Zhang Guangjie, Liang Qindong, Wu Yongfang, Wang Yingshuang
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, P.R. China.
Clinical Laboratory Center, The Second Hospital and Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730030, P.R. China.
Int J Mol Med. 2025 Nov;56(5). doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2025.5626. Epub 2025 Sep 5.
Traditional cancer research generally utilizes commercial immortalized cancer cell lines cultivated in two‑dimensional (2D) culture systems. However, as cell‑cell/cell‑matrix interactions and the microenvironment cannot be explored , 2D cell culture models inadequately replicate the phenotype and physiology of original tissues. Therefore, three‑dimensional (3D) cell culture technologies, such as organoids, which present potential for mimicking the features of primary solid tumors , may be useful in cancer research. By embedding them into special medium, cancer cell lines can be propagated to form tumor organoids. Notably, cells in tumor organoids are different from their original 2D counterparts. During organoid or spheroid formation, crucial aspects including cancer biology, transcriptome, proteome, signal pathways and drug sensitivity, undergo alterations. The present review summarizes the disparities between 2D cancer cells culture and 3D tumor organoids or spheroids with the aim to guide researchers in selecting optimal models for scientific investigations.
传统的癌症研究通常利用在二维（2D）培养系统中培养的商业化永生化癌细胞系。然而，由于无法探究细胞-细胞/细胞-基质相互作用以及微环境，二维细胞培养模型无法充分复制原始组织的表型和生理学特征。因此，三维（3D）细胞培养技术，如类器官，具有模拟原发性实体瘤特征的潜力，可能在癌症研究中有用。通过将癌细胞系嵌入特殊培养基中，可以使其增殖形成肿瘤类器官。值得注意的是，肿瘤类器官中的细胞与其原始的二维对应细胞不同。在类器官或球体形成过程中，包括癌症生物学、转录组、蛋白质组、信号通路和药物敏感性等关键方面会发生改变。本综述总结了二维癌细胞培养与三维肿瘤类器官或球体之间的差异，旨在指导研究人员选择最佳模型进行科学研究。
