Polysaccharide nanofibers and hydrogel: A comparative evaluation on 3D cell culture and tumor reduction

Abstract

Nanofibers and hydrogels are two forms of biomaterial scaffolds that have different properties and different applications. Polysaccharides have been used for the preparation of both scaffolds due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, our main objective was to compare the tumor cell growth and tumor reduction potential of drug-loaded scaffolds. This was achieved using different methods for cell proliferation, epithelial–mesenchymal Transition studies, and biomarker expression-related assays. Anticancer drug doxorubicin was loaded to the scaffolds using adsorption and in vitro and in vivo tumor reduction was also performed. Results showed that both scaffolds supported the growth of cancer cells but did not promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition. A significant difference in drug release was observed and this may have influenced the in vivo tumor reduction. A fast release of the drug and higher tumor-reducing potential was observed for hydrogel. The studies confirmed that different types of scaffolds have different properties. Biomedical applications related to the structure can be dissimilar in different scenarios.