ABSTRACT

Co-cultures allow for the study of cell–cell interactions between different eukaryotic species or with bacteria. Such an approach has enabled researchers to more closely mimic complex tissue structures. This review is focused on co-culture systems modelling the oral cavity, which have been used to evaluate this unique cellular environment and understand disease progression. Over time, these systems have developed significantly from simple 2D eukaryotic cultures and planktonic bacteria to more complex 3D tissue engineered structures and biofilms. Careful selection and design of the co-culture along with critical parameters, such as seeding density and choice of analysis method, have resulted in several advances. This review provides a comparison of existing co-culture systems for the oral environment, with emphasis on progression of 3D models and the opportunity to harness techniques from other fields to improve current methods. While filling a gap in navigating this literature, this review ultimately supports the development of this vital technique in the field of oral biology.

摘要

共培养可以研究不同真核物种之间或与细菌之间的细胞间相互作用。这种方法使研究人员能够更紧密地模仿复杂的组织结构。这篇综述的重点是对口腔建模的共培养系统，该系统已用于评估这种独特的细胞环境并了解疾病的进展。随着时间的流逝，这些系统已从简单的2D真核培养物和浮游细菌发展为更复杂的3D组织工程结构和生物膜。精心选择和设计共培养物以及关键参数，例如播种密度和分析方法的选择，已经取得了一些进展。这篇评论比较了现有的口腔环境共培养系统，重点关注3D模型的发展以及利用其他领域的技术来改进当前方法的机会。在填补这些文献的空白的同时，本综述最终支持了口腔生物学领域这项重要技术的发展。