Role of extracellular matrix on colonic cancer cell migration and proliferation.

A simplified method to quantitatively analyze the migration and proliferation capacity of a colonic cancer cell line (SW837) in vitro was developed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of the extracellular matrix in colon cancer metastasis. We used this model to investigate the effects of the extracellular matrix components collagen type I and type IV, laminin, and fibronectin on the migration and the proliferation of cancer cells. Migration was fastest on laminin and slowest on collagen type I. Further, proliferation was highest on laminin of all extracellular matrices groups studied. Therefore, it is concluded that laminin had pronounced effects on migration and proliferation of SW837 cells. These findings suggest that the composition of the extracellular matrix plays an important role in the mechanism of metastasis of colon cancer cells.