Decreased Expression Of Microtubules In Confined Microenvironments Leads To A Reduced Effect Of Paclitaxel On Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

Despite the current medical options available to patients, cancer cells frequently remain after treatment and metastasize. This is particularly significant because secondary cancers account for 90% of cancer-related fatalities. Using standard lithography techniques to make PDMS-based microchannel devices, different microenvironments for studying metastasizing (MDA-MB-231) and non-metastasizing (MCF-7) breast cancer cells were created. While the cells were in the narrow and wide microchannels, effects of the anti-cancer drug Paclitaxel at different concentrations were examined and compared with the traditional Transwell assay. Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules inside the cell and restricts replication, making it an ideal drug to target for quickly dividing cancer cells. Based on tests quantifying migration and viability of the cancer cells, it was found that Paclitaxel's effect significantly decreases when cells are in narrow microchannels, which is a similar environment to when they are migrating inside the body. A powerful finding included the decreased expression of microtubules in the confined microchannels, indicating a potential reason why migrating cells are not as susceptible to common chemotherapy drugs.