Background: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) can accelerate tumor progression by attracting tumor-associated macrophages. We studied the effects of MCP-1 on SKOV-3 cells in order to investigate MCP-1 biological activity ovarian cancer.
Materials and methods: A SKOV-3 cell invasion assay (Transwell assay) and cell adhesion assay (96-well assay) were performed. Immunohistochemical staining for C-C motif chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2), a receptor for MCP-1, was also performed on cultured SKOV-3 cells.
Results: Migration and adhesion of MCP-1-treated SKOV-3 cells were significantly increased compared to untreated cells (p<0.01). A CCR2 antagonist attenuated the invasion and adhesion of MCP-1-treated cells. CCR2 was expressed in the cytoplasm of SKOV-3 cells.
Conclusion: MCP-1 promoted invasion and adhesion of ovarian cancer cells, and a CCR2 antagonist attenuated the effects of MCP-1 in vitro. These data suggest that MCP-1 is a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer therapy.
Keywords: C-C motif chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2) antagonist; Ovarian cancer; SKOV-3 cell line; monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1); tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs).