Gelatin-Based Tissue-Mimicking Materials for Breast Phantoms: Dielectric and Mechanical Characterization

Cannata, Alessia; Meo, Simona Di; Morganti, Simone; Matrone, Giulia; Pasian, Marco

doi:10.23919/ursigass51995.2021.9560361

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is well documented in the literature that gelatin is a suitable biomaterial to replicate the mechanical properties of breast tissue and has been commonly used to fabricate breast tissue phantoms ( McGarry et al, 2020 ; Cannatà et al, 2021 ; Amiri et al, 2022 ). Therefore, whilst the stiffness of the PCL-M scaffolds does not replicate that seen in soft tissue in vivo, the gelatin within the structure can provide a more mimetic environment for the breast cancer cells.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gelatin-containing porous polycaprolactone PolyHIPEs as substrates for 3D breast cancer cell culture and vascular infiltration

Jackson,

Doyle,

Khan

et al. 2024

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tumour survival and growth are reliant on angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, to facilitate nutrient and waste exchange and, importantly, provide a route for metastasis from a primary to a secondary site. Whilst current models can ensure the transport and exchange of nutrients and waste via diffusion over distances greater than 200 μm, many lack sufficient vasculature capable of recapitulating the tumour microenvironment and, thus, metastasis. In this study, we utilise gelatin-containing polymerised high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) templated polycaprolactone-methacrylate (PCL-M) scaffolds to fabricate a composite material to support the 3D culture of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and vascular ingrowth. Firstly, we investigated the effect of gelatin within the scaffolds on the mechanical and chemical properties using compression testing and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. Initial in vitro assessment of cell metabolic activity and vascular endothelial growth factor expression demonstrated that gelatin-containing PCL-M polyHIPEs are capable of supporting 3D breast cancer cell growth. We then utilised the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay to assess the angiogenic potential of cell-seeded gelatin-containing PCL-M polyHIPEs, and vascular ingrowth within cell-seeded, surfactant and gelatin-containing scaffolds was investigated via histological staining. Overall, our study proposes a promising composite material to fabricate a substrate to support the 3D culture of cancer cells and vascular ingrowth.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gelatin-containing porous polycaprolactone PolyHIPEs as substrates for 3D breast cancer cell culture and vascular infiltration

Jackson,

Doyle,

Khan

et al. 2024

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As shown in Ismai et al (2017), small percentages of gelatin do not have a significant impact on the variation of dielectric properties of the produced mixtures. However, a slight increase in the percentage of gelatin is not enough to reproduce the mechanical properties of breast tissues (Cannatà et al 2021). Therefore, in this paper, the recipes proposed in Di Meo et al (2019) have been modified to mimic the mechanical properties of breast tissues, both healthy and diseased.…”

Section: Phantom Recipesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impact of gelatin on phantom dielectric properties has already been evaluated in Di Meo et al (2019) for small volumetric increases and has been shown not to drastically affect the mixture dielectric properties. However, these small increases of gelatin concentration were not enough to mimic the mechanical properties of breast tissues (Cannatà et al 2021). For this reason, in this paper, more significant increases in the gelatin volume percentage were evaluated, and the impact on dielectric properties was continuously monitored.…”

Section: Impact Of Gelatine On Phantom Dielectric Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…x-ray mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging); however, their limitations are pushing the search for new imaging modalities. In recent years, microwaves and millimeter waves have been gaining increasing interest as a possible complementary or supplementary technique for the diagnosis of breast cancer and promising results have been published so far (Burfeindt et al 2009, Klemm et al 2009, Nikolova 2011, Grzegorczyk et al 2012, Fear et al 2013, Bahramiabarghouei et al 2015, Di Meo et al 2017, 2021. The physical basis of these imaging systems is the dielectric contrast between healthy and diseased tissues, as demonstrated by several experimental campaigns up to 50 GHz (Lazebnik et al 2007a, 2007b, Martellosio et al 2017, Di Meo et al 2018, Summers et al 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

On the dielectric and mechanical characterization of tissue‐mimicking breast phantoms

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: In this paper, we focus on the dielectric and mechanical characterization of tissue-mimicking breast phantoms. Approach: Starting from recipes previously proposed by our research group, based on easy-to-handle, cheap and safe components (i.e., sunflower oil, deionized water, dishwashing liquid and gelatin), we produced and tested, both dielectrically and mechanically, more than 100 samples. The dielectric properties were measured from 500 MHz to 14 GHz, the Cole-Cole parameters were derived to describe the dielectric behaviour in a broader frequency range, and the results were compared with dielectric properties of human breast ex vivo tissues up to 50 GHz. The macroscale mechanical properties were measured by means of unconfined compression tests, and the impact of the experimental conditions (i.e., preload and test speed) on the measured Young’s moduli was analysed. In addition, the mechanical contrast between healthy- and malignant-tissue-like phantoms was evaluated. Main results: The results agree with the literature in the cases in which the experimental conditions are known, demonstrating the possibility to fabricate phantoms able to mimic both dielectric and mechanical properties of breast tissues. Significance: In this work, for the first time, a range of materials reproducing all the categories of breast tissues were experimentally characterized, both from a dielectric and mechanical point of view. A large range of frequency were considered for the dielectric measurements and several combinations of experimental conditions were investigated in the context of the mechanical characterization. The proposed results can be useful in the design and testing of complementary or supplementary techniques for breast cancer detection based on micro/millimetre-waves, possibly in connection with other imaging modalities.

show abstract

Gelatin-Based Tissue-Mimicking Materials for Breast Phantoms: Dielectric and Mechanical Characterization

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Gelatin-containing porous polycaprolactone PolyHIPEs as substrates for 3D breast cancer cell culture and vascular infiltration

Gelatin-containing porous polycaprolactone PolyHIPEs as substrates for 3D breast cancer cell culture and vascular infiltration

On the dielectric and mechanical characterization of tissue‐mimicking breast phantoms

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About