Fibroblast Embedded 3D Collagen as a Potential Tool for Epithelial Wound Repair

Collagen is a functional biomaterial with many applications, including wound healing. 3D collagen hydrogels mimic an in vivo cell culture experience used in cell survival and growth studies. In experimentally examining human cells under contact with 3D collagen, it is possible to understand the role of collagen in human epithelial tissue repair. This study explored the growth and attachment response of human MCF-7 cells when exposed to 3D collagen by investigating if the presence of NIH/3T3 fibroblasts embedded within the collagen should produce an increased wound-healing response. 3D collagen and fibroblast presence were able to be analyzed in tandem with a “sandwich-like” configuration of the gels to determine how these variables impact or improve the tissue repair response in MCF-7 cells. Examinations in growth, attachment, viability, and migration patterns demonstrated that MCF-7 repair response may be increased when in contact with NIH/3T3 embedded 3D collagen without impairing viability. Most notably, results from the migration assay revealed that MCF-7 cells migrate the most when covered by and adhered to cellular 3D collagen. Fibroblast-embedded collagen on top of and below MCF-7 cells exceeded quantitative assessment to near confluency, whereas less than 50 counted cells per image migrated without any top collagen layering. The continuation of these methods could involve in vivo experiments that incorporate live animal models to determine if these results will continue to extend to live tissue. KEYWORDS: Collagen; 3D Collagen; Fibroblasts; Wound Healing; Hydrogels; Tissue Repair; Migration