Culture Strategy Determines the Differentiation Status of Sweat Gland Cells

This study addresses the challenge of maintaining the glandular phenotype of human eccrine sweat gland cells (SGCs) in vitro, which is crucial for developing tissue-engineered skin substitutes. An optimized isolation protocol was developed to improve SGC yield and purity. Two culture strategies were evaluated: 2D monolayers and 3D spheroids. While 2D culture supported cell expansion, it led to a loss of SGC-specific markers, indicating a shift to less differentiated phenotypes. In contrast, 3D spheroids preserved SGC-specific markers but had suboptimal growth and organization. SGCs expanded in 2D did not regain glandular features in 3D culture, highlighting the need for improved culture systems to maintain SGC identity and support expansion for clinical applications.