Triple-Negative Breast Cancer EVs Modulate Growth and Migration of Normal Epithelial Lung Cells

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer amongst women worldwide. Recently, owing to screening programs and new technologies, the survival rate has increased significantly. Breast cancer can potentially develop metastases, and, despite them, lung metastases generally occur within five years of breast cancer diagnosis. In this study, the objective was to analyze the effect of breast cancer-derived EVs on a lung epithelial cell line. BEAS-2B cells were treated with extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from triple-negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs), e.g., MDA-MB-231 and HS578T, separated using differential ultracentrifugation. We observed an increased growth, migration, and invasiveness of normal epithelial lung cells over time in the presence of TNBC EVs compared to the control. Therefore, these data suggest that EVs released by tumor cells contain biological molecules capable of influencing the pro-tumorigenic activity of normal cells. Exploring the role of EVs in oncology research and their potential cargo may be novel biomarkers for early cancer detection and further diagnosis.