Potential mechanisms underlying the promoting effects of 3D collagen scaffold culture on stemness and drug resistance of glioma cells

•Three glioma cells with different degrees of malignancy (U87, U251, and HS683) were used to reveal the effects of 3D collagen on stemness and drug sensitivity.•Eight drugs with different mechanisms of action were employed in the drug sensitivity experiments.•It was observed whether the pore size of the collagen scaffold affected its effect.•By combining experimental cell data, online databases, and computer programming (R language), the mechanism of the effect of the 3D collagen scaffold was speculated. Finally, the results were verified again in cell experiments.