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Preprints

Robust Formation of Optimal Single Spheroids towards Cost-Effective In-Vitro 3-Dimensional Tumor Models

Habra K, Pearson JR, McArdle SEB.
Preprint from
Research Square
1 June 2022
PPR
PPR501616
Abstract
Monolayer cell cultures, while useful for basic in vitro studies, are not physiologically relevant. Spheroids, a complex 3-dimensional (3D) structure resemble in vivo tumor growth more closely thereby allowing results obtained with spheroids relating to proliferation, cell death, differentiation, metabolism, and various anti-tumor therapies to be more predictive of in vivo outcomes. The protocol herein presents a rapid and high throughput method for the generation of single spheroids using various cancer cell lines including (U87 MG, SEBTA-027, SF188) brain cancer cells, (DU-145, TRAMP-C1) prostate cancer cells, and (BT-549, Py230) breast cancer cells in a 96-round bottom well plates. The proposed method is associated with significantly low costs (ca. £1) per plate without the need for refining or transferring and homogeneous compact spheroid morphology was evidenced as early as 1 day after following this protocol. By using confocal microscopy and the IncuCyte live imaging system, proliferating cells were traced in the rim while dead cells were found to be located inside the core region of the spheroid. H&E staining of spheroid sections was utilized to investigate the tightness of the cell packaging and Western blotting analyses revealed that these spheroids adopted a stem cell-like phenotype. This method was also used to obtain EC50 of the anti-cancer dipeptide carnosine on U87 MG 3D culture. The affordable easy-to-follow 5 step-protocol allows for robust generation of various uniform spheroids which show 3D morphology characteristics.