Light ix71 inverted research microscope

MDA-MB-231 cells (5×10⁴) were seeded in triplicate onto a 24-well plate with Transwell Boyden chambers (BD Biosciences) coated with Matrigel (37°C for 30 min) or without Matrigel for the invasion and migration assay, respectively. The upper chamber contained serum-free DMEM, and the lower chamber contained DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS as a chemoattractant. Cells were incubated for 36 h at 37°C, fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde at room temperature for 15 min and then stained with 0.5% crystal violet for 5 min at room temperature. Stained cells were visualized in five randomly selected fields using a light IX71 inverted research microscope (magnification, ×200; Olympus Corporation).

MDA-MB-231 cells (5×10⁴) were grown to 90–100% confluence in 6-well culture plates. A scratch on the cell layer was created using a 200 µl pipette tip. Cells were cultured in serum-free DMEM, and photographed immediately (0 h) after scratching and 24 h after scratching. The scratch closure was monitored using a light IX71 inverted research microscope (magnification, ×200; Olympus Corporation). An ocular ruler was used to verify the scratch sizes.