1. Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Targeted Therapy, Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences Oklahoma State University.
Theranostics. 2013 Aug 21;3(9):687-91. doi: 10.7150/thno.6381. eCollection 2013.
Multicellular Tumor Spheroids (MCTS) strongly resemble tumor tissues, which makes them useful tools for radiation biology studies and screening of various chemotherapeutics. The goal of this pilot study was to use MCTS as an in vitro model to determine the response of cells to low temperature-sensitive liposomes (LTSLs) encapsulating doxorubicin (Dox) and proton beam radiotherapy (PBRT). Prior to treatment, MCTS were characterized for morphology and LTSLs were characterized for size, encapsulation efficiency, and ability to thermally release Dox (a model anticancer agent). Two groups of MCTS were treated with LTSL in combination with mild hyperthermia (40-42 °C) or PBRT alone in the presence of appropriate controls. Cytotoxic response was assessed after 48-72 h using an acid phosphatase assay. At 72 h, LTSL in combination with heat significantly reduced the viability of MCTS (15-30%) compared to the control (P < 0.05). A similar cytotoxic response was observed with PBRT treatment. The data suggest that like a monolayer cell culture, MCTS can be used to determine cytotoxic outcomes of thermal and proton therapy.
多细胞肿瘤球体（MCTS）非常类似于肿瘤组织，这使得它们成为辐射生物学研究和各种化疗药物筛选的有用工具。本初步研究的目的是使用 MCTS 作为体外模型，来确定细胞对包裹阿霉素（Dox）的低温敏感脂质体（LTSL）和质子束放射治疗（PBRT）的反应。在治疗之前，对 MCTS 的形态进行了表征，对 LTSL 的大小、包封效率以及热释放 Dox（一种模型抗癌剂）的能力进行了表征。两组 MCTS 分别用 LTSL 联合温和热疗（40-42°C）或单独 PBRT 进行治疗，并设置适当的对照。用酸性磷酸酶测定法在 48-72 小时后评估细胞毒性反应。在 72 小时时，与对照组相比（P<0.05），LTSL 联合热疗显著降低了 MCTS 的活力（15-30%）。用 PBRT 治疗也观察到了类似的细胞毒性反应。这些数据表明，与单层细胞培养物一样，MCTS 可用于确定热疗和质子治疗的细胞毒性结果。
