Fabricating a low-temperature synthesized graphene-cellulose acetate-sodium alginate scaffold for the generation of ovarian cancer spheriod and its drug assessment

Abstract

3D cell culture can mimic tumor pathophysiology, which reflects cellular morphology and heterogeneity, strongly influencing gene expression, cell behavior, and intracellular signaling. It supports cell–cell and cell–matrix interaction, cell attachment, and proliferation, resulting in rapid and reliable drug screening models. We have generated an ovarian cancer spheroid in interconnected porous scaffolds. The scaffold is fabricated using low-temperature synthesized graphene, cellulose acetate, and sodium alginate. Graphene nanosheets enhance cell proliferation and aggregation, which aids in the formation of cancer spheroids. The spheroids are assessed after day 7 and 14 for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), expression of the hypoxia inducing factor (HIF-1⍺) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Production of ROS was observed due to the aggregated tumor mass, and enhanced production of HIF-1⍺ and VEGF results from a lack of oxygen and nutrition. Furthermore, the efficacy of anticancer drug doxorubicin at varying concentrations is assessed on ovarian cancer spheroids by studying the expression of caspase-3/7 at day 7 and 14. The current findings imply that the graphene-cellulose-alginate (GCA) scaffold generates a reliable ovarian cancer spheroid model to test the efficacy of the anticancer drug.