A Review of Three-Dimensional In Vitro Tissue Models for Drug Discovery and Transport Studies

The use of animal models in drug discovery studies presents issues with feasibility and ethical concerns. To address these limitations, in vitro tissue models have been developed to provide a means for systematic, repetitive, and quantitative investigation of drugs. By eliminating or reducing the need for animal subjects, these models can serve as platforms for more tightly controlled, high-throughput screening of drugs and for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analyses of drugs. The focus of this review is three-dimensional (3D) tissue models that can capture cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Compared to the 2D culture of cell monolayers, 3D models more closely mimic native tissues since the cellular microenvironment established in the 3D models often plays a significant role in disease progression and cellular responses to drugs. A growing body of research has been published in the literature, which highlights the benefits of the 3D in vitro models of various tissues. This review provides an overview of some successful 3D in vitro models that have been developed to mimic liver, breast, cardiac, muscle, bone, and corneal tissues as well as malignant tissues in solid tumors. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 100:59-74, 2011