The extracellular matrix of solid tumors presents a transport barrier that restricts nanoparticle penetration, thereby limiting the efficacy of nano-sized delivery vehicles for cancer imaging and therapy. In this study, the effect of nanoparticle size and collagenase treatment on penetration of carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles was systematically assessed in a multicellular spheroid model....

A critical step in the dissemination of ovarian cancer is the formation of multicellular spheroids from cells shed from the primary tumour. The objectives of this study were to apply bioengineered three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments for culturing ovarian cancer spheroids in vitro and simultaneously to build on a mathematical model describing the growth of multicellular spheroids in these b...

It has been demonstrated that adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) is actively secreted by cells, thereby eliciting Ca(2+)-dependent signal transduction cascades in an autocrine and paracrine manner. In the present study the effects of direct current (DC) electrical fields on ATP release, the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration [Ca(2+)](i) and growth of multicellular prostate tumor spheroids were inv...

In this study, we report the development of a droplet microfluidic assay for the formation and radiotherapy treatment of multicellular spheroids. Glioma cells formed multicellular spheroids following their encapsulation within biocompatible medium-in-fluorinated oil (M/O) droplets with a non-adherent surfactant interface. Our studies identified that the ratio of volume-of-medium to number-of-ce...

A technique has been developed which takes advantage of the spherical symmetry of EMT6/Ro multicellular tumor spheroids to isolate subpopulations of cells originating from various locations in the spheroid structure. The method involves gently exposing spheroids to a dilute trypsin solution at 18 to 20 degrees in specially designed dishes on a rotary shaker. Under these conditions, cells are re...

Spheroids are widely used in vitro 3D multicellular model systems that mimic complex physiological microenvironments of tissues. As different cell types vary deformability and adhesion, the choice (heterogeneous) composition will define overall spheroid mechanics, including their viscoelasticity effective surface tension. These mechanical parameters directly influence sorting possibly invasion ...

A microfluidic system provides an excellent platform for cellular studies. Most importantly, a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture model reconstructs more accurately the in vivo microenvironment of tissue. Accordingly, microfluidic 3D cell culture devices could be ideal candidates for in vitro cell culture platforms. In this paper, two types of 3D cellular aggregates, i.e., toroid and spheroid,...

Researchers have observed that response of tumor cells to treatment varies depending on whether the cells are grown in monolayer, as in vitro spheroids or in vivo. This study uses data from the literature on monolayer treatment of SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells with 15-deoxy-PGJ2 and couples it with data on growth rates for untreated SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells grown as multicellular spheroids. A ...