title: Hydrogel thin film with swelling-induced wrinkling patterns for high-throughput generation of multicellular spheroids.
abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) multicellular spheroids (MCSs) mimic the structure and function of real tissue much better than the conventional 2D cell monolayers, however, their application was severely hindered by difficulties in their generation. An ideal method for MCS fabrication should produce spheroids with narrow size distribution and allow for control over their size. The method should also be simple, cheap, and scalable. Here, we use patterned nonadhesive poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogel films to guide the self-assembly of cells. The films were fabricated directly in the wells of cell culture plates. They were patterned spontaneously by swelling in water, without the use of any template or specialized facilities. When cell suspension is added, the cells settle down by gravity to the bottom. Because of the presence of the wrinkling pattern composed of uniformed microcaves, the cells accumulate to the center of the microcaves and gradually self-assemble into MCSs. Using this method, monodisperse MCSs were generated. The size of the spheroids can be facilely controlled by the number of cells seeded. The method is compatible with the conventional monolayer cell culture method. Thousands of spheroids can be generated in a single well. We expect this method will pave the way for the application of MCSs in various biomedical areas.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, The Co-Innovation Center of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Tianjin, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University , Tianjin 300071, China.
authors: Ziqi
authors: Z
authors: Zhao
authors: Jianjun
authors: J
authors: Gu
authors: Yening
authors: Y
authors: Zhao
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Guan
authors: X X
authors: XX
authors: Zhu
authors: Yongjun
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D051379:Mice; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate