INTRODUCTION: The highly invasive behavior of glioma cells can cause poor prognosis and a high mortality rate. The interactions between tumor cells and the extracellular matrix result in a complex invasive process. The collagen molecules produced by the glioblastoma incorporate into the tumor matrix and they tend to form fibrous scaffolds that promote tumor cell migration. Though the critical role of collagen in tumor invasion has been recognized, how it affects tumor cell motility and proliferation has not been well-understood yet. The nanofabrication method allows the generation of nanofibrous scaffolds that can mimic in vivo tumor matrix structure.

PURPOSE: In this study, we generate collagen nanofibrous that mimic tumor extracellular matrix using electrospinning method. We investigated interaction between the glioma cells and scaffolds and tried to determine the effect of scaffolds on tumor cell motility and proliferation.

METHODS: Electrospinning was used to generate various types of nanofibrous scaffolds including collagen-polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix. The fibers were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The cell migration and proliferation on the fibers was studied by time-lapse microscopy and flowcytometry respectively.

RESULTS: Our research found that glioma cells showed high viability on nanofiber matrix. The cells migrated dynamically on the nanofibers. We observed high cell proliferation rate for tumor cells on nanofibers in cell cycle analysis.

CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the fibrous structure maintains the cell motility and particularly promote tumor cell proliferation.