3D Cell Culture: Recent Development in Materials with Tunable Stiffness

• Published in: ACS applied bio materials Vol. 4; no. 3; pp. 2233 - 2250
• Main Authors: Baruffaldi, Désirée, Palmara, Gianluca, Pirri, Candido, Frascella, Francesca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 15.03.2021
• Subjects: Biocompatible Materials - chemical synthesis; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Cell Culture Techniques, Three Dimensional; Humans; Materials Testing; Particle Size; Stress, Mechanical; 3D cell culture; hydrogels; tissue mimic; tunable materials; stiffness; mechanical properties
• ISSN: 2576-6422; 2576-6422
• DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c01472

It is widely accepted that three-dimensional cell culture systems simulate physiological conditions better than traditional 2D systems. Although extracellular matrix components strongly modulate cell behavior, several studies underlined the importance of mechanosensing in the control of different cell functions such as growth, proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Human tissues are characterized by different degrees of stiffness, and various pathologies (e.g., tumor or fibrosis) cause changes in the mechanical properties through the alteration of the extracellular matrix structure. Additionally, these modifications have an impact on disease progression and on therapy response. Hence, the development of platforms whose stiffness could be modulated may improve our knowledge of cell behavior under different mechanical stress stimuli. In this review, we have analyzed the mechanical diversity of healthy and diseased tissues, and we have summarized recently developed materials with a wide range of stiffness.