Fluid shear stress coupled with narrow constrictions induce cell type-dependent morphological and molecular changes in SK-BR-3 and MDA-MB-231 cells.

ABSTRACT: Cancer mortality mainly arises from metastases, due to cells that escape from a primary tumor, circulate in the blood as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), permeate across blood vessels and nest in distant organs. It is still unclear how CTCs overcome the harsh conditions of fluid shear stress and mechanical constraints within the microcirculation. Here, a minimal model of the blood microcirculation was established through the fabrication of microfluidic channels comprising constrictions. Metastatic breast cancer cells of epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like phenotypes were flowed into the microfluidic device. These cells were visualized during circulation and analyzed for their dynamical behavior, revealing long-lived plastic deformations and significant differences in biomechanics between c

SUBMITTER: Cognart HA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7156718 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature