Effects of cancer-associated fibroblasts on the migration and invasion abilities of SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells

The aim of the current study was to investigate the correlation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) with the migration and invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells. Gastric CAFs were grown in primary cultures. The in vitro model of interaction of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells with gastric CAFs was established by the use of Transwell co-culture cells to analyze the influence of CAFs on the migration and invasion abilities of SGC7901 cells. The results revealed that i) human gastric CAFs highly expressed vimentin, fibroblast-activated protein and smooth muscle actin in the in vitro passage culture process; ii) the migration and invasion ability of SGC-7901 cells in the CAF-conditioned medium group (98.67±13.49, 34.40±4.63) were significantly higher compared to those of the DMEM group without serum (78.47±10.59, 26.93±3.99; P<0.01). The interactions of CAFs and the extracellular matrix with SGC-7901 cells may significantly increase the migration and invasion abilities of SGC-7901 cells.