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Updated: Oct 5, 2025
Assessing Cell Viability and Death in 3D Spheroid Cultures of Cancer Cells
Published on: June 16, 2019
Gastric cancer cell death analyzed by live cell imaging of spheroids
George Alzeeb1, Danielle Arzur1, Valérie Trichet2
1Univ Brest, Inserm, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, 29200, Brest, France.
Abstract:
Gastric cancer (GC) is the third cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and is often diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease. This makes the development of more comprehensive models and efficient treatments crucial. One option is based on repurposing already marketed drugs as adjuvants to chemotherapy. Accordingly, we have previously developed the combination of docetaxel and the cholesterol-lowering drug, lovastatin, as a powerful trigger of HGT-1 human GC cells' apoptosis using 2D cultures. Because 3D models, known as spheroids, are getting recognized as possibly better suited than 2Ds in toxicological research, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of this drug combination with such a model. We established monocellular spheroids from two human (GC) cell lines, HGT-1 and AGS, and bicellular spheroids from these cells mixed with cancer-associated fibroblasts. With these, we surveyed drug-induced cytotoxicity with MTT assays. In addition, we used the Incucyte live imaging and analysis system to follow spheroid growth and apoptosis. Taken together, our results showed that the lovastatin + docetaxel combination was an efficient strategy to eliminate GC cells grown in 2D or 3D cultures, lending further support in favor of repurposing lovastatin as an adjuvant to taxane-based anticancer treatment.
Insights
Repurposing the cholesterol drug lovastatin with docetaxel effectively eliminates gastric cancer cells in both 2D and 3D models. This combination shows promise as an enhanced adjuvant therapy for advanced gastric cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Drug Repurposing
- Cancer Biology
Background:
- Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality, often diagnosed late.
- Developing novel therapeutic strategies, including drug repurposing, is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
- Three-dimensional (3D) spheroid models offer a more physiologically relevant platform for evaluating anti-cancer drug efficacy compared to traditional 2D cultures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of combining docetaxel and lovastatin in 3D gastric cancer spheroid models.
- To assess the potential of lovastatin as an adjuvant therapy for gastric cancer.
- To compare the effectiveness of this drug combination in 2D versus 3D culture systems.
Main Methods:
- Established monocellular and bicellular gastric cancer spheroids using HGT-1 and AGS cell lines, with and without cancer-associated fibroblasts.
- Assessed drug-induced cytotoxicity using MTT assays.
- Utilized Incucyte live imaging to monitor spheroid growth and apoptosis in response to treatment.
Main Results:
- The combination of lovastatin and docetaxel demonstrated significant efficacy in eliminating gastric cancer cells in both 2D and 3D spheroid models.
- The drug combination effectively induced apoptosis in cancer cells within the spheroids.
- The study confirmed the potent anti-cancer activity of lovastatin when used as an adjuvant to docetaxel.
Conclusions:
- The lovastatin + docetaxel combination is a potent strategy for gastric cancer treatment, effective in both 2D and 3D culture systems.
- Lovastatin shows significant potential for repurposing as an adjuvant therapy to taxane-based chemotherapy for gastric cancer.
- 3D spheroid models are valuable for evaluating the efficacy of novel anti-cancer drug combinations.
