A Marine Collagen-Based 3D Scaffold for In Vitro Modeling of Human Prostate Cancer Niche and Anti-Cancer Therapeutic Discovery

• Published in: Marine drugs Vol. 22; no. 7; p. 295
• Main Authors: Song, Won Hoon, Lim, Ye Seon, Kim, Ji-Eun, Kang, Hae Yeong, Lee, Changyong, Rajbongshi, Lata, Hwang, Seon Yeong, Oh, Sae-Ock, Kim, Byoung Soo, Lee, Dongjun, Song, Yong Jung, Yoon, Sik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26.06.2024
• Subjects: 3D cell culture; Androgens; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Aquatic Organisms; Biological effects; Biomarkers; Biomimetics; Cancer; Cancer research; cancer stem cell; Cancer therapies; Cell culture; Cell Culture Techniques, Three Dimensional - methods; Cell growth; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell migration; Cell Movement - drug effects; Cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Chemoresistance; Collagen; Culture techniques; Drug development; Drug Discovery - methods; Drug resistance; Drug testing; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition - drug effects; Gene expression; Humans; hydrogel; Hydrogels; In vivo methods and tests; Integrins; Male; marine collagen; Matrix metalloproteinase; Matrix metalloproteinases; Medical research; Mortality; Multidrug resistance; Neoplasms; Neoplastic Stem Cells - drug effects; Oncology; Pluripotency; Progressions; Prostate cancer; Prostatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology; Robustness; scaffold; Scaffolds; Spheroids; Stem cells; Success; Tissue Scaffolds; Transcription factors; Tumors; chemoresistance; prostate cancer; marine collagen; cancer stem cell; hydrogel; scaffold; 3D cell culture; spheroid
• ISSN: 1660-3397; 1660-3397
• DOI: 10.3390/md22070295

Recently, the need to develop a robust three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system that serves as a valuable in vitro tumor model has been emphasized. This system should closely mimic the tumor growth behaviors observed in vivo and replicate the key elements and characteristics of human tumors for the effective discovery and development of anti-tumor therapeutics. Therefore, in this study, we developed an effective 3D in vitro model of human prostate cancer (PC) using a marine collagen-based biomimetic 3D scaffold. The model displayed distinctive molecular profiles and cellular properties compared with those of the 2D PC cell culture. This was evidenced by (1) increased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, colony formation, and chemoresistance; (2) upregulated expression of crucial multidrug-resistance- and cancer-stemness-related genes; (3) heightened expression of key molecules associated with malignant progressions, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition transcription factors, Notch, matrix metalloproteinases, and pluripotency biomarkers; (4) robust enrichment of prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs); and (5) enhanced expression of integrins. These results suggest that our 3D in vitro PC model has the potential to serve as a research platform for studying PC and prostate CSC biology, as well as for screening novel therapies targeting PC and prostate CSCs.