In vitro 3D Spheroid Culture Developed on the Parafilm Surface Using HEK-293 Cells

Abstract

Preclinical research to predict the effects of drugs and chemicals on humans is commonly carried out either by cell culture studies in vitro condition or on animals in vivo condition. While drug studies tested on cells cultured as a monolayer in plastic flasks are incompatible with realistic results, falsifying findings can also be achieved from in vivo studies performed on different species. In recent years, research on drug tests using spheroid cultures formed by growing cells in three-dimensional (3D) in vitro has attracted great interest. 3D spheroid structures are formed by growing the cells in a drop suspended on superhydrophobic surfaces. In this study, HEK-293 cells were investigated on parafilm surfaces displaying superhydrophobic properties by growing in 2 µl volume using hanging drop culture method in terms of spheroid formation. Light microscopy images from spheroid structures were taken on different incubation days and the area of spheroids was measured using the ImageJ program. Our study holds important findings for a chip platform that can be developed for use in vitro drug tests.