Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea; George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
Adult Stem Cell Research Center and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
Acta Biomater. 2023 Jul 15;165:153-167. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.10.009. Epub 2022 Oct 13.
Tumor angiogenesis is regarded as a promising target for limiting cancer progression because tumor-associated vasculature supplies blood and provides a path for metastasis. Thus, in vitro recapitulation of vascularized tumors is critical to understand the pathology of cancer and identify the mechanisms by which tumor cells proliferate, metastasize, and respond to drugs. In this study, we microengineered a vascularized tumor spheroid (VTS) model to reproduce the pathological features of solid tumors. We first generated tumor-EC hybrid spheroids with self-assembled intratumoral vessels, which enhanced the uniformity of the spheroids and peritumoral angiogenic capacity compared to spheroids composed only with cancer cells. Notably, the hybrid spheroids also exhibited expression profiles associated with aggressive behavior. The blood vessels sprouting around the hybrid spheroids on the VTS chip displayed the distinctive characteristics of leaky tumor vessels. With the VTS chip showing a progressive tumor phenotype, we validated the suppressive effects of axitinib on tumor growth and angiogenesis, which depended on exposure dose and time, highlighting the significance of tumor vascularization to predict the efficacy of anticancer drugs. Ultimately, we effectively induced both lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis around the tumor spheroid by promoting interstitial flow. Thus, our VTS model is a valuable platform with which to investigate the interactions between tumor microenvironments and explore therapeutic strategies in cancer. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We conducted an integrative study within a vascularized tumor spheroid (VTS) model. We first generated tumor-EC hybrid spheroids with self-assembled intratumoral vessels, which enhanced the uniformity of the spheroids and peritumoral angiogenic capacity compared to spheroids composed only with cancer cells. Through RNA sequencing, we elucidated that the tumor-EC hybrid spheroids exhibited expression profiles associated with aggressive behavior such as cancer progression, invasion and metastasis. The blood vessels sprouting around the hybrid spheroids on the VTS chip displayed the distinctive characteristics of leaky tumor vessels. We further validated the suppressive effects of axitinib on tumor growth and angiogenesis, depending on exposure dose and time. Ultimately, we effectively induced both lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis around the tumor spheroid by promoting interstitial flow.
肿瘤血管生成被认为是限制癌症进展的一个有前途的靶点,因为肿瘤相关的脉管系统提供血液并为转移提供途径。因此,体外再现血管化肿瘤对于理解癌症的病理学并确定肿瘤细胞增殖、转移和对药物反应的机制至关重要。在这项研究中,我们微工程化了一个血管化肿瘤球体(VTS)模型,以再现实体瘤的病理特征。我们首先生成了具有自组装肿瘤内血管的肿瘤-EC 杂交球体,与仅由癌细胞组成的球体相比,这增强了球体的均匀性和肿瘤周围血管生成能力。值得注意的是,杂交球体还表现出与侵袭性行为相关的表达谱。在 VTS 芯片上围绕杂交球体长出的血管表现出渗漏性肿瘤血管的独特特征。随着 VTS 芯片显示出进行性肿瘤表型,我们验证了阿昔替尼对肿瘤生长和血管生成的抑制作用,这取决于暴露剂量和时间,突出了肿瘤血管生成对预测抗癌药物疗效的重要性。最终,我们通过促进间质流有效地诱导了肿瘤球体周围的淋巴管生成和血管生成。因此,我们的 VTS 模型是一个有价值的平台,可以研究肿瘤微环境之间的相互作用,并探索癌症的治疗策略。
意义陈述:我们在血管化肿瘤球体(VTS)模型中进行了综合研究。我们首先生成了具有自组装肿瘤内血管的肿瘤-EC 杂交球体,与仅由癌细胞组成的球体相比,这增强了球体的均匀性和肿瘤周围血管生成能力。通过 RNA 测序,我们阐明了肿瘤-EC 杂交球体表现出与侵袭性行为相关的表达谱,如癌症进展、侵袭和转移。在 VTS 芯片上围绕杂交球体长出的血管表现出渗漏性肿瘤血管的独特特征。我们进一步验证了阿昔替尼对肿瘤生长和血管生成的抑制作用,这取决于暴露剂量和时间。最终,我们通过促进间质流有效地诱导了肿瘤球体周围的淋巴管生成和血管生成。
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