Figure 5

Total distance traveled of MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells on aligned and random fibers in the absence of a gel (‘control’), in the presence of a gel (‘vehicle’) and versus exposure to a gel-based CXCL-12 gradient (‘CXCL12’). MCF-10A cells traveled approximately 136% farther on aligned versus random fiber but were not sensitive to the presence of the gradient. The total distance traveled by MCF-7 cells was very similarly governed by aligned versus random fiber topographies however the presence of the CXCL-12 gradient resulted in an average 1.5-fold increase. The total distance traveled by MDA-MB-231 cells on random fiber was very similar to that of the MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells (and was similarly unaffected by the presence of the gradient) but total travel on aligned fiber was at 87% greater that either MCF line. Total MDA-MB-231 travel in the presence of the chemical gradient was not statistically different than in the absence of the gradient. (time-lapse video footage of cell migration on random and aligned nanofiber substrates, Additional files 2 and 3). (#) Denotes statistically significant differences between experimental conditions, p <0.05.