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- Kozhevnikov, Evgeny, et al.
(author)
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A dual-transduction-integrated biosensing system to examine the 3D cell-culture for bone regeneration
- 2019
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In: Biosensors & bioelectronics. - : ELSEVIER ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY. - 0956-5663 .- 1873-4235. ; 141
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures developed with living cells and scaffolds have demonstrated outstanding potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. However, no suitable tools are available to monitor dynamically variable cell behavior in such a complex microenvironment. In particular, simultaneously assessing cell behavior, cell secretion, and the general state of a 3D culture system is of a really challenging task. This paper presents our development of a dual-transduction-integrated biosensing system that assesses electrical impedance in conjunction with imaging techniques to simultaneously investigate the 3D cell-culture for bone regeneration. First, we created models to mimic the dynamic deposition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in 3D culture, which underwent osteogenesis by incorporating different amounts of bone-ECM components (collagen, hydroxyapatite [HAp], and hyaluronic acid [HA]) into alginate-based hydrogels. The formed models were investigated by means of electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), with the results showing that the impedances increased linearly with collagen and hyaluronan, but changed in a more complex manner with HAp. Thereafter, we created two models that consisted of primary osteoblast cells (OBs), which expressed the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), and 4T1 cells, which secreted the EGFP-HA, in the alginate hydrogel. We found the capacitance (associated with impedance and measured by EIS) increased with the increases in initial embedded OBs, and also confirmed the cell proliferation over 3 days with the EGFP signal as monitored by the fluorescent imaging component in our system. Interestingly, the change in capacitance is found to be associated with OB migration following stimulation. Also, we show higher capacitance in 4T1 cells that secret HA when compared to control 4T1 cells after a 3-day culture. Taken together, we demonstrate that our biosensing system is able to investigate the dynamic process of 3D culture in a non-invasive and real-time manner.
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2. |
- Zhao, Juzhi, et al.
(author)
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A novel 4D cell culture mimicking stomach peristalsis altered gastric cancer spheroids growth and malignance
- 2021
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In: Biofabrication. - : IOP Publishing. - 1758-5082 .- 1758-5090. ; 13:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In vitro cancer models that can largely mimic the in vivo microenvironment are crucial for conducting more accurate research. Models of three-dimensional (3D) culture that can mimic some aspects of cancer microenvironment or cancer biopsies that can adequately represent tumor heterogeneity are intensely used currently. Those models still lack the dynamic stress stimuli in gastric carcinoma exposed to stomach peristalsis in vivo. This study leveraged a lab-developed four-dimensional (4D) culture model by a magnetic responsive alginate-based hydrogel to rotating magnets that can mimic stress stimuli in gastric cancer (GC). We used the 4D model to culture human GC cell line AGS and SGC7901, cells at the primary and metastasis stage. We revealed the 4D model altered the cancer cell growth kinetics mechanistically by altering PCNA and p53 expression compared to the 3D culture that lacks stress stimuli. We found the 4D model altered the cancer spheroids stemness as evidenced by enhanced cancer stem cells (CD44) marker expression in AGS spheroids but the expression was dampened in SGC7901 cells. We examined the multi-drug resistance (MDR1) marker expression and found the 4D model dampened the MDR1 expression in SGC7901 cell spheroids, but not in spheroids of AGS cells. Such a model provides the stomach peristalsis mimic and is promising for conducting basic or translational GC-associated research, drug screening, and culturing patient gastric biopsies to tailor the therapeutic strategies in precision medicine.
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3. |
- Zhao, Yufang, et al.
(author)
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Bioengineered tumor microenvironments with naked mole rats high-molecular-weight hyaluronan induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells
- 2019
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In: Oncogene. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 0950-9232 .- 1476-5594. ; 38:22, s. 4297-4309
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The naked mole rat (nmr) is cancer resistant due to the abundant production of extremely high-molecular-weight hyaluronan (EHMW-HA). However, whether EHMW-HA has similar anti-cancer effects in mice and humans remains to be determined. The present study used breast cancer cells to clarify the effect of EHMW-HA on breast cancer. First, the overexpression of nmrHas2 in 4T1 and BT549 cell lines in both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) models to mimic tumor microenvironment was established. The 4T1/BT549-nmrHas2 cells could secrete EHMW-HA (with a molecular weight of up to 6 MDa), which was similar to that found in the naked mole rat. Second, EHMW-HA altering tumor microenvironment in both 2D monolayers and 3D spheroids significantly enhanced apoptosis, inhibiting the proliferation of 4T1 and BT549 cells. The prominent anticancer effects of EHMW-HA on the cancer-cell apoptosis phenotype were further confirmed by inhibiting tumor formation in nude mice. Finally, EHMW-HA significantly induced higher p53 protein expression, which enhanced pro-apoptotic proteins p21 and Bax in breast cancer cells; this is in contrast with the triggering of hypersensitivity of the naked mole rat cells to early contact inhibition (ECI). These results have important implications for the design of therapeutic approaches based on the application of EHMW-HA.
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4. |
- Zhao, Yufang, et al.
(author)
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Hydrogels bearing bioengineered mimetic embryonic microenvironments for tumor reversion
- 2016
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In: Journal of materials chemistry. B. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-750X .- 2050-7518. ; 4:37, s. 6183-6191
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Embryonic microenvironments can reverse the metastatic phenotype of aggressive tumors by inhibiting the Nodal signaling pathway. Here, we hypothesize that embryonic microenvironments can be transplanted for the purpose of oncotherapy. We report the development of an injectable bioactive hydrogel system containing the key antagonists of Nodal signaling-Cripto-1 receptor antibodies (2B11)-for the creation of embryonic microenvironments and the examination of their effect on tumor reversion treatment using a mouse model. Our in vitro results show that the hydrogel system can reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, promote cell apoptosis, and reduce the invasive ability of cells. Our in vivo results illustrate that the hydrogel system can significantly inhibit tumor growth in both breast cancer and melanoma tumor-bearing mouse models, as well as transform the cell morphology of melanoma B16 cells to melanin-like cells. Furthermore, the results of the up-regulation of tumor suppressor genes and the down-regulation of oncogenes by high-throughput sequencing confirm that the developed system can also selectively turn on some tumor suppressor genes and turn off certain oncogenes so as to prompt the benign reversion of the tumor phenotype. Taken together, our results demonstrate the injectable biomaterial system is able to create an effective microenvironment for melanoma and breast tumor therapy.
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