A Marine Collagen-Based 3D Scaffold for In Vitro Modeling of Human Prostate Cancer Niche and Anti-Cancer Therapeutic Discovery
Won Hoon Song,
Ye Seon Lim,
Ji-Eun Kim,
Hae Yeong Kang,
Changyong Lee,
Lata Rajbongshi,
Seon Yeong Hwang,
Sae-Ock Oh,
Byoung Soo Kim,
Dongjun Lee,
Yong Jung Song,
Sik Yoon
Affiliations
Won Hoon Song
Department of Urology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital and Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Ye Seon Lim
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Ji-Eun Kim
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Hae Yeong Kang
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Changyong Lee
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Lata Rajbongshi
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Seon Yeong Hwang
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Sae-Ock Oh
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Byoung Soo Kim
School of Biomedical Convergence Engineering, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea
Dongjun Lee
Department of Convergence Medicine, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea
Yong Jung Song
Immune Reconstitution Research Center of Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Sik Yoon
Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea
Recently, the need to develop a robust three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system that serves as a valuable in vitro tumor model has been emphasized. This system should closely mimic the tumor growth behaviors observed in vivo and replicate the key elements and characteristics of human tumors for the effective discovery and development of anti-tumor therapeutics. Therefore, in this study, we developed an effective 3D in vitro model of human prostate cancer (PC) using a marine collagen-based biomimetic 3D scaffold. The model displayed distinctive molecular profiles and cellular properties compared with those of the 2D PC cell culture. This was evidenced by (1) increased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, colony formation, and chemoresistance; (2) upregulated expression of crucial multidrug-resistance- and cancer-stemness-related genes; (3) heightened expression of key molecules associated with malignant progressions, such as epithelial–mesenchymal transition transcription factors, Notch, matrix metalloproteinases, and pluripotency biomarkers; (4) robust enrichment of prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs); and (5) enhanced expression of integrins. These results suggest that our 3D in vitro PC model has the potential to serve as a research platform for studying PC and prostate CSC biology, as well as for screening novel therapies targeting PC and prostate CSCs.
