CELL BEHAVIOUR IN SANDWICH-LIKE CULTURES

• Published in: International journal of artificial organs 2014-01, Vol.37 (8), p.591-591
• Main Authors: Ballester-Beltran, J, Lebourg, M, Salmeron-Sanchez, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coatings; Culture; Differentiation; Electrochemical machining; Morphology; Receptors; Three dimensional; Two dimensional
• ISSN: 0391-3988
• DOI: 10.5301/ijao.5000346

Aim: The distribution of cell receptors anchored to the 2D surface of biomaterials highly differs from that observed in the extracellular matrix (ECM) in vivo, which triggers a different, less physiological, cell response. Hence we suggest that sandwich culture, that targets ventral and dorsal receptors, could be a robust system to study cell behaviour in 3D environment more similar to the ECM. Methods: Cells were seeded on 2D substrates and immediately or after 3 hours of culture, sandwich-like cultures were obtained by gently laying the upper (dorsal) substrate. Cell morphology, adhesion, migration and differentiation were studied under different conditions by changing the substrates or protein coatings (both in the ventral and the dorsal side). Results: Our results suggest that both biological and mechanical stimuli within sandwich-like culture play an important role in cell behaviour that resembles 3D systems. For example, the ability to reorganise the ECM in sandwich culture has been shown to influence cell adhesion and morphology similarly as in hydrogels. Cell migration also differs to 2D substrates and can be tuned according to the culture conditions (substrates and protein coatings). Finally, sandwich culture increased myogenic differentiation and further experiments are being carried out in order to better characterize the process. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that sandwich culture can be used as a versatile intermediate system between 2D and 3D cultures and has the potential to provide further insights into the role of dimensionality in cell-material interactions.