Three-dimensional prints from 3-dimensional cell culture aggregates of human cancer cell lines

Abstract

Objectives: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has gained significance for human health-care applications in recent years. Some of these applications include obtaining models which mimic anatomical parts. One other parallel development in the biological research area is the development of 3D cell cultures. Such cultures are now becoming the material of choice for in vitro experiments, fast replacing the traditional adherent/monolayer 2D culture approaches. We present here, a method to obtain 3D prints of 3D aggregates of three human cancer cell lines. Such 3D prints can be useful models to understand solid tumor morphologies and also as effective teaching models. Materials and Methods: Photomicrographs of the 3D aggregates of the human cancer cell lines SiHa, MCF-7, and A549 (human cervical cancer, breast cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer cell lines, respectively) were obtained using inverted phase contrast microscopy. Conversion of normal jpeg images into 3D files was performed using the lithophane method and CAD files obtained. The CAD files thus generated were used to print the objects using the Stratasys Polyjet J750 3D Printer. Results: We could obtain 3D prints of SiHa, MCF-7, and A549 (human cervical cancer, breast cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer cell lines, respectively) 3D aggregates/spheroids. Conclusion: It is hoped that this approach will be useful for studying solid tumor morphologies in finer details. Furthermore, other benefits of such 3D prints would be in them being excellent models for teaching purposes.

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“…Notably, the size of these aggregates remained consistent over time, as illustrated in Figure B, underscoring the biocompatibility of our hydrogel material. Moreover, the observed MDA-MB-231 cell aggregations in our study exhibited a noncompact nature, which may suggest augmented ECM production …”

“…The cellular growth was followed for 7 days by confocal microscopy, showing the growth and proliferation of the cancer cells (Figure b). MDA-MB-231 cells have been widely employed in 3D cell cultures, especially within traditional hydrogels such as collagen , and alginate-gelatin (AlGe). , Within these matrices, it is often desirable for these cells to aggregate and proliferate in order to mimic tumor models ,, and evaluate drug responsiveness . Cellular aggregation is a hallmark of 3D cultures, and it has been linked to increased extracellular matrix (ECM) production, enhanced viability, cell migration, and tissue formation .…”

“…MDA-MB-231 cells have been widely employed in 3D cell cultures, especially within traditional hydrogels such as collagen , and alginate-gelatin (AlGe). , Within these matrices, it is often desirable for these cells to aggregate and proliferate in order to mimic tumor models ,, and evaluate drug responsiveness . Cellular aggregation is a hallmark of 3D cultures, and it has been linked to increased extracellular matrix (ECM) production, enhanced viability, cell migration, and tissue formation . Furthermore, an increase in gelatin concentration in AlGe has been correlated with increased cell aggregations due to the increased availability of binding sites …”