Animal-free matrix alternative for three-dimensional in vitro angiogenesis models.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

All metabolically active tissues have a dense vascular network to supply oxygen and nutrients. Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones, can be activated by the lack of oxygen in cells, disease, trauma, or tumor growth. Due to its essential role in cell survival, angiogenesis has been extensively studied, and therapeutic control of this process is of growing interest. Simultaneously, research aims to find and standardize non-animal testing methods for future use. However, the establishment of reproducible and physiologically relevant vascular networks in vitro is challenging, particularly due to the widespread use of heterogeneous animal-derived matrices which are not in keeping with the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in science and research. To address these limitations and support the development of ethical and sustainable in vitro methods, we present a novel animal-free, three-dimensional angiogenesis model based on medical grade plant-derived nanofibrillated cellulose hydrogel (NFCh). The model uses human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) cultured in medium supplemented with human serum and NFCh matrix. First, HUVECs were stimulated with stem cell-conditioned medium and cultured in varying NFCh concentrations (0.125%-2.4%) tuned to identify the optimal matrix stiff

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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