<i>In vitro</i> culture of leukemic cells in collagen scaffolds and carboxymethyl cellulose-polyethylene glycol gel

Both materials were biocompatible, translucent, and permeable, as assessed by metabolic assays, cell staining, and microscopy. While collagen scaffolds featured easy manipulation, washability, transferability, and biodegradability, CMC-PEG was advantageous for its easy preparation process and low variability in the number of accommodated cells. Both materials promoted cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions due to the scaffold structure and generation of cell aggregates. The metabolic activity of CLL cells cultured in CMC-PEG gel was similar to or higher than in conventional culture. Compared to the conventional culture, there was (i) a lower expression of <i>VCAM1</i> in both materials, (ii) a higher expression of <i>CCL4</i> in collagen scaffolds, and (iii) a lower expression of <i>CXCR4</i> and <i>MCL1</i> (transcript variant 2) in collagen scaffolds, while it was higher in a CMC-PEG gel. Hence, culture in the material can suppress the expression of a pro-apoptotic gene (<i>MCL1</i> in collagen scaffolds) or replicate certain gene expression patterns attributed to CLL cells in lymphoid organs (low <i>CXCR4</i>, high <i>CCL4</i> in collagen scaffolds) or blood (high <i>CXCR4</i> in CMC-PEG).