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Assessing Polysaccharides/Aloe Vera-Based Hydrogels for Tumor Spheroid Formation
Petruța Preda1, Ana-Maria Enciu2,3, Cristiana Tanase2,4
1National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies-IMT Bucharest, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae, 077190 Bucharest, Romania.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 20, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed cost-effective hydrogels using natural compounds like aloe vera and chitosan for creating tumor spheroids. These hydrogels show promise for scalable 3D tumor models in drug testing and cancer research.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cancer Biology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- In vitro tumor spheroids are valuable 3D models for drug screening and understanding tumor progression.
- Scalable and routine preparation of tumor spheroids is crucial for their wider application.
- Hydrogels offer a promising platform for facilitating tumor spheroid formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop inexpensive and user-friendly amorphous and crosslinked hydrogels for tumor spheroid formation.
- To investigate the potential of natural compounds like sodium alginate, aloe vera gel powder, and chitosan in hydrogel development.
- To evaluate the efficacy of these hydrogels in forming spheroids using MDA-MB-231 and U87MG cancer cells.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of amorphous and crosslinked hydrogels using sodium alginate, aloe vera, and chitosan.
- Rheological analysis to assess hydrogel properties like viscosity and texture.
- Evaluation of spheroid formation capabilities at varying pH and viscosity conditions.
- Testing with MDA-MB-231 and U87MG cancer cell lines.
Main Results:
- Hydrogel properties (pH, viscosity, crosslinking) significantly influenced spheroid formation.
- Chitosan-based hydrogels at pH 5 and specific aloe vera-based hydrogels at pH 12 promoted spheroid development.
- Crosslinked hydrogel formulations (NaAlg/AV, NaAlg/AV/glucose, NaAlg/CS) demonstrated enhanced spheroid formation efficiency.
- Rheological analysis confirmed the impact of aloe vera and chitosan on sodium alginate hydrogel viscosity and texture.
Conclusions:
- Developed natural compound-based hydrogels are potential candidates for scalable tumor spheroid formation.
- Hydrogel formulation, including pH and crosslinking, is critical for successful spheroid generation.
- Aloe vera gel shows potential for use in tumor spheroid formation systems, warranting further investigation into different formulations and physical forms.
