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Decellularized Pig Kidney with a Micro-Nano Secondary Structure Contributes to Tumor Progression in 3D Tumor Model
Shuangjia Yang1, Le Zheng1, Zilong Chen1
1State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian R&D Center for Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
Abstract:
In spite of many anti-cancer drugs utilized in clinical treatment, cancer is still one of the diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality worldwide, owing to the complexity and heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment. Compared with conventional 2D tumor models, 3D scaffolds could provide structures and a microenvironment which stimulate native tumor tissues more accurately. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the main component of the cell in the microenvironment that is mainly composed of three-dimensional nanofibers, which can form nanoscale fiber networks, while the decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) has been widely applied to engineered scaffolds. In this study, pig kidney was used as the source material to prepare dECM scaffolds. A chemical crosslinking method was used to improve the mechanical properties and other physical characteristics of the decellularized pig kidney-derived scaffold. Furthermore, a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was used to further investigate the biocompatibility of the scaffold to fabricate a tumor model. The results showed that the existence of nanostructures in the scaffold plays an important role in cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Therefore, the pig kidney-derived matrix scaffold prepared by decellularization could provide more cell attachment sites, which is conducive to cell adhesion and proliferation, physiological activities, and tumor model construction.
Insights
This study developed a 3D scaffold from decellularized pig kidney extracellular matrix (dECM). This biocompatible scaffold supports cancer cell adhesion and proliferation, offering a promising 3D tumor model.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality due to tumor microenvironment complexity.
- Conventional 2D tumor models inadequately replicate native tumor tissues.
- Extracellular matrix (ECM) nanofibers are crucial components of the cellular microenvironment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a biocompatible 3D scaffold using decellularized pig kidney extracellular matrix (dECM).
- To enhance the mechanical and physical properties of the dECM scaffold via chemical crosslinking.
- To evaluate the scaffold's potential for constructing a 3D human breast cancer model.
Main Methods:
- Pig kidneys were processed to obtain decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) scaffolds.
- Chemical crosslinking was employed to improve scaffold mechanical properties.
- MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were cultured on the scaffold to assess biocompatibility and tumor modeling potential.
Main Results:
- The dECM scaffold exhibited nanostructures essential for cell functions.
- The scaffold demonstrated significant biocompatibility, promoting cell adhesion and proliferation.
- The nanostructured scaffold proved effective for constructing a 3D tumor model.
Conclusions:
- Decellularized pig kidney matrix scaffolds provide enhanced cell attachment sites.
- These scaffolds are conducive to cell adhesion, proliferation, and physiological activities.
- The developed scaffold is a promising platform for advanced 3D tumor model construction.
