IMR Press / FBL / Volume 27 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2705144
Open Access Review
Super Liquid-repellent Surfaces and 3D Spheroids Growth
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1 CNR-ICMATE Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy, via De Marini, 6, 16149 Genova, Italy
2 Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology– IN2UB, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal, 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
3 Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Physiology section – Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University of Barcelona, Avda. Joan XXIII, 27-31, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
*Correspondence: michele.ferrari@ge.icmate.cnr.it (Michele Ferrari); mcmoranb@ub.edu (M. Carmen Morán)
Academic Editor: Graham Pawelec
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2022, 27(5), 144; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbl2705144
Submitted: 31 January 2022 | Revised: 17 April 2022 | Accepted: 19 April 2022 | Published: 5 May 2022
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Substrates composition and surface features of materials rule adhesion control of cells to surfaces. As a result, most of the aspects of cell functions, such as spreading, migration, proliferation, and differentiation, can be significantly influenced in biomedical applications. Cell cultures make possible to understand cell biology, tissue morphology, mechanisms of diseases, drug action, and tissue engineering development, among others. Recent techniques related to culturing 3D cell aggregates in the presence of very low wettable surfaces represent an innovative field for in vitro experimentation aimed at more reliable conditions to investigate both tumor and non-tumor cell lines. Matching in particular cell biology to innovative materials, this work reviews the recent literature available on promoting cell aggregates formation strongly influenced by the high surface hydrophobicity. In particular, for spheroid formation, the highest water repellent coatings seem to be required for the significant effectiveness of the process. In this way, 3D cell culture has become a reliable method for reproducing in vitro cellular growth in more realistic physiological conditions.

Keywords
3D spheroids
drug screening
hanging drop
omniphobic
sitting drop
superhydrophobic
wettability
Figures
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