Hydrogel microfluidic 3D culture of lung cancer cells mimicking cancer microenvironment

Abstract

In vitro, lung cancer has been studied in 2D, tissue culture plate by many cancer researchers. Recently, changes of study trend in microenvironment have moved 2D to 3D. Many papers have reported differences of results in 2D culture and 3D culture. The in vitro results in 3D culture were more similar to in vivo results than those in 2D. Thus, many researchers have studied cells using hydrogels. One of the hydrogels is collagen type Ⅰ that is a most common extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the composition of ECM in each tissue is different due to the different function. Lungs are organs in respiratory system, and those have elasticity for extension and contraction. The ECM in lungs has known that collagen and elastin are the major components. Our study focused on lung microenvironment, and using microfluidic devices we demonstrated lung cancer cells in hydrogels mimicking lung ECM which are composed of collagen type Ⅰ, collagen type Ⅲ, and elastin (CCE). These results have shown that differences of morphologies and bioactivities in RNA levels, protein levels, and enzyme levels are remarkable. Furthermore, our studies suggest that difference of hydrogel property could affect responses of lung cancer cells.