Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Stem Cell Research Unit, Biomedical Center, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.
J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 2020 Dec;25(4):273-288. doi: 10.1007/s10911-020-09468-x. Epub 2020 Nov 18.
3D cell culture methods have been an integral part of and an essential tool for mammary gland and breast cancer research for half a century. In fact, mammary gland researchers, who discovered and deciphered the instructive role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in mammary epithelial cell functional differentiation and morphogenesis, were the pioneers of the 3D cell culture techniques, including organoid cultures. The last decade has brought a tremendous increase in the 3D cell culture techniques, including modifications and innovations of the existing techniques, novel biomaterials and matrices, new technological approaches, and increase in 3D culture complexity, accompanied by several redefinitions of the terms "3D cell culture" and "organoid". In this review, we provide an overview of the 3D cell culture and organoid techniques used in mammary gland biology and breast cancer research. We discuss their advantages, shortcomings and current challenges, highlight the recent progress in reconstructing the complex mammary gland microenvironment in vitro and ex vivo, and identify the missing 3D cell cultures, urgently needed to aid our understanding of mammary gland development, function, physiology, and disease, including breast cancer.
3D 细胞培养方法已经成为半个世纪以来乳腺和乳腺癌研究不可或缺的一部分，也是必不可少的工具。事实上，发现并破译细胞外基质（ECM）在乳腺上皮细胞功能分化和形态发生中的指导作用的乳腺研究人员是 3D 细胞培养技术的先驱，包括类器官培养。过去十年，3D 细胞培养技术得到了极大的发展，包括对现有技术的改进和创新、新型生物材料和基质、新技术方法以及 3D 培养复杂性的增加，同时对“3D 细胞培养”和“类器官”这两个术语进行了多次重新定义。在这篇综述中，我们提供了乳腺生物学和乳腺癌研究中使用的 3D 细胞培养和类器官技术的概述。我们讨论了它们的优点、缺点和当前的挑战，强调了最近在体外和体内重建复杂乳腺微环境方面的进展，并确定了 3D 细胞培养的缺失，这迫切需要帮助我们理解乳腺的发育、功能、生理学和疾病，包括乳腺癌。
