Role of Fiber Thickness and Surface Treatment of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Matrices on the Growth of Different Breast Cancer-Associated Cells

Cancer models mimicking the tumor microenvironment are necessary to successfully develop and predict responses of oncological drugs. In this study, electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) matrices are tested for the development of an in vitro breast cancer model. The effects of fiber thickness and plasma-treatment of the matrices on in vitro growth of breast cancer-associated cells, namely breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231, primary adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and primary endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are evaluated. Surface treatment of the matrices by air-plasma leads to increased oxygen/carbon ratio and hydrophilicity. WST-8 analysis reveals that the proliferation of all three cell types increased exponentially over 12 d on all matrices. MDA-MB-231 and ADSC show a higher proliferation on nanofibers due to enhanced cellular adhesion compared to microfibers. In contrast, EPCs show a significantly higher proliferation on microfibers than on nanofibers at day 12 which can further be significantly improved by air-plasma treatment. Cross-sectioning analysis shows that cells grow on the surface of nanofibers, while microfibers have considerable cellular infiltration. These findings suggest that the electrospun PCL matrices are a suitable tool for the development of breast cancer models containing several cell types, which can ultimately lead to designing novel tumor therapies.