properties, particularly its potent antitumorigenic activity. This study aimed to assess the antiproliferative effects of ZER on HT-29 cells cultivated in both two-dimensional (2D) monolayer and three-dimensional (3D) spheroid culture systems. The evaluation of growth (size), cell death, and cell cycle arrest in 3D spheroid HT-29 cells was correlated with mRNA expression data. Treatment of 2D cells revealed that ZER exhibited cytotoxicity at concentrations above 30 µM, and an IC50 of 83.54 µM (24-h post-ZER treatment) effectively suppressed cell migration. In the 3D model, ZER induced an increase in spheroid volume over a 72-h period attributed to disaggregation and reconfiguration of characteristic zones. Analysis of cell death demonstrated a significant rise in apoptotic cells after 24 h of ZER treatment, along with cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase. Furthermore, ZER treatment resulted in alterations in mRNA expression, affecting key signaling pathways involved in cell death (BCL2 and BBC3), endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERN1), DNA damage (GADD45A), cell cycle regulation (CDKN1A, NFKB1, MYC, and TP53), and autophagy (BECN1 and SQSTM1). These findings suggested that ZER holds promise as a potential candidate for the development of novel anticancer agents that can modulate crucial cell signaling pathways. Additionally, the use of the 3D culture system proved to be a valuable tool in our investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayane de Oliveira Silva
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Luan Vitor Alves de Lima
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Liana Martins de Oliveira
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Matheus Felipe da Silva
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Amanda Passuello de Aguiar
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Simone Cristine Semprebon
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Phelipe Oliveira Favaron
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Sandra Regina Lepri
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Felicidade
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Mario Sergio Mantovani
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
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Piccinini F, Drudi L, Pyun JC, Lee M, Kwak B, Ku B, Carbonaro A, Martinelli G, Castellani G. Two-dimensional segmentation fusion tool: an extensible, free-to-use, user-friendly tool for combining different bidimensional segmentations. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1339723. [PMID: 38357706 PMCID: PMC10865367 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1339723] [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: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: In several fields, the process of fusing multiple two-dimensional (2D) closed lines is an important step. For instance, this is fundamental in histology and oncology in general. The treatment of a tumor consists of numerous steps and activities. Among them, segmenting the cancer area, that is, the correct identification of its spatial location by the segmentation technique, is one of the most important and at the same time complex and delicate steps. The difficulty in deriving reliable segmentations stems from the lack of a standard for identifying the edges and surrounding tissues of the tumor area. For this reason, the entire process is affected by considerable subjectivity. Given a tumor image, different practitioners can associate different segmentations with it, and the diagnoses produced may differ. Moreover, experimental data show that the analysis of the same area by the same physician at two separate timepoints may result in different lines being produced. Accordingly, it is challenging to establish which contour line is the ground truth. Methods: Starting from multiple segmentations related to the same tumor, statistical metrics and computational procedures could be exploited to combine them for determining the most reliable contour line. In particular, numerous algorithms have been developed over time for this procedure, but none of them is validated yet. Accordingly, in this field, there is no ground truth, and research is still active. Results: In this work, we developed the Two-Dimensional Segmentation Fusion Tool (TDSFT), a user-friendly tool distributed as a free-to-use standalone application for MAC, Linux, and Windows, which offers a simple and extensible interface where numerous algorithms are proposed to "compute the mean" (i.e., the process to fuse, combine, and "average") multiple 2D lines. Conclusions: The TDSFT can support medical specialists, but it can also be used in other fields where it is required to combine 2D close lines. In addition, the TDSFT is designed to be easily extended with new algorithms thanks to a dedicated graphical interface for configuring new parameters. The TDSFT can be downloaded from the following link: https://sourceforge.net/p/tdsft.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Piccinini
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, Meldola, Italy
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Drudi
- Student, Computer Science and Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jae-Chul Pyun
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Misu Lee
- Division of Life Sciences, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
- Institute for New Drug Development, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Bongseop Kwak
- College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Bosung Ku
- Central R&D Center, Medical and Bio Decision (MBD) Co., Ltd., Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Antonella Carbonaro
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DISI), University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Giovanni Martinelli
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, Meldola, Italy
| | - Gastone Castellani
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Ferretti LP, Böhi F, Leslie Pedrioli DM, Cheng PF, Ferrari E, Baumgaertner P, Alvarado-Diaz A, Sella F, Cereghetti A, Turko P, Wright RH, De Bock K, Speiser DE, Ferrari R, Levesque MP, Hottiger MO. Combinatorial Treatment with PARP and MAPK Inhibitors Overcomes Phenotype Switch-Driven Drug Resistance in Advanced Melanoma. Cancer Res 2023; 83:3974-3988. [PMID: 37729428 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic melanoma is either intrinsically resistant or rapidly acquires resistance to targeted therapy treatments, such as MAPK inhibitors (MAPKi). A leading cause of resistance to targeted therapy is a dynamic transition of melanoma cells from a proliferative to a highly invasive state, a phenomenon called phenotype switching. Mechanisms regulating phenotype switching represent potential targets for improving treatment of patients with melanoma. Using a drug screen targeting chromatin regulators in patient-derived three-dimensional MAPKi-resistant melanoma cell cultures, we discovered that PARP inhibitors (PARPi) restore sensitivity to MAPKis, independent of DNA damage repair pathways. Integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and epigenomic analyses demonstrated that PARPis induce lysosomal autophagic cell death, accompanied by enhanced mitochondrial lipid metabolism that ultimately increases antigen presentation and sensitivity to T-cell cytotoxicity. Moreover, transcriptomic and epigenetic rearrangements induced by PARP inhibition reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition-like phenotype switching, which redirected melanoma cells toward a proliferative and MAPKi-sensitive state. The combination of PARP and MAPKis synergistically induced cancer cell death both in vitro and in vivo in patient-derived xenograft models. Therefore, this study provides a scientific rationale for treating patients with melanoma with PARPis in combination with MAPKis to abrogate acquired therapy resistance. SIGNIFICANCE PARP inhibitors can overcome resistance to MAPK inhibitors by activating autophagic cell death and reversing phenotype switching, suggesting that this synergistic combination could help improve the prognosis of patients with melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza P Ferretti
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Flurina Böhi
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Phil F Cheng
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Elena Ferrari
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Baumgaertner
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Abdiel Alvarado-Diaz
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Federica Sella
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Alessandra Cereghetti
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Turko
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Roni H Wright
- Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
| | - Katrien De Bock
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Daniel E Speiser
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Roberto Ferrari
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Mitchell P Levesque
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Michael O Hottiger
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Martins de Oliveira L, Alves de Lima LV, Silva MFD, Felicidade I, Lepri SR, Mantovani MS. Disruption of caspase-independent cell proliferation pathway on spheroids (HeLa cells) treated with curcumin. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2023; 86:859-870. [PMID: 37671809 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2023.2255886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Curcumin is an antiproliferative phytochemical extracted from Curcuma longa L and which has been studied in preclinical drug screening using cell monolayers and animal models. However, several limitations of these culture systems may be overcome by performing screening with three-dimensional (3-D) cell culture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on cytotoxicity and genotoxicity as well as spheroid growth using cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cell spheroids by performing RT-PCR mRNA expression of genes involved in cell death (CASP3, CASP8, CASP9, PARP1, BBC3, BIRC5, BCL2, TNF), autophagy (BECN1, SQSTM1), cell cycle regulation (TP53, C-MYC, NF-kB, CDKN1A, m-TOR, TRAF-2), DNA damage repair (H2AFX, GADD45A, GADD45G), oxidative stress (GPX1), reticulum stress (EIF2AK3, ERN1), and invasion (MMP1, MMP9) was investigated. Curcumin was cytotoxic in a concentration-dependent manner. Curcumin-treated spheroids exhibited lower proliferative recovery and cell proliferation attenuation, as observed in the clonogenic assay. Further, no marked genotoxicity was detected. Curcumin-treated spheroids displayed reduced expression of BECN1 (2.9×), CASP9 (2.1×), and PARP1 (2.1×) mRNA. PARP1 inhibition suggested disruption of essential pathways of proliferation maintenance. Downregulated expression of CASP9 mRNA and unchanged expression of CASP3/8 mRNA suggested caspase-independent cell death, whereas downregulated expression of BECN1 mRNA indicated autophagic disruption. Therefore, curcumin exhibits the potential for drug development with antiproliferative activity to be considered for use in cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Martins de Oliveira
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Londrina, Brazil
| | - Luan Vitor Alves de Lima
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Londrina, Brazil
| | - Matheus Felipe da Silva
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Londrina, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Felicidade
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Londrina, Brazil
| | - Sandra Regina Lepri
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Londrina, Brazil
| | - Mário Sérgio Mantovani
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Londrina, Brazil
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8
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da Silva MF, de Lima LVA, de Oliveira LM, Semprebon SC, Silva NDO, de Aguiar AP, Mantovani MS. Regulation of cytokinesis and necroptosis pathways by diosgenin inhibits the proliferation of NCI-H460 lung cancer cells. Life Sci 2023; 330:122033. [PMID: 37598976 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122033] [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: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Aim Overcoming resistance to apoptosis and antimitotic chemotherapy is crucial for effective treatment of lung cancer. Diosgenin (DG), a promising phytochemical, can regulate various molecular pathways implicated in tumor formation and progression. However, the precise biological activity of DG in lung cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative activity of DG in NCI-H460 lung carcinoma cells to explore the underlying antimitotic mechanisms and alternative cell death pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a 2D culture system, we analyzed cell viability, multinucleated cell frequency, cell concentration, cell cycle changes, cell death induction, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and nuclear DNA damage, particularly in relation to target gene expression. We also evaluated the antiproliferative activity of DG in a 3D culture system of spheroids, assessing volume changes, cell death induction, and inhibition of proliferation recovery and clonogenic growth. KEY FINDINGS DG reduced cell viability and concentration while increasing the frequency of cells with multiple nuclei, particularly binucleated cells resulting from daughter cell fusion. This effect was associated with genes involved in cytokinesis regulation (RAB35, OCRL, BIRC5, and AURKB). Additionally, DG-induced cell death was linked to necroptosis, as evidenced by increased intracellular ROS production and RIPK3, MLKL, TRAF2, and HSPA5 gene expression. In tumor spheroids, DG increased spheroid volume, induced cell death, and inhibited proliferation recovery and clonogenic growth. SIGNIFICANCE Our study provides new insights into the biological activities of DG in lung cancer cells, contributing to the development of novel oncological therapies.
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9
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Alves RF, Lopes C, Rocha E, Madureira TV. A Step Forward in the Characterization of Primary Brown Trout Hepatocytic Spheroids as Experimental Models. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2277. [PMID: 37508054 PMCID: PMC10376616 DOI: 10.3390/ani13142277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammal hepatocyte spheroids have been investigated as alternative experimental models in several contexts, since three-dimensional (3D) systems have shown the potential to mimic in vivo scenarios. The description of fish hepatocyte 3D models is still minimal. This study intends to further characterize brown trout primary hepatocyte spheroids at distinct time points up to 25 days in culture. Viability, biometry, histomorphology, and basal expression of a selection of genes (metabolism and detoxification, efflux transport, and estrogenic signalling) were considered. The gene expression of whole liver samples from the same fish donor were evaluated concurrently. After 12 days in culture, the hepatocyte spheroids exhibited biometric and morphological stability. From the 12th to the 20th day in culture, the basal expression levels for most of the selected genes did not vary. The targeted mRNA levels were higher in brown trout liver samples compared to hepatocyte spheroids. Despite that, data supported that this model resembles some in vivo features. As an experimental alternative model, it showed potential to be used in a stable time window that can be exploited for exposure tests to different xenobiotics, namely, estrogenic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo F Alves
- Team of Animal Morphology and Toxicology, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, ICBAS-School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Célia Lopes
- Team of Animal Morphology and Toxicology, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, ICBAS-School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Rocha
- Team of Animal Morphology and Toxicology, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, ICBAS-School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tânia V Madureira
- Team of Animal Morphology and Toxicology, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, ICBAS-School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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10
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Datta S, Bishayee A, Sinha D. Black tea bioactive phytoconstituents realign NRF2 for anticancer activity in lung adenocarcinoma. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1176819. [PMID: 37305533 PMCID: PMC10247968 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1176819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Constitutive activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is pivotal in bestowing therapy resistance in cancer cells. Several phytochemicals have been reported with the potential of modulating NRF2. Therefore, it was hypothesized that NRF2-deregulated chemoresistance in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) may be counteracted by theaflavin-rich black tea (BT). A non-responsive LUAD cell line, A549, was the best sensitized towards cisplatin upon pre-treatment with BT. BT-mediated NRF2 reorientation was observed to be dependent on concentration and duration of treatment as well as on the mutational profile of NRF2 in A549 cells. Transient exposure of low-concentration BT hormetically downregulated NRF2, its downstream antioxidants, and drug transporter. BT also influenced the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein (KEAP1)-dependent cullin 3 (Cul3) and KEAP-1-independent signaling through epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) - rat sarcoma virus (RAS) - rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (RAF) - extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK) - matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. The realignment of NRF2 in KEAP1-suppressed A549 cells enhanced the chemotherapeutic outcome. But a higher concentration of the same BT surprisingly upregulated NRF2 and its transcriptional targets with a subsequent decrease in the NRF2-regulatory machinery in NCI-H23 cells (a KEAP1-overexpressed LUAD cell line), ultimately resulting in a better anticancer response. The BT-mediated bidirectional NRF2 modulation was reconfirmed upon comparison with the action of a pharmacological NRF2 inhibitor, ML-385, in A549 and a known NRF2 activator, tertiary-butylhydroquinone, in NCI-H23 respectively. BT-mediated regulation of NRF2-KEAP1 and their upstream networks (EGFR/RAS/RAF/ERK) sufficed as a better anticancer agent than synthetic NRF2 modulators. Therefore, BT may be indicated as a potent multi-modal small molecule for increasing drug responsiveness in LUAD cells by maintaining NRF2/KEAP1 axis at an optimum level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchisnigdha Datta
- Department of Receptor Biology and Tumor Metastasis, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Anupam Bishayee
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, FL, United States
| | - Dona Sinha
- Department of Receptor Biology and Tumor Metastasis, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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11
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Effects and Mechanisms of Action of Preussin, a Marine Fungal Metabolite, against the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line, MDA-MB-231, in 2D and 3D Cultures. Mar Drugs 2023; 21:md21030166. [PMID: 36976215 PMCID: PMC10053333 DOI: 10.3390/md21030166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents an aggressive subtype of breast cancer (BC) with a typically poorer prognosis than other subtypes of BC and limited therapeutic options. Therefore, new drugs would be particularly welcome to help treat TNBC. Preussin, isolated from the marine sponge-associated fungus, Aspergillus candidus, has shown the potential to reduce cell viability and proliferation as well as to induce cell death and cell cycle arrest in 2D cell culture models. However, studies that better mimic the tumors in vivo, such as 3D cell cultures, are needed. Here, we studied the effects of preussin in the MDA-MB-231 cell line, comparing 2D and 3D cell cultures, using ultrastructural analysis and the MTT, BrdU, annexin V-PI, comet (alkaline and FPG modified versions), and wound healing assays. Preussin was found to decrease cell viability, both in 2D and 3D cell cultures, in a dose-dependent manner, impair cell proliferation, and induce cell death, therefore excluding the hypothesis of genotoxic properties. The cellular impacts were reflected by ultrastructural alterations in both cell culture models. Preussin also significantly inhibited the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. The new data expanded the knowledge on preussin actions while supporting other studies, highlighting its potential as a molecule or scaffold for the development of new anticancer drugs against TNBC.
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Rizza S, Di Leo L, Pecorari C, Giglio P, Faienza F, Montagna C, Maiani E, Puglia M, Bosisio FM, Petersen TS, Lin L, Rissler V, Viloria JS, Luo Y, Papaleo E, De Zio D, Blagoev B, Filomeni G. GSNOR deficiency promotes tumor growth via FAK1 S-nitrosylation. Cell Rep 2023; 42:111997. [PMID: 36656716 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.111997] [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: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) production in the tumor microenvironment is a common element in cancer. S-nitrosylation, the post-translational modification of cysteines by NO, is emerging as a key transduction mechanism sustaining tumorigenesis. However, most oncoproteins that are regulated by S-nitrosylation are still unknown. Here we show that S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR), the enzyme that deactivates S-nitrosylation, is hypo-expressed in several human malignancies. Using multiple tumor models, we demonstrate that GSNOR deficiency induces S-nitrosylation of focal adhesion kinase 1 (FAK1) at C658. This event enhances FAK1 autophosphorylation and sustains tumorigenicity by providing cancer cells with the ability to survive in suspension (evade anoikis). In line with these results, GSNOR-deficient tumor models are highly susceptible to treatment with FAK1 inhibitors. Altogether, our findings advance our understanding of the oncogenic role of S-nitrosylation, define GSNOR as a tumor suppressor, and point to GSNOR hypo-expression as a therapeutically exploitable vulnerability in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Rizza
- Redox Biology, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Luca Di Leo
- Melanoma Research Team, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Chiara Pecorari
- Redox Biology, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paola Giglio
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Fiorella Faienza
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Costanza Montagna
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy; UniCamillus-Saint Camillus, University of Health Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy
| | - Emiliano Maiani
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy; UniCamillus-Saint Camillus, University of Health Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Puglia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Francesca M Bosisio
- Lab of Translational Cell and Tissue Research, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Lin Lin
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Vendela Rissler
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Juan Salamanca Viloria
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yonglun Luo
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Qingdao-Europe Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Elena Papaleo
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Cancer Systems Biology, Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health and Technology, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Daniela De Zio
- Melanoma Research Team, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen University, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Blagoy Blagoev
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Giuseppe Filomeni
- Redox Biology, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy; Center for Healthy Aging, Copenhagen University, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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13
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Dalmao-Fernandez A, Aizenshtadt A, Bakke HG, Krauss S, Rustan AC, Thoresen GH, Kase ET. Development of three-dimensional primary human myospheres as culture model of skeletal muscle cells for metabolic studies. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1130693. [PMID: 37034250 PMCID: PMC10076718 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1130693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Skeletal muscle is a major contributor to whole-body energy homeostasis and the utilization of fatty acids and glucose. At present, 2D cell models have been the most used cellular models to study skeletal muscle energy metabolism. However, the transferability of the results to in vivo might be limited. This project aimed to develop and characterize a skeletal muscle 3D cell model (myospheres) as an easy and low-cost tool to study molecular mechanisms of energy metabolism. Methods and results: We demonstrated that human primary myoblasts form myospheres without external matrix support and carry structural and molecular characteristics of mature skeletal muscle after 10 days of differentiation. We found significant metabolic differences between the 2D myotubes model and myospheres. In particular, myospheres showed increased lipid oxidative metabolism than the 2D myotubes model, which oxidized relatively more glucose and accumulated more oleic acid. Discussion and conclusion: These analyses demonstrate model differences that can have an impact and should be taken into consideration for studying energy metabolism and metabolic disorders in skeletal muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Dalmao-Fernandez
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- *Correspondence: Andrea Dalmao-Fernandez,
| | - Aleksandra Aizenshtadt
- Hybrid Technology Hub Centre of Excellence, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hege G. Bakke
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stefan Krauss
- Hybrid Technology Hub Centre of Excellence, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arild C. Rustan
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - G. Hege Thoresen
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eili Tranheim Kase
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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14
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Akshay A, Katoch M, Abedi M, Shekarchizadeh N, Besic M, Burkhard FC, Bigger-Allen A, Adam RM, Monastyrskaya K, Gheinani AH. SpheroScan: a user-friendly deep learning tool for spheroid image analysis. Gigascience 2022; 12:giad082. [PMID: 37889008 PMCID: PMC10603766 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giad082] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, 3-dimensional (3D) spheroid models have become increasingly popular in scientific research as they provide a more physiologically relevant microenvironment that mimics in vivo conditions. The use of 3D spheroid assays has proven to be advantageous as it offers a better understanding of the cellular behavior, drug efficacy, and toxicity as compared to traditional 2-dimensional cell culture methods. However, the use of 3D spheroid assays is impeded by the absence of automated and user-friendly tools for spheroid image analysis, which adversely affects the reproducibility and throughput of these assays. RESULTS To address these issues, we have developed a fully automated, web-based tool called SpheroScan, which uses the deep learning framework called Mask Regions with Convolutional Neural Networks (R-CNN) for image detection and segmentation. To develop a deep learning model that could be applied to spheroid images from a range of experimental conditions, we trained the model using spheroid images captured using IncuCyte Live-Cell Analysis System and a conventional microscope. Performance evaluation of the trained model using validation and test datasets shows promising results. CONCLUSION SpheroScan allows for easy analysis of large numbers of images and provides interactive visualization features for a more in-depth understanding of the data. Our tool represents a significant advancement in the analysis of spheroid images and will facilitate the widespread adoption of 3D spheroid models in scientific research. The source code and a detailed tutorial for SpheroScan are available at https://github.com/FunctionalUrology/SpheroScan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Akshay
- Functional Urology Research Group, Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mitali Katoch
- Institute of Neuropathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Masoud Abedi
- Department of Medical Data Science, Leipzig University Medical Centre, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Navid Shekarchizadeh
- Department of Medical Data Science, Leipzig University Medical Centre, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
- Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI) Dresden/Leipzig, 04105 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mustafa Besic
- Functional Urology Research Group, Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Urology, Inselspital University Hospital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fiona C Burkhard
- Functional Urology Research Group, Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Urology, Inselspital University Hospital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Alex Bigger-Allen
- Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, 02115 Boston, MA, USA
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Rosalyn M Adam
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Katia Monastyrskaya
- Functional Urology Research Group, Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Urology, Inselspital University Hospital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ali Hashemi Gheinani
- Functional Urology Research Group, Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Urology, Inselspital University Hospital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
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15
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Pereira IL, Lopes C, Rocha E, Madureira TV. Establishing brown trout primary hepatocyte spheroids as a new alternative experimental model-Testing the effects of 5α-dihydrotestosterone on lipid pathways. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2022; 253:106331. [PMID: 36327687 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2022.106331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) fish liver cultures mimic the in vivo cellular microenvironment, which is ideal for ecotoxicological research. Despite that, the application of these cultures to evaluate toxic effects in fish is scarce. A 3D model of brown trout (Salmo trutta f. fario) primary hepatocyte spheroids was optimized in this study by using DMEM/F-12 with 15 mM of HEPES, 10 mL/L of an antibiotic and antimycotic solution and FBS 10% (v/v), at 18 °C with ∼100 rpm. The selection of optimal conditions was based on a multiparametric characterization of the spheroids, including biometry, viability, microanatomy and immunohistochemistry. Biometric and morphologic stabilization of spheroids was reached within 12-16 days of culture. To our knowledge, this study is the first to culture and characterize viable spheroids from brown trout primary hepatocytes for over 30 days. Further, the 3D model was tested to explore the androgenic influences on lipidic target genes after 96 h exposures to control, solvent control, 10 and 100 µM of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a non-aromatizable androgen. Spheroids exposed to 100 µM of DHT had decreased sphericity. DHT at 100 µM also significantly down-regulated Acox1-3I, PPARγ and fatty acid synthesis targets (i.e., ACC), and significantly up-regulated Fabp1. Acsl1 was significantly up-regulated after exposure to both 10 and 100 µM of DHT. The results support that DHT modulates distinct lipidic pathways in brown trout and show that this 3D model is a new valuable tool for physiological and toxicological mechanistic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês L Pereira
- Histomorphology, Physiopathology and Applied Toxicology Team, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Célia Lopes
- Histomorphology, Physiopathology and Applied Toxicology Team, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Rocha
- Histomorphology, Physiopathology and Applied Toxicology Team, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tânia V Madureira
- Histomorphology, Physiopathology and Applied Toxicology Team, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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16
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Alves de Lima LV, da Silva MF, Concato VM, Rondina DBL, Zanetti TA, Felicidade I, Areal Marques L, Lepri SR, Simionato AS, Filho GA, Coatti GC, Mantovani MS. DNA damage and reticular stress in cytotoxicity and oncotic cell death of MCF-7 cells treated with fluopsin C. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2022; 85:896-911. [PMID: 35950849 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2022.2108950] [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: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fluopsin C is an antibiotic compound derived from secondary metabolism of different microorganisms, which possesses antitumor, antibacterial, and antifungal activity. Related to fluopsin C antiproliferative activity, the aim of this study was to examine the following parameters: cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, cell death induction (apoptosis), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), colony formation, and mRNA expression of genes involved in adaptive stress responses and cellular death utilizing a monolayer. In addition, a three-dimensional cell culture was used to evaluate the effects on growth of tumor spheroids. Fluopsin C was cytotoxic (1) producing cell division arrest in the G1 phase, (2) elevating expression of mRNA of the CDKN1A gene and (3) decrease in expression of mRNA H2AFX gene. Further, fluopsin C enhanced DNA damage as evidenced by increased expression of mRNA of GADD45A and GPX1 genes, indicating that reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be involved in the observed genotoxic response. Reticulum stress was also detected as noted from activation of the ribonuclease inositol-requiring protein 1 (IRE1) pathway, since a rise in mRNA expression of the ERN1 and TRAF2 genes was observed. During the cell death process, an increase in mRNA expression of the BBC3 gene was noted, indicating participation of this antibiotic in oncotic (ischemic) cell death. Data thus demonstrated for the first time that fluopsin C interferes with the volume of tumor spheroids, in order to attenuate their growth. Our findings show that fluopsin C modulates essential molecular processes in response to stress and cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luan Vitor Alves de Lima
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Matheus Felipe da Silva
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Virginia Marcia Concato
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Thalita Alves Zanetti
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Felicidade
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Lilian Areal Marques
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Sandra Regina Lepri
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Ane Stéfano Simionato
- Department of Microbiology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Galdino Andrade Filho
- Department of Microbiology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Mário Sérgio Mantovani
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
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17
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Morphometrical, Morphological, and Immunocytochemical Characterization of a Tool for Cytotoxicity Research: 3D Cultures of Breast Cell Lines Grown in Ultra-Low Attachment Plates. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10080415. [PMID: 35893848 PMCID: PMC9394479 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10080415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional cell cultures may better mimic avascular tumors. Yet, they still lack characterization and standardization. Therefore, this study aimed to (a) generate multicellular aggregates (MCAs) of four breast cell lines: MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and SKBR3 (tumoral) and MCF12A (non-tumoral) using ultra-low attachment (ULA) plates, (b) detail the methodology used for their formation and analysis, providing technical tips, and (c) characterize the MCAs using morphometry, qualitative cytology (at light and electron microscopy), and quantitative immunocytochemistry (ICC) analysis. Each cell line generated uniform MCAs with structural differences among cell lines: MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 MCAs showed an ellipsoid/discoid shape and compact structure, while MCF12A and SKBR3 MCAs were loose, more flattened, and presented bigger areas. MCF7 MCAs revealed glandular breast differentiation features. ICC showed a random distribution of the proliferating and apoptotic cells throughout the MCAs, not fitting in the traditional spheroid model. ICC for cytokeratin, vimentin, and E-cadherin showed different results according to the cell lines. Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors were positive only in MCF7 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) in SKBR3. The presented characterization of the MCAs in non-exposed conditions provided a good baseline to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of potential anticancer compounds.
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18
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da Silva MF, de Lima LVA, Zanetti TA, Felicidade I, Favaron PO, Lepri SR, Lirio Rondina DB, Mantovani MS. Diosgenin increases BBC3 expression in HepG2/C3A cells and alters cell communication in a 3D spheroid model. MUTATION RESEARCH. GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2022; 879-880:503512. [PMID: 35914860 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2022.503512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Preclinical studies have shown that diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin, is a promising phytochemical for treating different pathological conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. However, the toxicological safety of this molecule for therapeutic use in humans needs to be better understood. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the mechanisms of action of diosgenin in HepG2/C3A human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, alterations in the cell cycle, and cell death (apoptosis) were investigated and associated with the gene expression profile of pathways involved in these processes. The effects of diosgenin on the growth of spheroids were also tested. Diosgenin induced a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability and cell cycle arrest in S and G2/M phases and apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Apoptosis was associated with an increase in the expression of BBC3, a participant in the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Diosgenin also promoted an increase in volume and greater cellular breakdown in spheroids. These results allowed a better understanding of the toxicity of diosgenin in human cells and contributed to the development of treatments based on this phytochemical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus Felipe da Silva
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Luan Vitor Alves de Lima
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Thalita Alves Zanetti
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Felicidade
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Phelipe Oliveira Favaron
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Sandra Regina Lepri
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Débora Berbel Lirio Rondina
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Mário Sérgio Mantovani
- Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences, Londrina State University, UEL, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380 Londrina, PR, Brazil.
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19
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Passiflora mollissima Seed Extract Induced Antiproliferative and Cytotoxic Effects on CAL 27 Spheroids. Adv Pharmacol Pharm Sci 2022; 2022:4602413. [PMID: 35685453 PMCID: PMC9174002 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4602413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellular tumor spheroids are used as models in drug development due to their characteristics simulating in vivo tumors. Likewise, antiproliferative properties of extracts derived from fruits have been widely described. Peels and seeds can be used as a matrix to obtain different compounds. Recently, a study demonstrated the antiproliferative activity from a P. mollissima extract (PME) on human colon cancer cells; however, its effect on oral spheroids is unknown. Objective. To evaluate the antiproliferative potential of an extract obtained from P. mollissima seeds on the spheroid-type-3D culture model of CAL 27. Methods. CAL 27-spheroids were treated with three concentrations of PME (10, 50, and 100 μg/ml). After 72 hr incubation, morphology and cellular changes, cytotoxic and proapoptotic effect, gene expression, and metastasis were determined. Additionally, changes in the cell cycle phases responded to the PME concentrations. Comparisons between groups were made through a U Mann-Whitney test. Results. It was shown that 100 μg/ml PE affects CAL 27 cells proliferation grown in spheroids through cell cycle arrest and gene regulation of p53, HIF 1α, and CDH1. However, none of the treatments employed induced MMP9 gene expression. Conclusion. Our study shows that PME inhibits the growth and proliferation of oral tumor cells cultured in spheroids through the positive regulation of cell death and metastasis genes.
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20
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Perini G, Rosa E, Friggeri G, Di Pietro L, Barba M, Parolini O, Ciasca G, Moriconi C, Papi M, De Spirito M, Palmieri V. INSIDIA 2.0 High-Throughput Analysis of 3D Cancer Models: Multiparametric Quantification of Graphene Quantum Dots Photothermal Therapy for Glioblastoma and Pancreatic Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:3217. [PMID: 35328638 PMCID: PMC8948775 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer spheroids are in vitro 3D models that became crucial in nanomaterials science thanks to the possibility of performing high throughput screening of nanoparticles and combined nanoparticle-drug therapies on in vitro models. However, most of the current spheroid analysis methods involve manual steps. This is a time-consuming process and is extremely liable to the variability of individual operators. For this reason, rapid, user-friendly, ready-to-use, high-throughput image analysis software is necessary. In this work, we report the INSIDIA 2.0 macro, which offers researchers high-throughput and high content quantitative analysis of in vitro 3D cancer cell spheroids and allows advanced parametrization of the expanding and invading cancer cellular mass. INSIDIA has been implemented to provide in-depth morphologic analysis and has been used for the analysis of the effect of graphene quantum dots photothermal therapy on glioblastoma (U87) and pancreatic cancer (PANC-1) spheroids. Thanks to INSIDIA 2.0 analysis, two types of effects have been observed: In U87 spheroids, death is accompanied by a decrease in area of the entire spheroid, with a decrease in entropy due to the generation of a high uniform density spheroid core. On the other hand, PANC-1 spheroids' death caused by nanoparticle photothermal disruption is accompanied with an overall increase in area and entropy due to the progressive loss of integrity and increase in variability of spheroid texture. We have summarized these effects in a quantitative parameter of spheroid disruption demonstrating that INSIDIA 2.0 multiparametric analysis can be used to quantify cell death in a non-invasive, fast, and high-throughput fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giordano Perini
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.C.); (M.D.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
| | - Enrico Rosa
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.C.); (M.D.S.)
| | - Ginevra Friggeri
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.C.); (M.D.S.)
| | - Lorena Di Pietro
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Marta Barba
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Ornella Parolini
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Ciasca
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.C.); (M.D.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
| | - Chiara Moriconi
- Theolytics, The Sherard Building, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, Oxford OX4 4DQ, UK; or
| | - Massimiliano Papi
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.C.); (M.D.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
| | - Marco De Spirito
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.C.); (M.D.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
| | - Valentina Palmieri
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.C.); (M.D.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.D.P.); (M.B.); (O.P.)
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
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21
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Dunn E, Chitcholtan K, Sykes P, Garrill A. The Anti-Proliferative Effect of PI3K/mTOR and ERK Inhibition in Monolayer and Three-Dimensional Ovarian Cancer Cell Models. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14020395. [PMID: 35053555 PMCID: PMC8773481 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14020395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In ovarian cancer patients the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK kinase signaling pathways are frequently dysregulated, making them potential targets of therapeutic inhibitors. In this study, we used four human ovarian cancer cell lines grown in two- and three-dimensional models to investigate the potential efficacy of combining two inhibitors, which target these pathways, against ovarian cancer. The inhibitor combination was found to have cell line- and model-dependent synergistic antiproliferative effect. Abstract Most ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with advanced stage disease, which becomes unresponsive to chemotherapeutic treatments. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR and the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK kinase signaling pathways are attractive targets for potential therapeutic inhibitors, due to the high frequency of mutations to PTEN, PIK3CA, KRAS and BRAF in several ovarian cancer subtypes. However, monotherapies targeting one of these pathways have shown modest effects in clinical trials. This limited efficacy of the agents could be due to upregulation and increased signaling via the adjacent alternative pathway. In this study, the efficacy of combined PI3K/mTOR (BEZ235) and ERK inhibition (SCH772984) was investigated in four human ovarian cancer cell lines, grown as monolayer and three-dimensional cell aggregates. The inhibitor combination reduced cellular proliferation in a synergistic manner in OV-90 and OVCAR8 monolayers and in OV-90, OVCAR5 and SKOV3 aggregates. Sensitivity to the inhibitors was reduced in three-dimensional cell aggregates in comparison to monolayers. OV-90 cells cultured in large spheroids were sensitive to the inhibitors and displayed a robust synergistic antiproliferative response to the inhibitor combination. In contrast, OVCAR8 spheroids were resistant to the inhibitors. These findings suggest that combined PI3K/mTOR and ERK inhibition could be a useful strategy for overcoming treatment resistance in ovarian cancer and warrants further preclinical investigation. Additionally, in some cell lines the use of different three-dimensional models can influence cell line sensitivity to PI3K/mTOR and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Dunn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Correspondence: (E.D.); (A.G.)
| | - Kenny Chitcholtan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand; (K.C.); (P.S.)
| | - Peter Sykes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand; (K.C.); (P.S.)
| | - Ashley Garrill
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Correspondence: (E.D.); (A.G.)
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22
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Barbosa MAG, Xavier CPR, Pereira RF, Petrikaitė V, Vasconcelos MH. 3D Cell Culture Models as Recapitulators of the Tumor Microenvironment for the Screening of Anti-Cancer Drugs. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 14:190. [PMID: 35008353 PMCID: PMC8749977 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14010190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Today, innovative three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models have been proposed as viable and biomimetic alternatives for initial drug screening, allowing the improvement of the efficiency of drug development. These models are gaining popularity, given their ability to reproduce key aspects of the tumor microenvironment, concerning the 3D tumor architecture as well as the interactions of tumor cells with the extracellular matrix and surrounding non-tumor cells. The development of accurate 3D models may become beneficial to decrease the use of laboratory animals in scientific research, in accordance with the European Union's regulation on the 3R rule (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). This review focuses on the impact of 3D cell culture models on cancer research, discussing their advantages, limitations, and compatibility with high-throughput screenings and automated systems. An insight is also given on the adequacy of the available readouts for the interpretation of the data obtained from the 3D cell culture models. Importantly, we also emphasize the need for the incorporation of additional and complementary microenvironment elements on the design of 3D cell culture models, towards improved predictive value of drug efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie A. G. Barbosa
- Cancer Drug Resistance Group, IPATIMUP—Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.A.G.B.); (C.P.R.X.)
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Cristina P. R. Xavier
- Cancer Drug Resistance Group, IPATIMUP—Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.A.G.B.); (C.P.R.X.)
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Rúben F. Pereira
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
- Biofabrication Group, INEB—Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Vilma Petrikaitė
- Laboratory of Drug Targets Histopathology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, A. Mickevičiaus g 9, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania;
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio al. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - M. Helena Vasconcelos
- Cancer Drug Resistance Group, IPATIMUP—Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.A.G.B.); (C.P.R.X.)
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Biological Sciences, FFUP—Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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23
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Aguilar Cosme JR, Gagui DC, Bryant HE, Claeyssens F. Morphological Response in Cancer Spheroids for Screening Photodynamic Therapy Parameters. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:784962. [PMID: 34869604 PMCID: PMC8637197 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.784962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment which uses light-activated compounds to produce reactive oxygen species, leading to membrane damage and cell death. Multicellular cancer spheroids are a preferable alternative for PDT evaluation in comparison to monolayer cell cultures due to their ability to better mimic in vivo avascular tumour characteristics such as hypoxia and cell-cell interactions, low cost, and ease of production. However, inconsistent growth kinetics and drug responsiveness causes poor experimental reproducibility and limits their usefulness. Herein, we used image analysis to establish a link between human melanoma C8161 spheroid morphology and drug responsiveness. Spheroids were pre-selected based on sphericity, area, and diameter, reducing variation in experimental groups before treatment. Spheroid morphology after PDT was analyzed using AnaSP and ReViSP, MATLAB-based open-source software, obtaining nine different parameters. Spheroids displayed a linear response between biological assays and morphology, with area (R2 = 0.7219) and volume (R2 = 0.6138) showing the best fit. Sphericity, convexity, and solidity were confirmed as poor standalone indicators of spheroid viability. Our results indicate spheroid morphometric parameters can be used to accurately screen inefficient treatment combinations of novel compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose R Aguilar Cosme
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,INSIGNEO Institute for in Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Dan C Gagui
- INSIGNEO Institute for in Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Helen E Bryant
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Frederik Claeyssens
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,INSIGNEO Institute for in Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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24
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Vaidyanathan K, Wang C, Krajnik A, Yu Y, Choi M, Lin B, Jang J, Heo SJ, Kolega J, Lee K, Bae Y. A machine learning pipeline revealing heterogeneous responses to drug perturbations on vascular smooth muscle cell spheroid morphology and formation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23285. [PMID: 34857846 PMCID: PMC8640073 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02683-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Machine learning approaches have shown great promise in biology and medicine discovering hidden information to further understand complex biological and pathological processes. In this study, we developed a deep learning-based machine learning algorithm to meaningfully process image data and facilitate studies in vascular biology and pathology. Vascular injury and atherosclerosis are characterized by neointima formation caused by the aberrant accumulation and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) within the vessel wall. Understanding how to control VSMC behaviors would promote the development of therapeutic targets to treat vascular diseases. However, the response to drug treatments among VSMCs with the same diseased vascular condition is often heterogeneous. Here, to identify the heterogeneous responses of drug treatments, we created an in vitro experimental model system using VSMC spheroids and developed a machine learning-based computational method called HETEROID (heterogeneous spheroid). First, we established a VSMC spheroid model that mimics neointima-like formation and the structure of arteries. Then, to identify the morphological subpopulations of drug-treated VSMC spheroids, we used a machine learning framework that combines deep learning-based spheroid segmentation and morphological clustering analysis. Our machine learning approach successfully showed that FAK, Rac, Rho, and Cdc42 inhibitors differentially affect spheroid morphology, suggesting that multiple drug responses of VSMC spheroid formation exist. Overall, our HETEROID pipeline enables detailed quantitative drug characterization of morphological changes in neointima formation, that occurs in vivo, by single-spheroid analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalyanaraman Vaidyanathan
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Chuangqi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA
| | - Amanda Krajnik
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Yudong Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA
| | - Moses Choi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA
| | - Bolun Lin
- Department of Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA
| | - Junbong Jang
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Su-Jin Heo
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - John Kolega
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Kwonmoo Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA.
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Yongho Bae
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
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25
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Peirsman A, Blondeel E, Ahmed T, Anckaert J, Audenaert D, Boterberg T, Buzas K, Carragher N, Castellani G, Castro F, Dangles-Marie V, Dawson J, De Tullio P, De Vlieghere E, Dedeyne S, Depypere H, Diosdi A, Dmitriev RI, Dolznig H, Fischer S, Gespach C, Goossens V, Heino J, Hendrix A, Horvath P, Kunz-Schughart LA, Maes S, Mangodt C, Mestdagh P, Michlíková S, Oliveira MJ, Pampaloni F, Piccinini F, Pinheiro C, Rahn J, Robbins SM, Siljamäki E, Steigemann P, Sys G, Takayama S, Tesei A, Tulkens J, Van Waeyenberge M, Vandesompele J, Wagemans G, Weindorfer C, Yigit N, Zablowsky N, Zanoni M, Blondeel P, De Wever O. MISpheroID: a knowledgebase and transparency tool for minimum information in spheroid identity. Nat Methods 2021; 18:1294-1303. [PMID: 34725485 PMCID: PMC8566242 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-021-01291-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Spheroids are three-dimensional cellular models with widespread basic and translational application across academia and industry. However, methodological transparency and guidelines for spheroid research have not yet been established. The MISpheroID Consortium developed a crowdsourcing knowledgebase that assembles the experimental parameters of 3,058 published spheroid-related experiments. Interrogation of this knowledgebase identified heterogeneity in the methodological setup of spheroids. Empirical evaluation and interlaboratory validation of selected variations in spheroid methodology revealed diverse impacts on spheroid metrics. To facilitate interpretation, stimulate transparency and increase awareness, the Consortium defines the MISpheroID string, a minimum set of experimental parameters required to report spheroid research. Thus, MISpheroID combines a valuable resource and a tool for three-dimensional cellular models to mine experimental parameters and to improve reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Peirsman
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.410566.00000 0004 0626 3303Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eva Blondeel
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tasdiq Ahmed
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Jasper Anckaert
- grid.510942.bOncoRNALab, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dominique Audenaert
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798VIB Screening Core and Ghent University Expertise Centre for Bioassay Development and Screening (C-BIOS-VIB), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Boterberg
- grid.410566.00000 0004 0626 3303Department of Radiation Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Krisztina Buzas
- grid.9008.10000 0001 1016 9625Department of Immunology, University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine-Faculty of Science and Informatics, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Neil Carragher
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988Institute of Genetics and Cancer, Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Gastone Castellani
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Flávia Castro
- grid.5808.50000 0001 1503 7226i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Virginie Dangles-Marie
- grid.508487.60000 0004 7885 7602Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, and Faculty of Pharmacy, Paris, France ,grid.508487.60000 0004 7885 7602Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - John Dawson
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988Institute of Genetics and Cancer, Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Pascal De Tullio
- grid.4861.b0000 0001 0805 7253Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines (CIRM), Metabolomics Group, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Elly De Vlieghere
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sándor Dedeyne
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Herman Depypere
- grid.410566.00000 0004 0626 3303Menopause and Breast Clinic, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Akos Diosdi
- grid.418331.c0000 0001 2195 9606Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Biological Research Center (BRC), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ruslan I. Dmitriev
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Group, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Helmut Dolznig
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Institute of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Suzanne Fischer
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christian Gespach
- grid.462844.80000 0001 2308 1657INSERM U938 Hospital Saint-Antoine Research Center CRSA, Team Céline Prunier, TGFbeta Signaling in Cellular Plasticity and Cancer, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Vera Goossens
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798VIB Screening Core and Ghent University Expertise Centre for Bioassay Development and Screening (C-BIOS-VIB), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jyrki Heino
- grid.1374.10000 0001 2097 1371Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - An Hendrix
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Horvath
- grid.418331.c0000 0001 2195 9606Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Biological Research Center (BRC), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Leoni A. Kunz-Schughart
- OncoRay – National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden–Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sebastiaan Maes
- grid.410566.00000 0004 0626 3303Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christophe Mangodt
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Mestdagh
- grid.510942.bOncoRNALab, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Soňa Michlíková
- OncoRay – National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden–Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maria José Oliveira
- grid.5808.50000 0001 1503 7226i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Francesco Pampaloni
- grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Physical Biology Group, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Filippo Piccinini
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) ‘Dino Amadori’, Meldola, Italy
| | - Cláudio Pinheiro
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jennifer Rahn
- grid.22072.350000 0004 1936 7697Departments of Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada
| | - Stephen M. Robbins
- grid.22072.350000 0004 1936 7697Departments of Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada
| | - Elina Siljamäki
- grid.1374.10000 0001 2097 1371Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Gwen Sys
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Shuichi Takayama
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Anna Tesei
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) ‘Dino Amadori’, Meldola, Italy
| | - Joeri Tulkens
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Michiel Van Waeyenberge
- grid.410566.00000 0004 0626 3303Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jo Vandesompele
- grid.510942.bOncoRNALab, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Glenn Wagemans
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Claudia Weindorfer
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Institute of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nurten Yigit
- grid.510942.bOncoRNALab, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Michele Zanoni
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) ‘Dino Amadori’, Meldola, Italy
| | - Phillip Blondeel
- grid.410566.00000 0004 0626 3303Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Olivier De Wever
- grid.510942.bLaboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Pandey AK, Piplani N, Mondal T, Katranidis A, Bhattacharya J. Efficient delivery of hydrophobic drug, Cabazitaxel, using Nanodisc: A nano sized free standing planar lipid bilayer. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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SpheroidPicker for automated 3D cell culture manipulation using deep learning. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14813. [PMID: 34285291 PMCID: PMC8292460 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94217-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent statistics report that more than 3.7 million new cases of cancer occur in Europe yearly, and the disease accounts for approximately 20% of all deaths. High-throughput screening of cancer cell cultures has dominated the search for novel, effective anticancer therapies in the past decades. Recently, functional assays with patient-derived ex vivo 3D cell culture have gained importance for drug discovery and precision medicine. We recently evaluated the major advancements and needs for the 3D cell culture screening, and concluded that strictly standardized and robust sample preparation is the most desired development. Here we propose an artificial intelligence-guided low-cost 3D cell culture delivery system. It consists of a light microscope, a micromanipulator, a syringe pump, and a controller computer. The system performs morphology-based feature analysis on spheroids and can select uniform sized or shaped spheroids to transfer them between various sample holders. It can select the samples from standard sample holders, including Petri dishes and microwell plates, and then transfer them to a variety of holders up to 384 well plates. The device performs reliable semi- and fully automated spheroid transfer. This results in highly controlled experimental conditions and eliminates non-trivial side effects of sample variability that is a key aspect towards next-generation precision medicine.
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Malhão F, Macedo AC, Costa C, Rocha E, Ramos AA. Fucoxanthin Holds Potential to Become a Drug Adjuvant in Breast Cancer Treatment: Evidence from 2D and 3D Cell Cultures. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26144288. [PMID: 34299562 PMCID: PMC8304772 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26144288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fucoxanthin (Fx) is a carotenoid derived from marine organisms that exhibits anticancer activities. However, its role as a potential drug adjuvant in breast cancer (BC) treatment is still poorly explored. Firstly, this study investigated the cytotoxic effects of Fx alone and combined with doxorubicin (Dox) and cisplatin (Cis) on a panel of 2D-cultured BC cell lines (MCF7, SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231) and one non-tumoral cell line (MCF12A). Fucoxanthin induced cytotoxicity against all the cell lines and potentiated Dox cytotoxic effects towards the SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231 cells. The combination triggering the highest cytotoxicity (Fx 10 µM + Dox 1 µM in MDA-MB-231) additionally showed significant induction of cell death and genotoxic effects, relative to control. In sequence, the same combination was tested on 3D cultures using a multi-endpoint approach involving bioactivity assays and microscopy techniques. Similar to 2D cultures, the combination of Fx and Dox showed higher cytotoxic effects on 3D cultures compared to the isolated compounds. Furthermore, this combination increased the number of apoptotic cells, decreased cell proliferation, and caused structural and ultrastructural damages on the 3D models. Overall, our findings suggest Fx has potential to become an adjuvant for Dox chemotherapy regimens in BC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Malhão
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (F.M.); (A.C.M.); (A.A.R.)
- Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Avenida General Norton de Matos, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Ana Catarina Macedo
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (F.M.); (A.C.M.); (A.A.R.)
- Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Avenida General Norton de Matos, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Carla Costa
- Environmental Health Department, National Health Institute Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Rua Alexandre Herculano 321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal;
- EPIUnit—Instituto de Saúde Pública, University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua das Taipas 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Rocha
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (F.M.); (A.C.M.); (A.A.R.)
- Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Avenida General Norton de Matos, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| | - Alice Abreu Ramos
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (F.M.); (A.C.M.); (A.A.R.)
- Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Avenida General Norton de Matos, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
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Investigation of the cytotoxic activity of two novel digitoxigenin analogues on H460 lung cancer cells. Anticancer Drugs 2021; 31:452-462. [PMID: 32079825 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000000872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac glycosides (CGs) are natural compounds traditionally used for the treatment of heart disorders, and recently new therapeutic possibilities were proposed. Their antitumor reports and clinical trials have notably enhanced, including those targeted for lung cancer, the most lethal type that lacks of new treatment agents, instigating the research of these molecules. The CGs studied here, named C10 {3β-[(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)aminoacetyl]amino-3-deoxydigitoxigenin} and C18 (3β-(aminoacetyl)amino-3-deoxydigitoxigenin), are semisynthetic derivatives prepared from digitoxigenin scaffold. Both compounds demonstrated high cytotoxicity for different cancer cell lines, especially H460 lung cancer cells, and their cytotoxic effects were deeply investigated using different methodological approaches. C10 induced cell death at lower concentrations and during shorter periods of treatment than C18, and increased the number of small and irregular nuclei, which are characteristics of apoptosis. This type of cell death was confirmed by caspase-3/7 assay. Both compounds reduced H460 cells proliferative potential by long-term action, and C10 showed the strongest potential. Moreover, these compounds induced a significant decrease of the area and viability of H460 spheroids providing preclinical favorable profiles to develop new chemotherapeutic agents.
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Lacalle D, Castro-Abril HA, Randelovic T, Domínguez C, Heras J, Mata E, Mata G, Méndez Y, Pascual V, Ochoa I. SpheroidJ: An Open-Source Set of Tools for Spheroid Segmentation. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 200:105837. [PMID: 33221056 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2020.105837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Spheroids are the most widely used 3D models for studying the effects of different micro-environmental characteristics on tumour behaviour, and for testing different preclinical and clinical treatments. In order to speed up the study of spheroids, imaging methods that automatically segment and measure spheroids are instrumental; and, several approaches for automatic segmentation of spheroid images exist in the literature. However, those methods fail to generalise to a diversity of experimental conditions. The aim of this work is the development of a set of tools for spheroid segmentation that works in a diversity of settings. METHODS In this work, we have tackled the spheroid segmentation task by first developing a generic segmentation algorithm that can be easily adapted to different scenarios. This generic algorithm has been employed to reduce the burden of annotating a dataset of images that, in turn, has been employed to train several deep learning architectures for semantic segmentation. Both our generic algorithm and the constructed deep learning models have been tested with several datasets of spheroid images where the spheroids were grown under several experimental conditions, and the images acquired using different equipment. RESULTS The developed generic algorithm can be particularised to different scenarios; however, those particular algorithms fail to generalise to different conditions. By contrast, the best deep learning model, constructed using the HRNet-Seg architecture, generalises properly to a diversity of scenarios. In order to facilitate the dissemination and use of our algorithms and models, we present SpheroidJ, a set of open-source tools for spheroid segmentation. CONCLUSIONS In this work, we have developed an algorithm and trained several models for spheroid segmentation that can be employed with images acquired under different conditions. Thanks to this work, the analysis of spheroids acquired under different conditions will be more reliable and comparable; and, the developed tools will help to advance our understanding of tumour behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Lacalle
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Spain
| | - Héctor Alfonso Castro-Abril
- Tissue MicroEnvironment (TME) lab, Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain; Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain; Grupo de modelado y métodos numéricos en Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia
| | - Teodora Randelovic
- Tissue MicroEnvironment (TME) lab, Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain; Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - César Domínguez
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Spain
| | - Jónathan Heras
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Spain.
| | - Eloy Mata
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Spain
| | - Gadea Mata
- Confocal Microscopy Core Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, Madrid, Spain
| | - Yolanda Méndez
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Spain
| | - Vico Pascual
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Spain
| | - Ignacio Ochoa
- Tissue MicroEnvironment (TME) lab, Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain; Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Cytotoxicity of Seaweed Compounds, Alone or Combined to Reference Drugs, against Breast Cell Lines Cultured in 2D and 3D. TOXICS 2021; 9:toxics9020024. [PMID: 33572635 PMCID: PMC7912033 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9020024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Seaweed bioactive compounds have shown anticancer activities in in vitro and in vivo studies. However, tests remain limited, with conflicting results, and effects in combination with anticancer drugs are even scarcer. Here, the cytotoxic effects of five seaweed compounds (astaxanthin, fucoidan, fucosterol, laminarin, and phloroglucinol) were tested alone and in combination with anticancer drugs (cisplatin-Cis; and doxorubicin-Dox), in breast cell lines (three breast cancer (BC) subtypes and one non-tumoral). The combinations revealed situations where seaweed compounds presented potentiation or inhibition of the drugs' cytotoxicity, without a specific pattern, varying according to the cell line, concentration used for the combination, and drug. Fucosterol was the most promising compound, since: (i) it alone had the highest cytotoxicity at low concentrations against the BC lines without affecting the non-tumoral line; and (ii) in combination (at non-cytotoxic concentration), it potentiated Dox cytotoxicity in the triple-negative BC cell line. Using a comparative approach, monolayer versus 3D cultures, further investigation assessed effects on cell viability and proliferation, morphology, and immunocytochemistry targets. The cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects in monolayer were not observed in 3D, corroborating that cells in 3D culture are more resistant to treatments, and reinforcing the use of more complex models for drug screening and a multi-approach that should include histological and ICC analysis.
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Agrawal G, Ramesh A, Aishwarya P, Sally J, Ravi M. Devices and techniques used to obtain and analyze three-dimensional cell cultures. Biotechnol Prog 2021; 37:e3126. [PMID: 33460298 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cell cultures are indispensable for both basic and applied research. Advancements in cell culture and analysis increase their utility for basic research and translational applications. A marked development in this direction is advent of three-dimensional (3D) cultures. The extent of advancement in 3D cell culture methods over the past decade has warranted referring to a single cell type being cultured as an aggregate or spheroid using simple scaffolds as "traditional." In recent years, the development of "next-generation" devices has enabled cultured cells to mimic their natural environments much better than the traditional 3D culture systems. Automated platforms like chip-based devices, magnetic- and acoustics-based assembly devices, di-electrophoresis (DEP), micro pocket cultures (MPoC), and 3D bio-printing provide a dynamic environment compared to the rather static conditions of the traditional simple scaffold-based 3D cultures. Chip-based technologies, which are centered on principles of microfluidics, are revolutionizing the ways in which cell culture and analysis can be compacted into table-top instruments. A parallel evolution in analytical devices enabled efficient assessment of various complex physiological and pathological endpoints. This is augmented by concurrent development of software enabling rapid large-scale automated data acquisition and analysis like image cytometry, elastography, optical coherence tomography, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and biosensors. The techniques and devices utilized for the purpose of 3D cell culture and subsequent analysis depend primarily on the requirement of the study. We present here an in-depth account of the devices for obtaining and analyzing 3D cell cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gatika Agrawal
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Biomedical Science, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Anuradha Ramesh
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Biomedical Science, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Pargaonkar Aishwarya
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Biomedical Science, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Jennifer Sally
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Biomedical Science, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Maddaly Ravi
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Biomedical Science, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
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Cianciosi D, Forbes-Hernández TY, Ansary J, Gil E, Amici A, Bompadre S, Simal-Gandara J, Giampieri F, Battino M. Phenolic compounds from Mediterranean foods as nutraceutical tools for the prevention of cancer: The effect of honey polyphenols on colorectal cancer stem-like cells from spheroids. Food Chem 2020; 325:126881. [PMID: 32387951 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Chemoresistance and development of relapses are ascribable to a rare cell population of tumour mass: cancer stem cells (CSCs). Targeting CSCs could increase patients' survival rate and it is important to identify molecules that can act on the main pathways of these cells. Natural bioactive compounds, of which Manuka honey (MH) is rich, could be a good opportunity to target them. This work aims to evaluate the effect of MH on CSCs-like from human colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116 cell line) enriched through the in vitro sphere-forming assay. The results showed that MH reduced the volume of the entire culture of spheroids, affecting also their morphological parameters and induced apoptosis and ROS intracellular accumulation in CSCs-like. In addition, MH decreased the mRNA expression of one of ABC transporters (ABCG2) and affected self-renewal ability through the downregulation of the mRNA expression of one of the receptor membranes of Wnt/β-catenin pathway (Frizzled 7).
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Affiliation(s)
- Danila Cianciosi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomatologiche - Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy.
| | - Tamara Y Forbes-Hernández
- Nutrition and Food Science Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, CITACA, CACTI, University of Vigo - Vigo Campus, 32004 Ourense, Spain.
| | - Johura Ansary
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomatologiche - Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy
| | - Emilio Gil
- Nutrition and Food Science Group, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.
| | - Adolfo Amici
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomatologiche - Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy.
| | - Stefano Bompadre
- Dipartimento Scienze Biomediche e Sanita' Pubblica Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy.
| | - Jesus Simal-Gandara
- Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Vigo, Ourense Campus, E-32004 Ourense, Spain.
| | - Francesca Giampieri
- Nutrition and Food Science Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, CITACA, CACTI, University of Vigo - Vigo Campus, 32004 Ourense, Spain; Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomatologiche - Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy; College of Food Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China.
| | - Maurizio Battino
- Nutrition and Food Science Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, CITACA, CACTI, University of Vigo - Vigo Campus, 32004 Ourense, Spain; International Research Center for Food Nutrition and Safety, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China; Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomatologiche - Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy.
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Small extracellular vesicles convey the stress-induced adaptive responses of melanoma cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15329. [PMID: 31653931 PMCID: PMC6814750 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51778-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), playing a crucial role in the intercellular communication in physiological as well as pathological processes. Here, we aimed to study whether the melanoma-derived sEV-mediated communication could adapt to microenvironmental stresses. We compared B16F1 cell-derived sEVs released under normal and stress conditions, including cytostatic, heat and oxidative stress. The miRNome and proteome showed substantial differences across the sEV groups and bioinformatics analysis of the obtained data by the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis also revealed significant functional differences. The in silico predicted functional alterations of sEVs were validated by in vitro assays. For instance, melanoma-derived sEVs elicited by oxidative stress increased Ki-67 expression of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs); cytostatic stress-resulted sEVs facilitated melanoma cell migration; all sEV groups supported microtissue generation of MSC-B16F1 co-cultures in a 3D tumour matrix model. Based on this study, we concluded that (i) molecular patterns of tumour-derived sEVs, dictated by the microenvironmental conditions, resulted in specific response patterns in the recipient cells; (ii) in silico analyses could be useful tools to predict different stress responses; (iii) alteration of the sEV-mediated communication of tumour cells might be a therapy-induced host response, with a potential influence on treatment efficacy.
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35
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Live Cell Imaging Supports a Key Role for Histone Deacetylase as a Molecular Target during Glioblastoma Malignancy Downgrade through Tumor Competence Modulation. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2019; 2019:9043675. [PMID: 31531023 PMCID: PMC6720048 DOI: 10.1155/2019/9043675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive tumor of the central nervous system, and the identification of the mechanisms underlying the biological basis of GBM aggressiveness is essential to develop new therapies. Due to the low prognosis of GBM treatment, different clinical studies are in course to test the use of histone deacetylase inhibitors (iHDACs) in anticancer cocktails. Here, we seek to investigate the impact of HDAC activity on GBM cell behavior and plasticity by live cell imaging. We pharmacologically knock down HDAC activity using two different inhibitors (TSA and SAHA) in two different tumor cell types: a commercial GBM cell line (U87-MG) and primary tumor (GBM011). Upon 72 hours of in vitro iHDAC treatment, GBM cells presented a very unusual elongated cell shape due to tunneling tube formation and independent on TGF-β signaling epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Live cell imaging revealed that voltage-sensitive Ca++ signaling was disrupted upon HDAC activity blockade. This behavior was coupled to vimentin and connexin 43 gene expression downregulation, suggesting that HDAC activity blockade downgrades GBM aggressiveness mostly due to tumor cell competence and plasticity modulation in vitro. To test this hypothesis and access whether iHDACs would modulate tumor cell behavior and plasticity to properly respond to environmental cues in vivo, we xenografted GBM oncospheres in the chick developing the neural tube. Remarkably, upon 5 days in the developing neural tube, iHDAC-treated GBM cells ectopically expressed HNK-1, a tumor-suppressor marker tightly correlated to increased survivor of patients. These results describe, for the first time in the literature, the relevance of iHDACs for in vivo tumor cell morphology and competence to properly respond to environmental cues. Ultimately, our results highlight the relevance of chromatin remodeling for tumor cell plasticity and shed light on clinical perspectives aiming the epigenome as a relevant therapeutic target for GBM therapy.
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Cytotoxic and Antiproliferative Effects of Preussin, a Hydroxypyrrolidine Derivative from the Marine Sponge-Associated Fungus Aspergillus candidus KUFA 0062, in a Panel of Breast Cancer Cell Lines and Using 2D and 3D Cultures. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17080448. [PMID: 31366127 PMCID: PMC6722565 DOI: 10.3390/md17080448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Preussin, a hydroxyl pyrrolidine derivative isolated from the marine sponge-associated fungus Aspergillus candidus KUFA 0062, displayed anticancer effects in some cancer cell lines, including MCF7. Preussin was investigated for its cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects in breast cancer cell lines (MCF7, SKBR3, and MDA-MB-231), representatives of major breast cancers subtypes, and in a non-tumor cell line (MCF12A). Preussin was first tested in 2D (monolayer), and then in 3D (multicellular aggregates), cultures, using a multi-endpoint approach for cytotoxicity (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), resazurin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)) and proliferative (5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)) assays, as well as the analysis of cell morphology by optical/electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry for caspase-3 and ki67. Preussin affected cell viability and proliferation in 2D and 3D cultures in all cell lines tested. The results in the 3D culture showed the same tendency as in the 2D culture, however, cells in the 3D culture were less responsive. The effects were observed at different concentrations of preussin, depending on the cell line and assay method. Morphological study of preussin-exposed cells revealed cell death, which was confirmed by caspase-3 immunostaining. In view of the data, we recommend a multi-endpoint approach, including histological evaluation, in future assays with the tested 3D models. Our data showed cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities of preussin in breast cancer cell lines in 2D and 3D cultures, warranting further studies for its anticancer potential.
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Low LE, Tan LTH, Goh BH, Tey BT, Ong BH, Tang SY. Magnetic cellulose nanocrystal stabilized Pickering emulsions for enhanced bioactive release and human colon cancer therapy. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 127:76-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Rustamov V, Keller F, Klicks J, Hafner M, Rudolf R. Bone Sialoprotein Shows Enhanced Expression in Early, High-Proliferation Stages of Three-Dimensional Spheroid Cell Cultures of Breast Cancer Cell Line MDA-MB-231. Front Oncol 2019; 9:36. [PMID: 30805306 PMCID: PMC6370714 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Normally, bone sialoprotein (BSP) is an important contributor to bone micro-calcification. However, it is also highly expressed in bone-metastatic malignancies, including prostate, lung, and breast cancer. In these disorders, BSP correlates with poor prognosis. Its expression in triple-negative breast cancer cells is enhanced by the transcription factor RUNX2, and both, BSP and RUNX2 are under control of IGF-1 and TGFβ1. Knockdown of BSP or its inactivation by specific antibodies were found to reduce the metastatic potential of MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells in xenografts. While the role of BSP in bone metastasis was studied using such in vivo models, valid in vitro test systems to investigate BSP biology have been lacking since this protein is expressed at very low levels in classical 2D cell cultures and the frequently used breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 is difficult to grow in 3D. Here, we have developed a long-term 3D spheroid culture model using MDA-MB-231 cells in a sandwich approach using cell embedding between a non-adherent surface and basement membrane extracts. This allowed consistent growth of spheroids for more than 21 days. Also, co-culturing of MDA-MB-231 with CCD-1137Sk fibroblasts yielded stably growing spheroids, suggesting the importance of extracellular matrix (ECM) in this process. In addition, we have set up a novel and simple open source analysis tool to characterize protein expression in 2D cultures and spheroids by immunofluorescence. Using this approach in combination with Western blot analysis, the expression profile of BSP was analyzed. BSP was enriched at the rims of spheroids, both in mono- and co-cultures and its abundance in general correlated with that of TGFβ1 under different conditions, including spheroid maturation, cytostatic treatment, and fibroblast co-culture. Conversely, correlation of IGF-1 and BSP was limited to mono-culture time course profiles. In conclusion, we present novel tools to study the regulation of gene expression in combination with cell proliferation and apoptosis in a long-term 3D model of breast cancer and find dynamic abundance profiles of the metastasis-relevant protein BSP and its regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeh Rustamov
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany.,Institute of Medical Technology of Heidelberg University and Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Florian Keller
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany.,Institute of Medical Technology of Heidelberg University and Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Julia Klicks
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany.,Institute of Medical Technology of Heidelberg University and Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Mathias Hafner
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany.,Institute of Medical Technology of Heidelberg University and Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Rudolf
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany.,Institute of Medical Technology of Heidelberg University and Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
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Deckers T, Lambrechts T, Viazzi S, Nilsson Hall G, Papantoniou I, Bloemen V, Aerts JM. High-throughput image-based monitoring of cell aggregation and microspheroid formation. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199092. [PMID: 29953450 PMCID: PMC6023212 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on monolayer cultures and whole-animal models for the prediction of the response of native human tissue are associated with limitations. Therefore, more and more laboratories are tending towards multicellular spheroids grown in vitro as a model of native tissues. In addition, they are increasingly used in a wide range of biofabrication methodologies. These 3D microspheroids are generated through a self-assembly process that is still poorly characterised, called cellular aggregation. Here, a system is proposed for the automated, non-invasive and high throughput monitoring of the morphological changes during cell aggregation. Microwell patterned inserts were used for spheroid formation while an automated microscope with 4x bright-field objective captured the morphological changes during this process. Subsequently, the acquired time-lapse images were automatically segmented and several morphological features such as minor axis length, major axis length, roundness, area, perimeter and circularity were extracted for each spheroid. The method was quantitatively validated with respect to manual segmentation on four sets of ± 60 spheroids. The average sensitivities and precisions of the proposed segmentation method ranged from 96.67-97.84% and 96.77-97.73%, respectively. In addition, the different morphological features were validated, obtaining average relative errors between 0.78-4.50%. On average, a spheroid was processed 73 times faster than a human operator. As opposed to existing algorithms, our methodology was not only able to automatically monitor compact spheroids but also the aggregation process of individual spheroids, and this in an accurate and high-throughput manner. In total, the aggregation behaviour of more than 700 individual spheroids was monitored over a duration of 16 hours with a time interval of 5 minutes, and this could be increased up to 48,000 for the described culture format. In conclusion, the proposed system has the potential to be used for unravelling the mechanisms involved in spheroid formation and monitoring their formation during large-scale manufacturing protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Deckers
- M3-BIORES, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Biomedical-Health Engineering, KU Leuven Campus Group T, Leuven, Belgium
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Toon Lambrechts
- M3-BIORES, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefano Viazzi
- M3-BIORES, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gabriella Nilsson Hall
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Center, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ioannis Papantoniou
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Center, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Veerle Bloemen
- Biomedical-Health Engineering, KU Leuven Campus Group T, Leuven, Belgium
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean-Marie Aerts
- M3-BIORES, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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TASI: A software tool for spatial-temporal quantification of tumor spheroid dynamics. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7248. [PMID: 29739990 PMCID: PMC5940855 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25337-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Spheroid cultures derived from explanted cancer specimens are an increasingly utilized resource for studying complex biological processes like tumor cell invasion and metastasis, representing an important bridge between the simplicity and practicality of 2-dimensional monolayer cultures and the complexity and realism of in vivo animal models. Temporal imaging of spheroids can capture the dynamics of cell behaviors and microenvironments, and when combined with quantitative image analysis methods, enables deep interrogation of biological mechanisms. This paper presents a comprehensive open-source software framework for Temporal Analysis of Spheroid Imaging (TASI) that allows investigators to objectively characterize spheroid growth and invasion dynamics. TASI performs spatiotemporal segmentation of spheroid cultures, extraction of features describing spheroid morpho-phenotypes, mathematical modeling of spheroid dynamics, and statistical comparisons of experimental conditions. We demonstrate the utility of this tool in an analysis of non-small cell lung cancer spheroids that exhibit variability in metastatic and proliferative behaviors.
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Lee J, Kim MS, Park SH, Jang YK. Tousled-like kinase 1 is a negative regulator of core transcription factors in murine embryonic stem cells. Sci Rep 2018; 8:334. [PMID: 29321513 PMCID: PMC5762884 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18628-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the differentiation of pluripotent cells in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is often associated with protein kinase-mediated signaling pathways and Tousled-like kinase 1 (Tlk1) is required for development in several species, the role of Tlk1 in ESC function remains unclear. Here, we used mouse ESCs to study the function of Tlk1 in pluripotent cells. The knockdown (KD)-based Tlk1-deficient cells showed that Tlk1 is not essential for ESC self-renewal in an undifferentiated state. However, Tlk1-KD cells formed irregularly shaped embryoid bodies and induced resistance to differentiation cues, indicating their failure to differentiate into an embryoid body. Consistent with their failure to differentiate, Tlk1-KD cells failed to downregulate the expression of undifferentiated cell markers including Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2 during differentiation, suggesting a negative role of Tlk1. Interestingly, Tlk1 overexpression sufficiently downregulated the expression of core pluripotency factors possibly irrespective of its kinase activity, thereby leading to a partial loss of self-renewal ability even in an undifferentiated state. Moreover, Tlk1 overexpression caused severe growth defects and G2/M phase arrest as well as apoptosis. Collectively, our data suggest that Tlk1 negatively regulates the expression of pluripotency factors, thereby contributing to the scheduled differentiation of mouse ESCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jina Lee
- Department of Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.,Initiative for Biological Function and Systems, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Seong Kim
- Department of Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.,Initiative for Biological Function and Systems, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Su Hyung Park
- Department of Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.,Initiative for Biological Function and Systems, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.,Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, UNIST-gil 50, Ulsan, 689-798, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeun Kyu Jang
- Department of Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. .,Initiative for Biological Function and Systems, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
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Piccinini F, Tesei A, Zanoni M, Bevilacqua A. ReViMS: Software tool for estimating the volumes of 3-D multicellular spheroids imaged using a light sheet fluorescence microscope. Biotechniques 2017; 63:227-229. [DOI: 10.2144/000114609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer 3-D spheroids are widely used to test drugs and radiotherapy treatments. These 3-D cell clusters range from tens to hundreds of micrometers in size, with shapes that typically differ from a perfect sphere. Change in spheroid volume is one of the most important parameters for evaluating treatment efficacy, and using light sheet fluorescence microscopes (LSFM), optical sections of samples in that size range can be obtained. However, there remains a lack of validated methods for quantifying the volumes of 3-D multicellular aggregates. Here, we present Reconstruction and Visualization from Multiple Sections (ReViMS), an open-source, user-friendly software for automatically segmenting z-stacks of fluorescence images and estimating the volumes of 3-D multicellular spheroids. To assess the precision and accuracy of the volume estimates obtained with ReViMS, we used several cancer spheroids imaged with LSFM. Both the precision and accuracy were >95%, demonstrating the effectiveness of ReViMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Piccinini
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) s.r.l., IRCCS, Biosciences Laboratory, Meldola, Italy
| | - Anna Tesei
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) s.r.l., IRCCS, Biosciences Laboratory, Meldola, Italy
| | - Michele Zanoni
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) s.r.l., IRCCS, Biosciences Laboratory, Meldola, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bevilacqua
- Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems (ARCES) for Information and Communication Technologies “E. De Castro,” University of Bologna, Italy
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DISI), University of Bologna, Italy
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Piccinini F, Tesei A, Arienti C, Bevilacqua A. Cell Counting and Viability Assessment of 2D and 3D Cell Cultures: Expected Reliability of the Trypan Blue Assay. Biol Proced Online 2017; 19:8. [PMID: 28814944 PMCID: PMC5518102 DOI: 10.1186/s12575-017-0056-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whatever the target of an experiment in cell biology, cell counting and viability assessment are always computed. The Trypan Blue (TB) assay was proposed about a century ago and is still the most widely used method to perform cell viability analysis. Furthermore, the combined use of TB with a haemocytometer is also considered the standard approach to estimate cell population density. There are numerous research articles reporting the use of TB assays to compute cell number and viability of 2D and 3D cultures. However, the literature still lacks studies regarding the reliability of the TB assay in terms of assessment of its repeatability and reproducibility. METHODS We compared the TB assay's measurements obtained by two biologists who analysed 105 different samples in double-blind for a total of 210 counts performed. We measured: (a) the repeatability of the count performed by the same operator; (b) the reproducibility of counts performed by the two operators. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the results obtained with 2D and 3D cell cultures: we estimated an approximate variability of 5% when the TB assay was used to assess the viability of the culture, and a variability of around 20% when it was used to determine the cell population density. CONCLUSIONS The main aim of this study was to make researchers aware of potential measurement errors when TB is used with a haemocytometer for counting and viability measurements in 2D and 3D cultures. We believe that these results can help researchers to determine whether the expected reliability of the TB assay is compliant with their applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Piccinini
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Via Piero Maroncelli 40, 47014 Meldola, FC Italy
| | - Anna Tesei
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Via Piero Maroncelli 40, 47014 Meldola, FC Italy
| | - Chiara Arienti
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Via Piero Maroncelli 40, 47014 Meldola, FC Italy
| | - Alessandro Bevilacqua
- Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems “Ercole De Castro” (ARCES), University of Bologna, Via Toffano 2/2, 40125 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DISI), University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento, 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
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44
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Cisneros Castillo LR, Oancea AD, Stüllein C, Régnier-Vigouroux A. A Novel Computer-Assisted Approach to evaluate Multicellular Tumor Spheroid Invasion Assay. Sci Rep 2016; 6:35099. [PMID: 27731418 PMCID: PMC5059692 DOI: 10.1038/srep35099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSs) embedded in a matrix are re-emerging as a powerful alternative to monolayer-based cultures. The primary information gained from a three-dimensional model is the invasiveness of treatment-exposed MCTSs through the acquisition of light microscopy images. The amount and complexity of the acquired data and the bias arisen by their manual analysis are disadvantages calling for an automated, high-throughput analysis. We present a universal algorithm we developed with the scope of being robust enough to handle images of various qualities and various invasion profiles. The novelty and strength of our algorithm lie in: the introduction of a multi-step segmentation flow, where each step is optimized for each specific MCTS area (core, halo, and periphery); the quantification through the density of the two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object. This latter offers a fine-granular differentiation of invasive profiles, facilitating a quantification independent of cell lines and experimental setups. Progression of density from the core towards the edges influences the resulting density map thus providing a measure no longer dependent on the sole area size of MCTS, but also on its invasiveness. In sum, we propose a new method in which the concept of quantification of MCTS invasion is completely re-thought.
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Piccinini F, Tesei A, Bevilacqua A. Single-image based methods used for non-invasive volume estimation of cancer spheroids: a practical assessing approach based on entry-level equipment. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2016; 135:51-60. [PMID: 27586479 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2016.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer multicellular spheroids are commonly used as 3D tumour models for testing drugs and radiotherapy treatments. The volume plays a key role in analysis of the results. Several methods have been proposed in the literature to compute the spheroid's volume from one 2D microscopy image (i.e. a single projection). However, the literature lacks reviews summarising the different methods available. Furthermore, there are no well-established approaches by which to compare the different methods and determine the best one. OBJECTIVE In this work we (a) revise the existing single-image based methods used to estimate the volume of multicellular spheroids, also providing different implementations for classical spherical and ellipsoidal pre-defined models; (b) present an upgrade of a volume estimation software recently proposed, Reconstruction and Visualization from a Single Projection (ReViSP), just validated by using four real spheroids imaged in 3D with a light-sheet microscope; (c) propose a quality assessing approach for single-image based methods, relying on 3D home-made macroscopic synthetic models mimicking the shapes of real multicellular spheroids. RESULTS Seven image-based methods used to estimate the volume of spheroids were compared using six 3D home-made synthetic models. First, the material used to make the synthetic models was characterised to estimate its density. Then, the ground-truth volume of the 3D models was measured by simply weighing them. The volume instances estimated by the different methods were compared with ground truth. ReViSP attained the best result three times out of six and on average. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained proved that (a) different implementations for the classical spherical and ellipsoidal pre-defined models may lead to very different results; (b) ReViSP is the best single-image based method available today to estimate the volume of multicellular spheroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Piccinini
- Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems for Information and Communication Technologies "E. De Castro" (ARCES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Tesei
- Biosciences Laboratory, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST), IRCCS, Meldola, FC, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bevilacqua
- Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems for Information and Communication Technologies "E. De Castro" (ARCES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DISI), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
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Barbier M, Jaensch S, Cornelissen F, Vidic S, Gjerde K, de Hoogt R, Graeser R, Gustin E, Chong YT. Ellipsoid Segmentation Model for Analyzing Light-Attenuated 3D Confocal Image Stacks of Fluorescent Multi-Cellular Spheroids. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156942. [PMID: 27303813 PMCID: PMC4909318 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In oncology, two-dimensional in-vitro culture models are the standard test beds for the discovery and development of cancer treatments, but in the last decades, evidence emerged that such models have low predictive value for clinical efficacy. Therefore they are increasingly complemented by more physiologically relevant 3D models, such as spheroid micro-tumor cultures. If suitable fluorescent labels are applied, confocal 3D image stacks can characterize the structure of such volumetric cultures and, for example, cell proliferation. However, several issues hamper accurate analysis. In particular, signal attenuation within the tissue of the spheroids prevents the acquisition of a complete image for spheroids over 100 micrometers in diameter. And quantitative analysis of large 3D image data sets is challenging, creating a need for methods which can be applied to large-scale experiments and account for impeding factors. We present a robust, computationally inexpensive 2.5D method for the segmentation of spheroid cultures and for counting proliferating cells within them. The spheroids are assumed to be approximately ellipsoid in shape. They are identified from information present in the Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) and the corresponding height view, also known as Z-buffer. It alerts the user when potential bias-introducing factors cannot be compensated for and includes a compensation for signal attenuation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël Barbier
- Discovery Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Steffen Jaensch
- Discovery Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Frans Cornelissen
- Pharma R&D IT, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Suzana Vidic
- Discovery Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
- Department of Urology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Kjersti Gjerde
- Discovery Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
- Department of Urology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ronald de Hoogt
- Discovery Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Ralph Graeser
- Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Emmanuel Gustin
- Discovery Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
- * E-mail: (EG); (YTC)
| | - Yolanda T. Chong
- Discovery Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, Beerse, Belgium
- * E-mail: (EG); (YTC)
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Bellotti C, Duchi S, Bevilacqua A, Lucarelli E, Piccinini F. Long term morphological characterization of mesenchymal stromal cells 3D spheroids built with a rapid method based on entry-level equipment. Cytotechnology 2016; 68:2479-2490. [PMID: 27023795 DOI: 10.1007/s10616-016-9969-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) spheroids of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been demonstrated to improve a wide range of MSC features, such as multilineage potential, secretion of therapeutic factors, and resistance against hypoxic condition. Accordingly, they represent a promising tool in regenerative medicine for several biological and clinical applications. Many approaches have been proposed to generate MSC spheroids. They usually require specific generation systems, such as rotatory bioreactors or low-attachment plates, and each approach has its own disadvantages. Furthermore, an over-time analysis of morphological homogeneity and architectural stability of the spheroids generated is rarely provided. In this work we adapted the "pellet culture" method to obtain homogenous spheroids of MSC and maintain them in vitro for long term studies. We analysed their outer and inner structure over a 2-month period to provide morphological and architectural information regarding the spheroids generated. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained using brightfield and confocal microscope imaging coupled to a computational analysis to estimate volume, sphericity, and jagging degree. In addition, histological evaluation was performed to more thoroughly assess the cellular composition and the internal architecture of the 3D spheroids. The results provided show that MSC spheroids generated with the proposed approach are homogeneous and stable, from both morphological and architectural points of view, for a period of at least 15 days, approximately between day 15 and day 30 after their generation. Accordingly, the approach proposed serves as a rapid, cost-effective, and efficient method to generate and maintain MSC spheroids using common entry-level laboratory equipment only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bellotti
- Osteoarticular Regeneration Laboratory, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Serena Duchi
- Osteoarticular Regeneration Laboratory, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bevilacqua
- Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems for Information and Communication Technologies "E. De Castro" (ARCES), University of Bologna, Via Toffano 2/2, 40125, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DISI), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Enrico Lucarelli
- Osteoarticular Regeneration Laboratory, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy
| | - Filippo Piccinini
- Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems for Information and Communication Technologies "E. De Castro" (ARCES), University of Bologna, Via Toffano 2/2, 40125, Bologna, Italy.
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3D tumor spheroid models for in vitro therapeutic screening: a systematic approach to enhance the biological relevance of data obtained. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19103. [PMID: 26752500 PMCID: PMC4707510 DOI: 10.1038/srep19103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 663] [Impact Index Per Article: 82.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential of a spheroid tumor model composed of cells in different proliferative and metabolic states for the development of new anticancer strategies has been amply demonstrated. However, there is little or no information in the literature on the problems of reproducibility of data originating from experiments using 3D models. Our analyses, carried out using a novel open source software capable of performing an automatic image analysis of 3D tumor colonies, showed that a number of morphology parameters affect the response of large spheroids to treatment. In particular, we found that both spheroid volume and shape may be a source of variability. We also compared some commercially available viability assays specifically designed for 3D models. In conclusion, our data indicate the need for a pre-selection of tumor spheroids of homogeneous volume and shape to reduce data variability to a minimum before use in a cytotoxicity test. In addition, we identified and validated a cytotoxicity test capable of providing meaningful data on the damage induced in large tumor spheroids of up to diameter in 650 μm by different kinds of treatments.
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