Issue 22, 2018

Development of a biomimetic liver tumor-on-a-chip model based on decellularized liver matrix for toxicity testing

Abstract

Cancer poses a great health threat to both developed and developing countries, and anti-cancer drugs are of important interest for improved clinical outcomes. Although tumor-on-a-chip technologies offer a feasible approach to screening drug toxicity, their capability to mimic the native tumor microenvironment (TME) is still limited. For better mimicry of the TME, we developed a biomimetic three-dimensional (3D) liver tumor-on-a-chip with the integration of essential components derived from decellularized liver matrix (DLM) with gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) in a microfluidics-based 3D dynamic cell culture system. The biomimetic liver tumor-on-a-chip based on the integration of DLM components with GelMA, as opposed to GelMA only, had an increased capability to maintain cell viability and to enhance hepatocyte functions under flow conditions. The improved performance of the DLM–GelMA-based tumor-on-a-chip may be attributed to the provision of biochemical factors (e.g., growth factors), the preservation of scaffold proteins, and the reestablishment of biophysical cues (e.g., stiffness and shear stress) for better recapitulation of the 3D liver TME. Furthermore, this DLM–GelMA-based tumor-on-a-chip exhibited linear dose-dependent drug responses to the toxicity of acetaminophen and sorafenib. Taken together, our study demonstrates that the DLM–GelMA-based biomimetic liver tumor-on-a-chip better mimics the in vivo TME and holds great promise for a breadth of pathological and pharmacological studies.

Graphical abstract: Development of a biomimetic liver tumor-on-a-chip model based on decellularized liver matrix for toxicity testing

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 aug 2018
Accepted
19 sep 2018
First published
21 sep 2018

Lab Chip, 2018,18, 3379-3392

Development of a biomimetic liver tumor-on-a-chip model based on decellularized liver matrix for toxicity testing

S. Lu, F. Cuzzucoli, J. Jiang, L. Liang, Y. Wang, M. Kong, X. Zhao, W. Cui, J. Li and S. Wang, Lab Chip, 2018, 18, 3379 DOI: 10.1039/C8LC00852C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements