Three-Dimensional Culture Systems for Dissecting Notch Signalling in Health and Disease

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) culture systems opened up new horizons in studying the biology of tissues and organs, modelling various diseases, and screening drugs. Producing accurate in vitro models increases the possibilities for studying molecular control of cell–cell and cell–microenvironment interactions in detail. The Notch signalling is linked to cell fate determination, tissue definition, and maintenance in both physiological and pathological conditions. Hence, 3D cultures provide new accessible platforms for studying activation and modulation of the Notch pathway. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent advances in different 3D culture systems, including spheroids, organoids, and “organ-on-a-chip” models, and their use in analysing the crucial role of Notch signalling in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, pathology, and regeneration.

Current Evidence on Bisphenol A Exposure and the Molecular Mechanism Involved in Related Pathological Conditions

“…MSCs are a peculiar type of multipotent cells present in mesenchymal tissues [ 114 , 115 ]. MSCs were initially discovered in the bone marrow (BM-MSCs), but afterwards other sources of MSC were identified in other tissues and organs including, among others, lungs, muscles, adipose tissue, placenta, umbilical cord, dermis, and dental tissue.…”

Dental-derived mesenchymal stem cell sheets: a prospective tissue engineering for regenerative medicine

“…As a consequence, the age of the donor will not be a major limiting factor in future clinical applications. Three-dimensional cell culture refers to the co-culture of scaffolds and cells with different three-dimensional structures in vitro that could establish the physiological interaction between cells and the cell-extracellular matrix to simulate the specificity of natural tissue to the greatest extent [ 37 ]. Using three-dimensional cell culture technology, the single DPSC sheet was constructed into a spherical tissue-engineered structure, which promoted the differentiation of DPSCs into mature osteoblasts, displayed the related gene expression of osteoblasts, collagen type 1 (Col 1) was expressed widely from the surface layer of the tissue structure to its centre and induced the accumulation of a large amount of bone matrix protein and calcified matrix grafting to the bone defect site to promote bone regeneration.…”

“…Secondly, the quality of cell sheets obtained from different batches of cell sources varies widely and the high cost of the culture process makes mass production hard. Besides, personalized and accurate repair is impossible with current technology, but the combination of cell sheets and 3D printing technology is likely to be a potential solution [ 37 ]. On the other hand, the transplantation and transport of single-cell sheet mechanical property is also worth noticing.…”

Electrochemically Synthesized Polyacrylamide Gel and Core–Shell Nanoparticles for 3D Cell Culture Formation

“…To better understand the cellular and noncellular environments, model systems derived from human cells are required. 1 Animal models are inadequate because of the limited accessibility of imaging for observation, limited usability, ethical issues, and, most importantly, the vast differences between animal and human biology. 2 Two-dimensional (2D) cell lines' cultures, which are considered the simplest model, often lack cell−cell and cell− matrix interactions.…”

“…The highly hierarchical nature of the human body is a spatially organized complex of multiple cell types. To better understand the cellular and noncellular environments, model systems derived from human cells are required . Animal models are inadequate because of the limited accessibility of imaging for observation, limited usability, ethical issues, and, most importantly, the vast differences between animal and human biology .…”