Three-dimensional co-culture model employing silica nonwoven fabrics to enhance cell-to-cell communication of paracrine signaling between hepatocytes and fibroblasts.

The realization that soluble factors secreted by heterotypic cells play an importanta role in paracrine signaling, which facilitates intercellular communication, enabled the development of physiologically relevant co-culture models for drug screening and the engineering of tissues, such as hepatic tissues. The most crucial issues confronting the use of conventional membrane inserts in segregated co-culture models that are used to study paracrine signaling between heterotypic cells have been identified as long-term viability and retention of cell-specific functions, especially when isolated primary cells are used. Herein, we present an in vitro segregated co-culture model consisting of a well plate incubated with rat primary hepatocytes and normal human dermal fibroblasts which were segregated using a membrane insert with silica nonwoven fabric (SNF) on it.

Application of "Tissueoid Cell Culture System" Using a Silicate Fiber Scaffold for Cancer Research.

Background: We developed a 3-dimensional (3D) culture system using a high-purity silica fiber scaffold of unwoven sheets called CellbedTM.

Methods: We used adherent colon and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma cells, tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) cells, and nonadherent gastric cancer cells. These cells were subjected to staining with various substances and observed by electron microscopy.

Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Electrospun Silica Nonwoven Fabrics.

Silica nonwoven fabrics (SNFs) with enough mechanical strength are candidates as implantable scaffolds. Culture of cells therein is expected to affect the proliferation and differentiation of the cells through cell-cell and cell-SNF interactions. In this study, we examined three-dimensional (3D) SNFs as a scaffold of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for bone tissue engineering applications.

A culture substratum with net-like polyamide fibers promotes the differentiation of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells to insulin-producing cells.

Insulin-producing and -secreting cells derived from mouse pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are useful for pancreatic development research and evaluating drugs that may induce insulin secretion. Previously, we have established a differentiation protocol to derive insulin-secreting cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) using a combination of growth factors, recombinant proteins, and a culture substratum with net-like fibers. However, it has not been tested which materials and diameters of these fibers are more effective for the differentiation.

Improvement of Hepatic Functions by Spheroids Coculture with Fibroblasts in 3D Silica Nonwoven Fabrics.

In order to realize organ-on-a-chip as an effective tool for regenerative medicine and drug development, tissue-mimic cell culture methods which promote liver-specific function for long period have been developed. We have previously demonstrated that coculture of hepatocyte spheroids on fibroblasts using micropatterned substrate improved the hepatic functions due to the heterotypic cell-cell interactions and paracrine signaling from each other. In addition, hepatocyte function cultured as monolayer was also promoted in separately coculture with fibroblasts cultured as monolayer, and it is more improved in separately coculture with fibroblasts in 3D silica nonwoven fabrics.

Silicate fiber-based 3D cell culture system for anticancer drug screening.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) in vitro cultures can recapitulate the physiological in vivo microenvironment. 3D Modeling techniques have been investigated and applied in anticancer drug screening.

Materials And Methods: A silicate fiber scaffold was used for 3D cell cultures, and used to model the efficacy of anticancer drugs, such as mytomicin C and doxorubicin.

Production of butyl-biodiesel using lipase physically-adsorbed onto electrospun polyacrylonitrile fibers.

Butyl-biodiesel production using electrospun polyacrylonitrile fibers with Pseudomonas cepacia lipase immobilized through physical adsorption was studied. About 80% conversion to butyl-biodiesel was achieved after 24h by suspending the catalyst at 2.4 mg/mL in a mixture of rapeseed oil and n-butanol at a molar ratio of 1:3, containing water at 8000 ppm at 40 degrees C.

Immobilization of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase onto electrospun polyacrylonitrile fibers through physical adsorption and application to transesterification in nonaqueous solvent.

The lipase of Pseudomonas cepacia was immobilized onto electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers and used for the conversion of (S)-glycidol with vinyl n-butyrate to glycidyl n-butyrate in isooctane. The rate of reaction with the adsorbed lipase was 23-fold higher than the initial material. After 10 recyclings, the initial reaction rate was 80% of the original rate.