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Teixeira Polez R, Huynh N, Pridgeon CS, Valle-Delgado JJ, Harjumäki R, Österberg M. Insights into spheroids formation in cellulose nanofibrils and Matrigel hydrogels using AFM-based techniques. Mater Today Bio 2024; 26:101065. [PMID: 38706731 PMCID: PMC11066555 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The recent FDA decision to eliminate animal testing requirements emphasises the role of cell models, such as spheroids, as regulatory test alternatives for investigations of cellular behaviour, drug responses, and disease modelling. The influence of environment on spheroid formation are incompletely understood, leading to uncertainty in matrix selection for scaffold-based 3D culture. This study uses atomic force microscopy-based techniques to quantify cell adhesion to Matrigel and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), and cell-cell adhesion forces, and their role in spheroid formation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS(IMR90)-4). Results showed different cell behaviour in CNF and Matrigel cultures. Both cell lines formed compact spheroids in CNF but loose cell aggregates in Matrigel. Interestingly, the type of cell adhesion protein, and not the bond strength, appeared to be a key factor in the formation of compact spheroids. The gene expression of E- and N-cadherins, proteins on cell membrane responsible for cell-cell interactions, was increased in CNF culture, leading to formation of compact spheroids while Matrigel culture induced integrin-laminin binding and downregulated E-cadherin expression, resulting in looser cell aggregates. These findings enhance our understanding of cell-biomaterial interactions in 3D cultures and offer insights for improved 3D cell models, culture biomaterials, and applications in drug research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Teixeira Polez
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076, Aalto, Finland
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, 00790, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ngoc Huynh
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076, Aalto, Finland
| | - Chris S. Pridgeon
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076, Aalto, Finland
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, 00790, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juan José Valle-Delgado
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076, Aalto, Finland
| | - Riina Harjumäki
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, 00790, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Monika Österberg
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076, Aalto, Finland
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Rocha T, Teixeira AM, Gomes SG, André A, Martins P, Ferreira J, Negrão R. A 3D printed hydrogel to promote human keratinocytes' spheroid-based growth. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2023; 111:1089-1099. [PMID: 36573459 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.35216] [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: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Tissue engineering uses cells and biomaterials to develop bioartificial tissue substitutes for different purposes. For example, although several skin models have been developed for pharmaceutical and cosmetic research and skin wound healing, there are few studies on 3D cultures of keratinocytes in 3D printed scaffolds. So, this work aimed to develop a 3D-printed hydrogel scaffold to promote human keratinocyte growth. Mesh 3D scaffolds were printed using an extrusion-based method with a 20% gelatin/5% alginate hydrogel, where HaCaT cells were cultured for 7 days. Scaffolds kept their structure for over 1 week, and their stiffness only decreased after 7 days, showing good mechanical and structural characteristics and biodegradability (27% weight lost). Viable keratinocytes (MTT assay) are aggregated into spheroids, a 3D model capable of mimicking in vivo cell properties and phenotypes. Spheroids were formed on 47% of scaffolds pores and grew over time, showing promising cell proliferation. F-actin staining showed cells' irregular and interconnected shapes and organization over time. This method offers an easy and inexpensive solution for keratinocyte spheroid formation, which may be helpful in tissue engineering as a cell delivery system, for pharmacological or basic research, or wound healing medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tânia Rocha
- Department of Biomedicine, Biochemistry Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Margarida Teixeira
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Porto, Portugal
| | - Susana G Gomes
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto-IPATIMUP, Porto, Portugal.,Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - António André
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Martins
- Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Porto, Portugal.,Aragonese Foundation for Research and Development (ARAID), Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (i3A), University of Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain
| | - João Ferreira
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rita Negrão
- Department of Biomedicine, Biochemistry Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,CINTESIS @ RISE - Center for Health Technology and Services Research, Porto, Portugal
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Bogacheva MS, Harjumäki R, Flander E, Taalas A, Bystriakova MA, Yliperttula M, Xiang X, Leung AW, Lou YR. Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Into Definitive Endoderm Cells in Various Flexible Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Systems: Possibilities and Limitations. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:726499. [PMID: 34568336 PMCID: PMC8459831 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.726499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of human stem cell-derived spheroids and organoids represents a major step in solving numerous medical, pharmacological, and biological challenges. Due to the advantages of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems and the diverse applications of human pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived definitive endoderm (DE), we studied the influence of spheroid size and 3D cell culture systems on spheroid morphology and the effectiveness of DE differentiation as assessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR), flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and computational modeling. Among the tested hydrogel-based 3D systems, we found that basement membrane extract (BME) hydrogel could not retain spheroid morphology due to dominant cell-matrix interactions. On the other hand, we found that nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) hydrogel could maintain spheroid morphology but impeded growth factor diffusion, thereby negatively affecting cell differentiation. In contrast, suspension culture provided sufficient mass transfer and was demonstrated by protein expression assays, morphological analyses, and mathematical modeling to be superior to the hydrogel-based systems. In addition, we found that spheroid size was reversely correlated with the effectiveness of DE formation. However, spheroids of insufficient sizes failed to retain 3D morphology during differentiation in all the studied culture conditions. We hereby demonstrate how the properties of a chosen biomaterial influence the differentiation process and the importance of spheroid size control for successful human iPSC differentiation. Our study provides critical parametric information for the generation of human DE-derived, tissue-specific organoids in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariia S Bogacheva
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riina Harjumäki
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emilia Flander
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ara Taalas
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Margarita A Bystriakova
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marjo Yliperttula
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Xiaoqiang Xiang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Drug Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Alan W Leung
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Department of Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Yan-Ru Lou
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Drug Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Park Y, Huh KM, Kang SW. Applications of Biomaterials in 3D Cell Culture and Contributions of 3D Cell Culture to Drug Development and Basic Biomedical Research. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2491. [PMID: 33801273 PMCID: PMC7958286 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of drugs is important in the production of new drugs to treat diseases. Testing in humans is the most accurate method, but there are technical and ethical limitations. To overcome these limitations, various models have been developed in which responses to various external stimuli can be observed to help guide future trials. In particular, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture has a great advantage in simulating the physical and biological functions of tissues in the human body. This article reviews the biomaterials currently used to improve cellular functions in 3D culture and the contributions of 3D culture to cancer research, stem cell culture and drug and toxicity screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujin Park
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering & Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea;
- Predictive Model Research Center, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Kang Moo Huh
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering & Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea;
| | - Sun-Woong Kang
- Predictive Model Research Center, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- Human and Environmental Toxicology Program, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
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