Biopolymer-Based Microcarriers for Three-Dimensional Cell Culture and Engineered Tissue Formation

Abstract

The concept of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture has been proposed to maintain cellular morphology and function as in vivo. Among different approaches for 3D cell culture, microcarrier technology provides a promising tool for cell adhesion, proliferation, and cellular interactions in 3D space mimicking the in vivo microenvironment. In particular, microcarriers based on biopolymers have been widely investigated because of their superior biocompatibility and biodegradability. Moreover, through bottom-up assembly, microcarriers have opened a bright door for fabricating engineered tissues, which is one of the cutting-edge topics in tissue engineering and regeneration medicine. This review takes an in-depth look into the recent advancements of microcarriers based on biopolymers—especially polysaccharides such as chitosan, chitin, cellulose, hyaluronic acid, alginate, and laminarin—for 3D cell culture and the fabrication of engineered tissues based on them. The current limitations and potential strategies were also discussed to shed some light on future directions.

Three-Dimensional Spheroids as In Vitro Preclinical Models for Cancer Research

“…This system has been used for more than 25 years for to generate 3D cell culture [97]. In this method, cells adhere to natural (e.g., collagen, cellulose) or synthetic (e.g., dextran, poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)) matrix-coated beads, forming spheroidal structures [98,99]. The microcarrier beads provide a cell attachment surface, allowing the aggregation, especially of cells unable to aggregate spontaneously.…”

Design of alginate based micro‐gels via electro fluid dynamics to construct microphysiological cell culture systems

“…In the last decade, experimental evidences have remarked a low cell adhesion response onto alginate microgels that are not able “per se” to intrinsically instruct cells in vitro 34,35 . Meanwhile, it is mandatory to design scaffolds able to regulate intercellular communication and mimic the complex pattern of physical and chemical stimuli exerted by the complex 3D network of macromolecules composing the extracellular matrix (ECM) 36 .…”

DNA-GEL, Novel Nanomaterial for Biomedical Applications and Delivery of Bioactive Molecules

“…Wey et al studied the effects of a DNA-gel composed of tetrameric NSs on cell viability and apoptosis in human breast cancer MCF-7 and lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell lines showing an increase in early apoptotic cells ( Wei et al, 2019 ). Another question concerns the ability of NSs DNA-hydrogels to assembly in well-defined networks and the possibility that DNA-gels can be sensed by cells as physical stimuli, similar to artificial matrix used in cell culture applications ( Trepat et al, 2012 ; Loh and Choong, 2013 ; Panzetta et al, 2019 ; Huang et al, 2020 ). In this view, the study of cell migration could be helpful to understand the interaction between DNA-gels and cells.…”