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Review
. 2016:2016:9176357.
doi: 10.1155/2016/9176357. Epub 2015 Nov 16.

Spheroid Culture of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Affiliations
Review

Spheroid Culture of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Zoe Cesarz et al. Stem Cells Int. 2016.

Abstract

Compared with traditional 2D adherent cell culture, 3D spheroidal cell aggregates, or spheroids, are regarded as more physiological, and this technique has been exploited in the field of oncology, stem cell biology, and tissue engineering. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured in spheroids have enhanced anti-inflammatory, angiogenic, and tissue reparative/regenerative effects with improved cell survival after transplantation. Cytoskeletal reorganization and drastic changes in cell morphology in MSC spheroids indicate a major difference in mechanophysical properties compared with 2D culture. Enhanced multidifferentiation potential, upregulated expression of pluripotency marker genes, and delayed replicative senescence indicate enhanced stemness in MSC spheroids. Furthermore, spheroid formation causes drastic changes in the gene expression profile of MSC in microarray analyses. In spite of these significant changes, underlying molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways triggering and sustaining these changes are largely unknown.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical significance of MSC spheroids. Formation of spheroidal aggregates (1) enhances paracrine secretion of angiogenic, antitumorigenic, and pro- and anti-inflammatory factors, (2) improves cell survival, (3) increases differentiation potentials, and (4) delays replicative senescence of MSCs (ANG: angiogenin; ANGPT2: angiopoietin 2; CCL2: chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2; CCL7: chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 7; FGF2: fibroblast growth factor 2; HGF: hepatocyte growth factor; IL1A: interleukin 1α; IL1B: interleukin 1β; IL8: interleukin 8; IL24: interleukin 24; PGE2: prostaglandin E2; TNFAIP6 (TSG6): tumor necrosis factor α-induced protein 6 (tumor necrosis factor α stimulated gene/protein 6); VEGFA: vascular endothelial growth factor-A).

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