Heterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluation
Abstract Nanomedicine has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach, but its translation to the clinic has been hindered by the lack of cellular models to anticipate how tumor cells will respond to therapy. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models are thought to more accurately recapitulate key...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Nanobiotechnology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-023-02021-y |
| _version_ | 1797752621319061504 |
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| author | Faezeh Vakhshiteh Zeinab Bagheri Marziye Soleimani Akram Ahvaraki Parisa Pournemat Seyed Ebrahim Alavi Zahra Madjd |
| author_facet | Faezeh Vakhshiteh Zeinab Bagheri Marziye Soleimani Akram Ahvaraki Parisa Pournemat Seyed Ebrahim Alavi Zahra Madjd |
| author_sort | Faezeh Vakhshiteh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Nanomedicine has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach, but its translation to the clinic has been hindered by the lack of cellular models to anticipate how tumor cells will respond to therapy. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models are thought to more accurately recapitulate key features of primary tumors than two-dimensional (2D) cultures. Heterotypic 3D tumor spheroids, composed of multiple cell types, have become more popular than homotypic spheroids, which consist of a single cell type, as a superior model for mimicking in vivo tumor heterogeneity and physiology. The stromal interactions demonstrated in heterotypic 3D tumor spheroids can affect various aspects, including response to therapy, cancer progression, nanomedicine penetration, and drug resistance. Accordingly, to design more effective anticancer nanomedicinal therapeutics, not only tumor cells but also stromal cells (e.g., fibroblasts and immune cells) should be considered to create a more physiologically relevant in vivo microenvironment. This review aims to demonstrate current knowledge of heterotypic 3D tumor spheroids in cancer research, to illustrate current advances in utilizing these tumor models as a novel and versatile platform for in vitro evaluation of nanomedicine-based therapeutics in cancer research, and to discuss challenges, guidelines, and future directions in this field. Graphical Abstract |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:06:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b60878360de40a99cd4cd24aca240a7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1477-3155 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:06:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Nanobiotechnology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b60878360de40a99cd4cd24aca240a72023-08-06T11:24:04ZengBMCJournal of Nanobiotechnology1477-31552023-08-0121113310.1186/s12951-023-02021-yHeterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluationFaezeh Vakhshiteh0Zeinab Bagheri1Marziye Soleimani2Akram Ahvaraki3Parisa Pournemat4Seyed Ebrahim Alavi5Zahra Madjd6Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti UniversityDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti UniversityDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti UniversityDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Frazer Institute, The University of QueenslandOncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)Abstract Nanomedicine has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach, but its translation to the clinic has been hindered by the lack of cellular models to anticipate how tumor cells will respond to therapy. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models are thought to more accurately recapitulate key features of primary tumors than two-dimensional (2D) cultures. Heterotypic 3D tumor spheroids, composed of multiple cell types, have become more popular than homotypic spheroids, which consist of a single cell type, as a superior model for mimicking in vivo tumor heterogeneity and physiology. The stromal interactions demonstrated in heterotypic 3D tumor spheroids can affect various aspects, including response to therapy, cancer progression, nanomedicine penetration, and drug resistance. Accordingly, to design more effective anticancer nanomedicinal therapeutics, not only tumor cells but also stromal cells (e.g., fibroblasts and immune cells) should be considered to create a more physiologically relevant in vivo microenvironment. This review aims to demonstrate current knowledge of heterotypic 3D tumor spheroids in cancer research, to illustrate current advances in utilizing these tumor models as a novel and versatile platform for in vitro evaluation of nanomedicine-based therapeutics in cancer research, and to discuss challenges, guidelines, and future directions in this field. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-023-02021-yHeterotypic spheroidCo-culture spheroidsNanomedicineFibroblastEndothelialImmune cells |
| spellingShingle | Faezeh Vakhshiteh Zeinab Bagheri Marziye Soleimani Akram Ahvaraki Parisa Pournemat Seyed Ebrahim Alavi Zahra Madjd Heterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluation Journal of Nanobiotechnology Heterotypic spheroid Co-culture spheroids Nanomedicine Fibroblast Endothelial Immune cells |
| title | Heterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluation |
| title_full | Heterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluation |
| title_fullStr | Heterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluation |
| title_short | Heterotypic tumor spheroids: a platform for nanomedicine evaluation |
| title_sort | heterotypic tumor spheroids a platform for nanomedicine evaluation |
| topic | Heterotypic spheroid Co-culture spheroids Nanomedicine Fibroblast Endothelial Immune cells |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-023-02021-y |
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