Comparative Morphological Analysis of MCF10A and MCF7 Cells Using Holographic Time-lapse Microscopy

Breast cancer, one of the most prevalent cancers globally, is marked by its cellular heterogeneity. A key aspect of breast cancer research is understanding the distinct morphological features of cancerous and non-cancerous cells, which could serve as potential targets for novel therapeutic interventions. In this light, our study aimed to comprehensively analyze the morphological features of the MCF10A and MCF7 cell lines, representing normal breast and breast cancer cells, respectively. The ultimate objective was to identify the most significant features that differentiate these cell lines.

We utilized advanced imaging techniques such as holographic time-lapse microscopy, which provides real-time, three-dimensional imaging of cells, to conduct our comparative analysis. This allowed us to examine dynamic cellular morphology and behavior with exceptional sensitivity and resolution over time. The primary features assessed in our study included texture clustershade, area (μm²), eccentricity, irregularity, phaseshift sum, optical volume (μm³), shape convexity, and Hull convexity.

Our findings highlighted significant differences in the morphological features of MCF10A and MCF7 cells. MCF10A cells showed a higher texture clustershade value, suggesting less symmetry than MCF7 cells. On the other hand, MCF7 cells had smaller cellular area, higher eccentricity, lower irregularity, higher phase shift sum, higher optical volume, higher shape convexity, and higher hull convexity compared to MCF10A cells. These results suggest that MCF7 cells are smaller, more circular, less irregular, exhibit different light properties, and have a closer to perfect 3D shape relative to MCF10A cells.

The identified morphological differences between MCF10A and MCF7 cells offer valuable insights into the characteristics distinguishing normal breast cells from breast cancer cells. These findings not only contribute to our understanding of the morphological variability in breast cancer but also underscore the potential utility of these differences in future cancer diagnostics and treatment strategies.