Directional Migration of MDA-MB-231 Cells Under Oxygen Concentration Gradients

To elucidate the initial mechanism of hematogenous metastasis of cancer cells, we hypothesized that cancer cells migrate toward regions with higher oxygen concentration such as intratumor micro vessels along the oxygen concentration gradient. To produce gradients of oxygen concentration in vitro, we devised the gap cover glass (GCG). After placing a GCG onto cultured MDA-MB-231 cells (a metastatic breast cancer cell line), the migration of individual cells under the GCG was tracked up to 12 h at 3 % oxygen in the micro incubator. We quantified the migration of individual cells using forward migration index (FMI). The cell migration perpendicular to the oxygen gradients was random in the direction whereas FMIs of the cell located at 300, 500, 700, and 1500 μm from the oxygen inlet were positive (p < 0.05) indicating a unidirectional migration toward the oxygen inlet. Present results are consistent with our hypothesis that MDA-MB-231 cells migrate toward regions with higher oxygen concentration.