Cancer metastasis, the migration of cancer cells from a primary tumor to other parts of the body, is a leading cause of death and complications in oncology. Tumor cell migration through the extracellular matrix (ECM) and basal membrane is crucial for the formation of metastases, making accurate and precise measurements of cancer cell migration essential for studying metastatic potential [1]. While traditional migration assays, such as the scratch test, are widely used, they rely on plastic surfaces that fail to replicate the natural tumor environment.
One of the ways to better help simulate the natural environment is the use of collagen hydrogel scaffolds. Collagen is abundant in the ECM, which makes these scaffolds more closely resemble the in vivo conditions the cells experience [2]. For this reason, collagen scaffolds have found widespread use in multiple tissue engineering fields [3]. Their ability to better mimic in vivo conditions compared to 2D cell cultures can help more accurately study cell migration and motility.
In this study, type I porcine skin collagen hydrogel scaffolds were synthesized and characterized using atomic force microscopy. The migration of two human breast cancer cell lines —highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 and less aggressive MCF-7—was compared on plastic surfaces and collagen hydrogel scaffolds using a HoloMonitor live-cell imaging system. Additionally, cell migration within the scaffolds was assessed using laser-scanning confocal microscope.
Our results show that the more aggressive, triple-negative breast cancer cells – MDA-MB-231 exhibited significantly higher motility and migration on collagen scaffolds than on plastic, whereas MCF-7 cells remained relatively immobile in both conditions. Confocal imaging suggests that MDA-MB-231 cells may penetrate the collagen scaffold, while MCF-7 cells remained on the surface. These findings indicate that collagen hydrogel scaffolds provide an effective matrix for studying cancer cell migration, better mimicking the tumor microenvironment.