Characterizing natural hydrogel for reconstruction of three-dimensional lymphoid stromal network to model T-cell interactions.

Hydrogels have been used in regenerative medicine because they provide a three-dimensional environment similar to soft tissues, allow diffusion of nutrients, present critical biological signals, and degrade via endogenous enzymatic mechanisms. Herein, we developed in vitro system mimicking cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs). Existing in vitro culture systems cannot accurately represent the complex interactions happening between T-cells and stromal cells in immune response. To model T-cell interaction in SLOs in vitro, we encapsulated stromal cells in fibrin, collagen, or fibrin-collagen hydrogels and studied how different mechanical and biological properties affect stromal network formation. Overall, fibrin supplemented with aprotinin was superior to collagen and fibrin-collagen in terms of network formation and promotion of T-cell penetration. After 8 days of culture, stromal networks formed through branching and joining with other adjacent cell populations. T-cells added to the newly formed stromal networks migrated and attached to stromal cells, similar to the T-cell zones of the lymph nodes in vivo. Our results suggest that the constructed three-dimensional lymphoid stromal network can mimic the in vivo environment and allow the modeling of T-cell interaction in SLOs.