Evaluation of cancer cell membrane-disruption property of poly(vinyl alcohol)–ursodeoxycholic acid using 3D cancer–stromal models with macrophages

Abstract We developed a collagen microfiber-based 3D cancer tissue model that included monocytes. Using a sedimentation culture method, normal human dermal fibroblasts, endothelial cells, cancer cells, and THP-1 cells—that is, the human monocytes cell line—were cocultured under a high collagen density. THP-1 cells were differentiated into macrophages and showed M2-like polarization in the 3D tumor microenvironment. This model was further applicable to drug evaluation by demonstrating the pH-responsive cytotoxicity of poly(vinyl alcohol)–ursodeoxycholic acid15.