Co-culture of tumor spheroids and monocytes in a collagen matrix-embedded microfluidic device to study the migration of breast cancer cells

Publication date: Available online 21 July 2018Source: Chinese Chemical LettersAuthor(s): Tianying Yuan, Dan Gao, Shangfu Li, Yuyang JiangAbstractRecapitulating the tumor microenvironment is a major challenge in the development of in vitro tumor model for the study of cancer biology and therapeutic treatments. 3D multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) have been used as reliable models of mimicking in vivo solid tumors. Macrophages and extracellular matrix (ECM), regarded as two key factors of the tumor microenvironment, play significant roles in tumor progression and drug resistance. In order to investigate their effects on tumor cell migration, a microfluidic chip-based 3D breast cancer model was developed by co-culturing monodisperse MCTS with monocytes in 3D collagen matrix. A reversible bonding technique was employed for the fabrication of the microfluidic chip, which made it easier for MCTS formation and tailoring the MCTS co-culture conditions. When co-culturing monocytes with low invasive T47D spheroids or high invasive MD-MBA-231 spheroids, we found that T47D cells with the stimulation of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and MD-MBA-231 cells could polarize monocytes into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). The increased stiffness via increasing collagen concentration decreased tumor cell migration, whereas the presence of TAMs enhanced the migration ability of cells. Moreover, M-CSF-activated TAMs promoted the migration of T47D tumor cells via the regulatio...

Source: Chinese Chemical Letters - July 21, 2018 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research