silicon and Carcinoma--Lewis-Lung

A long-standing problem in tissue engineering is the biofabrication of perfusable tissue constructs that can be readily connected to the patient's vasculature. It was partially solved by three-dimensional (3D) printing of sacrificial material (e.g., hydrogel) strands: upon incorporation in another cell-laden hydrogel, the strands were removed, leaving behind perfusable channels. Their complexity, however, did not match that of the native vasculature. Here, we propose to use multicellular spheroids as a sacrificial material and investigate their potential benefits in the context of 3D bioprinting of cell aggregates and/or cell-laden hydrogels. Our study is based on computer simulations of postprinting cellular rearrangements. The computational model of the biological system is built on a cubic lattice, whereas its evolution is simulated using the Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm. The simulations describe structural changes in three types of tissue constructs: a tube made of a single cell type, a tube made of two cell types, and a cell-laden hydrogel slab that incorporates a branching tube. In all three constructs, the lumen is obtained after the elimination of the sacrificial cell population. Our study suggests that sacrificial cell spheroids (sacrospheres) enable one to print tissue constructs outfitted with a finer and more complex network of channels than the ones obtained so far. Moreover, cellular interactions might give rise to a tissue microarchitecture that lies beyond the bioprinter's resolution. Although more expensive than inert materials, sacrificial cells have the potential to bring further progress towards the biofabrication of fully vascularized tissue substitutes.

Topics: 3T3 Cells; Algorithms; Animals; Bioprinting; Carcinoma, Lewis Lung; Computer Simulation; Humans; Hydrogels; Metal Nanoparticles; Mice; Monte Carlo Method; Perfusion; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Silicon; Spheroids, Cellular; Tissue Engineering; Tissue Scaffolds

The possibility of using mesoporous silicon nanoparticles as amplifiers (sensitizers) of therapeutic ultrasonic exposure were studied experimentally in vitro and in vivo. The combination of nanoparticles and ultrasound led to a significant inhibition of Hep-2 cancer cell proliferation and Lewis lung carcinoma growth in mice. These results indicated good prospects of using silicon nanoparticles as sensitizers for sonodynamic therapy of tumors.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Carcinoma, Lewis Lung; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Humans; Male; Mice, Inbred CBA; Nanoparticles; Neoplasm Transplantation; Silicon; Ultrasonic Waves

Offering mild, non-invasive and deep cancer therapy modality, radio frequency (RF) radiation-induced hyperthermia lacks for efficient biodegradable RF sensitizers to selectively target cancer cells and thus avoid side effects. Here, we assess crystalline silicon (Si) based nanomaterials as sensitizers for the RF-induced therapy. Using nanoparticles produced by mechanical grinding of porous silicon and ultraclean laser-ablative synthesis, we report efficient RF-induced heating of aqueous suspensions of the nanoparticles to temperatures above 45-50 °C under relatively low nanoparticle concentrations (<1 mg/mL) and RF radiation intensities (1-5 W/cm(2)). For both types of nanoparticles the heating rate was linearly dependent on nanoparticle concentration, while laser-ablated nanoparticles demonstrated a remarkably higher heating rate than porous silicon-based ones for the whole range of the used concentrations from 0.01 to 0.4 mg/mL. The observed effect is explained by the Joule heating due to the generation of electrical currents at the nanoparticle/water interface. Profiting from the nanoparticle-based hyperthermia, we demonstrate an efficient treatment of Lewis lung carcinoma in vivo. Combined with the possibility of involvement of parallel imaging and treatment channels based on unique optical properties of Si-based nanomaterials, the proposed method promises a new landmark in the development of new modalities for mild cancer therapy.

Topics: Animals; Carcinoma, Lewis Lung; Catheter Ablation; Crystallization; Hindlimb; Hyperthermia, Induced; Injections, Intralesional; Lasers; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred CBA; Nanoparticles; Neoplasm Transplantation; Porosity; Silicon; Temperature