Rotary culture promotes the proliferation of MCF-7 cells encapsulated in three-dimensional collagen–alginate hydrogels via activation of the ERK1/2-MAPK pathway

Rotary cell culture systems (RCCS) have been shown to be promising for promoting three-dimensional (3D) cell growth and assembly of cells into functional tissues. In this study, 3D tissue-like spheroids of MCF-7 cells were constructed by encapsulating the cells in the collagen–alginate hydrogel, and then cultured in a RCCS to investigate the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. The results from the MTT assay showed that the proliferation rate of MCF-7 cells cultured in the RCCS was higher than that of the static culture control group, and the results from the flow cytometry revealed that the cells in S and G2/M phase were significantly increased compared to the control group. The expression of cell proliferation antigen PCNA and cyclin D1 was also examined with the results further supporting the enhanced proliferation of MCF-7 cells by the RCCS. The results from indirect immunofluorescence revealed that the rotary culture altered neither the cytoskeleton distribution nor the assembly of mitotic spindle. By examination, it was also shown that the rotary culture induced the ERK1/2-MAPK pathway. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the rotary culture could promote the proliferation of MCF-7 cells by inducing the ERK1/2 pathway.