Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid cultures

No permanent cure exists for salivary gland (SG) damage and consequent xerostomia (dry mouth) in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. The lack of commercially available healthy human SG-derived cell lines has hindered in vitro studies of radiation-induced glandular injury. In...

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Main Authors: Sangeeth Pillai, Jose G. Munguia-Lopez, Younan Liu, Jordan Gigliotti, Anthony Zeitouni, Joseph M. Kinsella, Simon D. Tran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Tissue Engineering
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20417314251326667
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author Sangeeth Pillai
Jose G. Munguia-Lopez
Younan Liu
Jordan Gigliotti
Anthony Zeitouni
Joseph M. Kinsella
Simon D. Tran
author_facet Sangeeth Pillai
Jose G. Munguia-Lopez
Younan Liu
Jordan Gigliotti
Anthony Zeitouni
Joseph M. Kinsella
Simon D. Tran
author_sort Sangeeth Pillai
collection DOAJ
description No permanent cure exists for salivary gland (SG) damage and consequent xerostomia (dry mouth) in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. The lack of commercially available healthy human SG-derived cell lines has hindered in vitro studies of radiation-induced glandular injury. In this study, we successfully immortalized and characterized two novel human major SG-derived cell lines. Leveraging these cell lines and hyaluronic-acid hydrogels, we bioengineered distinct multicellular SG spheroids and microtissues expressing key acinar, ductal, myoepithelial, and mesenchymal cell markers in long-term cultures. Further, using this platform, we developed a proof-of-concept radiation injury model, demonstrating spheroid disruption characterized by actin depolymerization, DNA damage, apoptosis, and loss of SG-specific markers following radiation exposure. Notably, these detrimental effects were partially mitigated with a radioprotective agent. Our findings demonstrate that the bioengineered SG spheroids provide a scalable and versatile platform with significant potential for disease modeling and drug testing, thereby accelerating the development of targeted therapies for radiation-induced xerostomia.
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issn 2041-7314
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series Journal of Tissue Engineering
spelling doaj-art-ff520f15783e42bea028ee6b68add75d2025-08-20T02:19:48ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Tissue Engineering2041-73142025-04-011610.1177/20417314251326667Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid culturesSangeeth Pillai0Jose G. Munguia-Lopez1Younan Liu2Jordan Gigliotti3Anthony Zeitouni4Joseph M. Kinsella5Simon D. Tran6Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaDepartment of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaFaculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaFaculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, CanadaDepartment of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaFaculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaNo permanent cure exists for salivary gland (SG) damage and consequent xerostomia (dry mouth) in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. The lack of commercially available healthy human SG-derived cell lines has hindered in vitro studies of radiation-induced glandular injury. In this study, we successfully immortalized and characterized two novel human major SG-derived cell lines. Leveraging these cell lines and hyaluronic-acid hydrogels, we bioengineered distinct multicellular SG spheroids and microtissues expressing key acinar, ductal, myoepithelial, and mesenchymal cell markers in long-term cultures. Further, using this platform, we developed a proof-of-concept radiation injury model, demonstrating spheroid disruption characterized by actin depolymerization, DNA damage, apoptosis, and loss of SG-specific markers following radiation exposure. Notably, these detrimental effects were partially mitigated with a radioprotective agent. Our findings demonstrate that the bioengineered SG spheroids provide a scalable and versatile platform with significant potential for disease modeling and drug testing, thereby accelerating the development of targeted therapies for radiation-induced xerostomia.https://doi.org/10.1177/20417314251326667
spellingShingle Sangeeth Pillai
Jose G. Munguia-Lopez
Younan Liu
Jordan Gigliotti
Anthony Zeitouni
Joseph M. Kinsella
Simon D. Tran
Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid cultures
Journal of Tissue Engineering
title Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid cultures
title_full Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid cultures
title_fullStr Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid cultures
title_full_unstemmed Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid cultures
title_short Development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation-induced damage in three-dimensional spheroid cultures
title_sort development of human salivary gland cell lines for modeling radiation induced damage in three dimensional spheroid cultures
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20417314251326667
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