INFLUENCE OF ANTIESTROGENS ON THE MIGRATION OF BREAST-CANCER CELLS USING AN IN-VITRO WOUND MODEL

The metastasis of malignant tumor cells to other organs in the body is the major cause of cancer-related patient mortality, Therefore, the i nhibition of tumor cell motility is critical in the prevention or cont rol of tumor malignancy, In the present study, the antimetastatic pote ntial of antiestrogens [tamoxifen (TAM); ICI-182,780 (ICI); and Analog II (AII)] on highly invasive, estrogen receptor (ER)-negative MDA-MB- 231 (MDA) and non-invasive, ER-positive MCF-7 (MCF) human breast cance r cell lines was investigated using an in vitro wound model, Wounds we re created in confluent cell cultures and repopulation of the wound sp ace was evaluated by counting the number of cells that migrated into t he wound area and by measuring the maximum distance traveled, In addit ion, the number of cells that were passively seeded into the wounded a rea was determined, ICI and AII reduced the number of MCF cells that m igrated into the wounded area and reduced the number of viable passive ly seeded MDA cells, Unlike ICI and AII, TAM appeared to enhance MCF a nd MDA cell movement, This study indicates that the in vitro wound tec hnique is applicable to the study of breast cancer cell movement in re sponse to antiestrogens and other antimetastatic agents, It also demon strates that antiestrogens differ in their influence on breast cancer cell migration.