Three-dimensional co-culture model employing silica nonwoven fabrics to enhance cell-to-cell communication of paracrine signaling between hepatocytes and fibroblasts.
Biotechnol Bioeng
; 120(7): 1961-1974, 2023 07.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37204009
ABSTRACT
The realization that soluble factors secreted by heterotypic cells play an importanta role in paracrine signaling, which facilitates intercellular communication, enabled the development of physiologically relevant co-culture models for drug screening and the engineering of tissues, such as hepatic tissues. The most crucial issues confronting the use of conventional membrane inserts in segregated co-culture models that are used to study paracrine signaling between heterotypic cells have been identified as long-term viability and retention of cell-specific functions, especially when isolated primary cells are used. Herein, we present an in vitro segregated co-culture model consisting of a well plate incubated with rat primary hepatocytes and normal human dermal fibroblasts which were segregated using a membrane insert with silica nonwoven fabric (SNF) on it. SNF, which mimics a physiological environment much more effectively than a two-dimensional (2D) one, promotes cell differentiation and resultant paracrine signaling in a manner that is not possible in a conventional 2D culture, owing to high mechanical strength generated by its inorganic materials and interconnected network structure. In segregated co-cultures, SNF clearly enhanced the functions of hepatocytes and fibroblasts, thereby showing its potential as a measure of paracrine signaling. These results may advance the understanding of the role played by paracrine signaling in cell-to-cell communication and provide novel insights into the applications of drug metabolism, tissue repair, and regeneration.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Comunicação Parácrina
/
Hepatócitos
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article