Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Inhibit Breast Cancer Cell Migration

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US. Cancerous cells may have inadequate adhesions to the extracellular matrix and adjacent cells. Previous work has suggested that restoring these contacts may negate the cancer phenotype. This work aims to restore those contacts using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Varying concentrations of carboxylated MWNTs in water, with or without type I collagen, were dried to create a thin film upon which one of three breast cell lines were seeded: cancerous and metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells, cancerous but non-metastatic MCF7 cells, or non-cancerous MCF10A cells. Proliferation, adhesion, scratch and autophagy assays, western blots, and immunochemical staining were used to assess adhesion and E-cadherin expression. Breast cancer cells grown on a MWNT-collagen coated surface displayed increased adhesion and decreased migration which correlated with an increase in E-cadherin. This work suggests an alternative approach to cancer treatment by physically mediating the cells' microenvironment.