Cultura de Células

Naturalia (eISSN:2177-0727) Rio Claro, v.34, p. 1-20, 2011

ARTIGO DE REVISÃO
A cultura de células em 3 dimensões e a sua aplicação em estudos relacionados a formação do lúmen
Jônatas Bussador do Amaral* e Gláucia Maria Machado-Santelli
Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências
Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo
Av Lineu Prestes 1524, ICB-1 sala 306, Cidade Universitária,
05508-900, São Paulo-SP, Brasil.
* [e-mail]
ABSTRACT
Cell culture is characterized by maintaining live cells in the laboratory regardless of the organism in which they originated. This technique has contributed to better understanding of molecular cell mechanisms, permitting important scientific advances, for example, concerning vaccine production and tumor cell biology. Three-dimensional
(3D) cell culture initially derived from commonly used cell cultures (monolayer cell cultures). As a particularity, a 3D cell culture permits cells to explore the three dimensions of the space thereby increasing cell-cell interactions, as well as interaction with the environment. When grown in this system, cells form structures known as multicelullar spheroids. The interior of these spheroids present cell heterogeneity, microenvironment formation and different exposure to factors, such as nutrients and oxygen. Owing to the fact that these characteristics are very similar to those of in vivo avascular tumors, 3D cell culture advanced in various research lines, thus becoming a widely used model in radiology and chemotherapy essays. In studies related to breast cancer biology, spheroids are becoming widely used in the aim to comprehend luminal space morphogenesis.
Key words: the history of 3D cell culture, in vitro models, breast, multicelular spheroids
RESUMO
A cultura celular é caracterizada por permitir a manutenção de células vivas em laboratório independente do organismo que a originou. A utilização desta técnica possibilitou a