Zinc alters cytoskeletal integrity and migration in colon cancer cells.

Zinc has been shown to have inhibitory effects on proliferation and metabolism of malignant colonocytes. Still, there is no information available concerning putative effects of zinc against motility and migration of colon cancer cells. Using fluorescence microscopy, immunoblotting and microflorimetry we show that treatment with zinc sulfate affected motility, invasiveness, cytoskeletal integrity and expression of selected markers (E-cadherin, catenin, vimentin, tubulin and actin) of invasive SW480 colon tumor cells. These results emphasize the possible multitudinous role of zinc in the process of colon cancer development and hint at the potential of this element in chemoprevention of advanced colorectal carcinoma.