Effects on the Migration of Breast Cancer Cells By Toll-like Receptor (TLR) Ligands

Approximately one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. One key aspect of searching for the cure for breast cancer is to understand the metastasis of breast cancer cells. Metastasis is the movement of cancer cells from one organ of origin to a distal site. In this study, we first validated and then employed an in vitro scratch assay to track the migration of breast cancer cells. A micrometer pipette tip was used to create a gap in a monolayer of breast cancer cells. The cells were stimulated with different Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and other controls. The gap width was measured over 24-hour time points to determine the rate of cell migration. These ligands were tested at varying concentrations and in both soluble and particle-encapsulated form. To differentiate the effect of cell migration from proliferation on gap width measurements, the rate of proliferation of the breast cancer cells after stimulation with TLR ligands was analyzed. Our results suggest that TLR ligands slow the migration of the cancer cells to varying degrees. Overall, this research will allow for a better understanding of the migratory effects of various TLR ligands and, hopefully, aid in the research of breast cancer metastasis.