Effects of chemically EGFR targeting on non-targeted physical cell behaviors in 2D and 3D microfluidic cultures of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer cell lines

Cancer development comprehends changes in cell structural and physical states. Cancer cells are softer than normal cells, produce higher contractile forces, and migrate more easily. While chemotherapy, targets proteins involved in biological behaviors, it may affect cell physicomechanical state due to the interconnections among signaling pathways. Here we treated non-invasive and invasive breast cancer cell lines by targeting EGRF which modulates major biological behaviors. We quantified migration potential of cancer cells in a microfluidic device, and evaluated expression of proteins associated with physical behaviors. Results indicated significant alterations in physical behaviors, with a higher impact on invasive cells. The anti-cancer synergy between biological and physical behaviors was shown by decreasing actin, vinculin, and myosin II content and altered distribution, limiting cell invasion in 3D collagen structure, accompanied by decreasing cell viability and vimentin expression as the EMT biomarker. The center point of changes in physical behaviors was in cytoskeletal remodeling by chemical treatment, potentially through lower contractile force generation and less development of focal adhesions and stress fibers. The synergy between physical and chemical pathways can be used in enhancing anti-cancer drug efficacy.

Antitumor Lipids--Structure, Functions, and Medical Applications

Cell proliferation and metastasis are considered hallmarks of tumor progression. Therefore, efforts have been made to develop novel anticancer drugs that inhibit both the proliferation and the motility of tumor cells. Synthetic antitumor lipids (ATLs), which are chemically divided into two main classes, comprise (i) alkylphospholipids (APLs) and (ii) alkylphosphocholines (APCs). They represent a new entity of drugs with distinct antiproliferative properties in tumor cells. These compounds do not interfere with the DNA or mitotic spindle apparatus of the cell, instead, they incorporate into cell membranes, where they accumulate and interfere with lipid metabolism and lipid-dependent signaling pathways. Recently, it has been shown that the most commonly studied APLs inhibit proliferation by inducing apoptosis in malignant cells while leaving normal cells unaffected and are potent sensitizers of conventional chemo- and radiotherapy, as well as of electrical field therapy. APLs resist catabolic degradation to a large extent, therefore accumulate in the cell and interfere with lipid-dependent survival signaling pathways, notably PI3K-Akt and Raf-Erk1/2, and de novo phospholipid biosynthesis. They are internalized in the cell membrane via raft domains and cause downstream reactions as inhibition of cell growth and migration, cell cycle arrest, actin stress fibers collapse, and apoptosis. This review summarizes the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials of most common ATLs and their mode of action at molecular and biochemical levels.