Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Circulating tumor cells have an important role in metastasis. Metastasis occurs through few steps including arrival of circulating tumor cells to distant tissue and organs, attachment to the target tissue, and then formation of a new tumor. To understand the mechanism of this process it is necessary to investigate the interaction of cancer cells with other molecules and cells of the target tissue, and most importantly interaction with lipids forming the cellular membrane.

METHODS

To better understand the process of cancer cell adhesion onto lipid membranes and the ionic interactions that are involved in cell attachment, tethered bilayer lipid membrane (tBLM) functionalized surfaces were utilized in this work as an experimental platform. Either cationic POEPC: PC or anionic POPS: PC functionalized lipid surfaces were examined to observe the ionic interaction of charged phospholipid membrane and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

RESULTS

Cell adhesion and spreading was observed via SPR for both MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblast cells, when positively charged POEPC: PC lipid surfaces were used. The results were further confirmed with cell viability and proliferation studies that shows cationic POEPC: PC lipid surfaces were able to facilitate and increase the cell adhesion.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

These results reveal the cationic phospholipid structures favour the enhanced cancer cell adhesion.