Human venous blood derivatives as fetal bovine serum substitute for fibroblast culture cells in a fibrin construct

Abstract

Aim: Venous blood derivatives (VBDs) have been suggested as substitutes for Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) to improve the clinical transition of cell-based therapies. The literature is not clear about which is the best VBDs substitute. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of VBDs on cell viability and describe a new method to seed these cells in a 3D Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF). Methods: Blood was processed to obtain Platelet-Poor Plasma from PRF (P-PRF), Human Serum (HS), Platelet-Poor Plasma from PRP (P-PRP), activated-PRP (a-PRP), and Platelet lysate (PL). Cells were supplemented with each VBD at 10% and FBS at 10% was the control. Cell viability (fibroblast 3T3/NIH) test was evaluated with MTT assay in two ways: i) cell-seeded and expanded with VBD; ii) cell-seed with FBS and expanded with VBD. To seed the Fibrin construct, cells were suspended in PBS and dropped into the blood sample before performing Choukroun’s protocol for PRF. Constructs were cultured for 7 days in VBD supplements and FBS. Histological and Immunohistochemical analysis with vimentin was performed. Cell viability was analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Results: VBD’s production time was very heterogeneous. Cells expanded in HS and a-PRP has grown faster. VBD-supplemented culture media provided cell culture highly sensible to trypsin/EDTA 0.25%. Cells seeded and expanded with VBD presented viability comparable to FBS in HS, a-PRP, and P-PRP (p>0.05) and lower in P-PRF and PL groups (p<0.05). The viability of cell seed with FBS and expanded with VBD was similar between P-PRF, a-PRP, PL, and FBS (p>0.05) and lower in HS and P-PRP (p<0.005). PRF-seeded cells showed a positive expression of vimentin and were able to maintain all cells supplemented with VBD. Conclusion: VBD supplements were able to maintain fibroblast cells in 2D and 3D cultures. The new method of the fibrin-cell construct was efficient to insert the cells into the fibrin network.