Rat gastric adenocarcinoma cell line BV9 avidly adheres to lymphatic endothelium under lymphatic flow condition

Cancer cell adhesion to lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) was examined under shear stress mimicking lymph flow. An established rat gastric adenocarcinoma cell line, BV9, was perfused over a primary cultured monolayer of LEC, which were explanted from the rat thoracic duct, and the adhesion pattern was observed. BV9 preferably adhered to LEC, at a level 8-fold greater than that to vascular endothelium in the unstimulated condition. When shear stress was increased after adhesion, a considerable number of BV9 on LEC withstood shear up to 50 dyn/cm2, while BV9 attached on vascular endothelium did not remain adherent under 5 dyn/cm2. Adhesion was significantly augmented by prestimulation of LEC with 10 ng/ml IL1-beta or 500 ng/ml TNF-alpha. Our study indicates high affinity between cancer cells and LEC, and suggests the possibility that lymph node metastasis arises from cancer cells adherent to LEC, which can be augmented by an inflammatory stimulus.