Journal: Materials Today Bio

Article Title: Stiff matrix promotes lung cancer cell migration through down-regulating the Piezo1 channel expression to facilitate Ca 2+ -dependent filopodia formation

doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102786

Figure Lengend Snippet: Stiff substrate promotes A549 and H460 cell migration and down-regulates Piezo1 channel e xpression. (A–D) Transwell assay of the effects of substrate stiffness on cell migration. Representative images of migrated cells stained with crystal violet (10x, A-B) and statistical analysis of data from three independent experiments (C–D). Scale bar: 50 μm. (E–H) Flow cytometry assessing the effects of substrate stiffness on cell surface Piezo1 protein expression. Representative images of flow cytometry (E–F) and statistical analysis of data from three (G–F) independent experiments. All data were normalized to that of 3 kPa group. Data were presented as mean ± SD. ∗ P < 0.05; ∗∗ P < 0.01; ∗∗∗ P < 0.001; ∗∗∗ P < 0.0001. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Article Snippet: Two human non-small lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H460, were used in the study and they were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and cultured in 1640 medium (#11875119, Gibco, USA) containing 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS, #11011–8611, Sijiqing, China), 100 U/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin (#15140122, Gibco, USA) at 37 °C in a 5 % CO 2 incubator.

Techniques: Migration, Transwell Assay, Staining, Flow Cytometry, Expressing

Journal: Materials Today Bio

Article Title: Stiff matrix promotes lung cancer cell migration through down-regulating the Piezo1 channel expression to facilitate Ca 2+ -dependent filopodia formation

doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102786

Figure Lengend Snippet: Piezo1 channel negatively regulates substrate stiffness-induced A549 cell migration. (A, D) Piezo1 channel blockade with GsMTx4 promotes cell migration on both soft and stiff substrates. (B, E) Piezo1 channel activation with Yoda 1 inhibits cell migration on both soft and stiff substrates. (C, F) Piezo1 channel knockdown with specific siRNA transfection promotes cell migration on both soft and stiff substrates. Representative images of migrated cells stained with crystal violet (10x, A-C) and statistical analysis of data from three independent experiments (D–F). Scale bar: 50 μm. All data were normalized to the 3 kPa group. Data were presented as mean ± SD. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, ∗∗∗p < 0.001. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Article Snippet: Two human non-small lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H460, were used in the study and they were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and cultured in 1640 medium (#11875119, Gibco, USA) containing 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS, #11011–8611, Sijiqing, China), 100 U/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin (#15140122, Gibco, USA) at 37 °C in a 5 % CO 2 incubator.

Techniques: Migration, Activation Assay, Knockdown, Transfection, Staining

Journal: Materials Today Bio

Article Title: Stiff matrix promotes lung cancer cell migration through down-regulating the Piezo1 channel expression to facilitate Ca 2+ -dependent filopodia formation

doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102786

Figure Lengend Snippet: Filopodia formation in A549 cells on 3, 10 and 20 kPa substrates, respectively. Representative images of filopodia morphology (A) and statistical analysis of the filopodia length (B) and number (C) from indicated number of cells. Red, F-actin staining with rhodamine-labeled phalloidin; blue, nucleus staining with Hoechst 33342. All data were normalized to that of the 3 kPa group. Scale bar: 20 μm. Data were presented as mean ± SD. ∗∗∗P < 0.001; ∗∗∗∗P < 0.0001. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Article Snippet: Two human non-small lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H460, were used in the study and they were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and cultured in 1640 medium (#11875119, Gibco, USA) containing 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS, #11011–8611, Sijiqing, China), 100 U/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin (#15140122, Gibco, USA) at 37 °C in a 5 % CO 2 incubator.

Techniques: Staining, Labeling

Journal: Materials Today Bio

Article Title: Photocrosslinkable lung dECM hydrogels promote stiffness-dependent lung cancer growth and chemoresistance

doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102838

Figure Lengend Snippet: NSCLC growth is dependent on matrix type and stiffness. (A) Viability staining of encapsulated A549 cells using fluorescein diacetate (FDA, green, live) and propidium iodide (PI, red, dead). Day 1 scale = 200 μm, day 7 and 14 scales = 500 200 μm. (B) Representative fluorescent images of A549-laden cultures fixed on days 3, 7, and 14 and stained with DAPI (blue, nuclei) and phalloidin (red, actin) to observe cell morphology and distribution over time. Scale = 250 μm, inset scale = 100 μm. (C) Cell viability of A549s within matrices measured through live-dead quantification of FDA or PI stained live (green) and dead (red) cells over time via ImageJ analysis. N = 1. n = 3. (D) Metabolic activity of A549 cells within matrices was determined by PrestoBlue metabolic assay. N = 1. n = 6. (E) DNA content of A549 cells within matrices was determined by PicoGreen™ DNA quantification. N = 1. n = 6. (F) Number of nuclei per ROI was determined via Image J analysis of DAPI-stained cells within ROIs captured using an Evident FV4000 confocal microscope at 10× magnification. N = 2. n = 4–8 ROIs were captured per condition per timepoint. (G) Area of actin per ROI (μm 2 ) was determined through ImageJ analysis of phalloidin-stained cell actin fibers. N = 2. n = 4–8. All data is represented as mean ± SD.

Article Snippet: 1 × 10 6 A549 cells (ATCC) were seeded at P90 in T75 culture flasks and cultured using 10 mL complete A549 media (Dulbecco's modified eagle medium (DMEM) + 10 % FCS + 1 % pen/strep) in a tissue culture incubator at 37 °C.

Techniques: Staining, Activity Assay, Metabolic Assay, Microscopy

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: MagGO induces tumor cell death via frequency- and mode-dependent mechanical disruption (A) TEM images of MagGO synthesized under MF. The dashed white line represents the contour edge of GO. Scale bars, 200 nm. (B) M-H curve of GO, MNP, and MagGO. (C) AFM image of MagGO and the height of GO in MagGO. Scale bars, 500 nm. (D, F, and H) Cell viability of U87 (D), MDA-MB-231 (F), and A549 (H) cells treated with MNP and MagGO under RMF and 3D MF (RMF combined with OMF stimulation) at 5 Hz. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The data were presented as the mean ± SD. (E, G, and I) Cell viability of U87 (E), MDA-MB-231 (G), and A549 (I) cells treated with MNP and MagGO under 3D MF of different frequencies. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The data were presented as the mean ± SD.

Article Snippet: Human: A549 , ATCC , Cat#CCL-185.

Techniques: Disruption, Synthesized

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: MagGO induces lysosomal disruption (A) CLSM images of MNPs and MagGO in U87 cells. Lysosomes were stained with LysoTracker red (red), and the MNPs and MagGO were labeled with FITC (green). Scale bars, 15 μm. (B and C) Intensity profiles (white dashed line) of signals from lysosome and MNPs/MagGO fluorescent channels in (A). (D) CLSM images of MNPs and MagGO in MDA-MB-231 cells. Lysosomes were stained with LysoTracker red (red), and the MNPs and MagGO were labeled with FITC (green). Scale bars, 15 μm. (E and F) Intensity profiles (white dashed line) of signals from lysosomes and MNPs/MagGO fluorescent channels in (D). (G) CLSM images of MNPs and MagGO in A549 cells. Lysosomes were stained with LysoTracker red (red), and the MNPs and MagGO were labeled with FITC (green). Scale bars, 15 μm. (H and I) Intensity profiles (white dashed line) of signals from lysosomes and MNPs/MagGO fluorescent channels in (G). (J) CLSM images of U87 cells transfected with the EGFP-Gal3 plasmid after MagGO treatment under 3D MF. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. Scale bars, 15 μm. (K) Counts of Gal3 puncta per U87 cell ( n = 10). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (L) Counts of Gal3 puncta per MDA-MB-231 cell ( n = 10). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (M) Counts of Gal3 puncta per A549 cell ( n = 10). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (N) Bio-TEM of lysosomal membrane morphology after mechanoporation for MagGO and MagGO+3D MF. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. Scale bars, 1 μm. The dark blue arrow indicates the site of LMP, while the length of the blue arrow represents the size of the lysosomal membrane “wound”.

Article Snippet: Human: A549 , ATCC , Cat#CCL-185.

Techniques: Disruption, Staining, Labeling, Transfection, Plasmid Preparation, Membrane

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: MagGO primarily induces pyroptosis as the mode of cell death (A–C) CLSM images of CTSB release of U87 (A), MDA-MB-231 (B), and A549 (C) cells after MagGO treatment under 3D MF. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. Scale bars, 20 μm. (D–F) The cell viabilities of U87 (D), MDA-MB-231 (E), and A549 (F) cells treated with MagGO were assessed after pre-treatment with z-VAD-FMK (10 μM), Necrostatin-1 (10 μM), 3-Methyladenine (10 μM), Ferrostatin-1 (2 μM), and MCC950 (10 nM) for 4 h, followed by exposure to 3D MF at 5 Hz for 30 min. The applied field strength was 75 mT. The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. (G and H) Quantification of IL-1β (G) and IL-18 (H) release from U87 cells for control, MagGO, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 3). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (I and J) Western blot analysis of Casp-1 (I) and GSDMD (J) in U87 cells for control, MagGO, and MagGO+3D MF.

Article Snippet: Human: A549 , ATCC , Cat#CCL-185.

Techniques: Control, Western Blot

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: Broad antitumor activity of MagGO across multiple tumor models (A) Schematic illustrations of in vivo anticancer therapy for MDA-MB-231 and A549 tumors. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The applied field frequency is 5 Hz. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. (B) The MDA-MB-231 tumor volume comparison of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF for 14 days ( n = 5). (C) The MDA-MB-231 tumor images of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). (D) The MDA-MB-231 tumor weight of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. (E) The MDA-MB-231 tumor volume of each mouse in the control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF groups for 14 days. (F) The A549 tumor volume comparison of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF for 14 days ( n = 5). (G) The A549 tumor images of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). (H) The A549 tumor weight of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. (I) The A549 tumor volume of each mouse in the control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF groups for 14 days.

Article Snippet: Human: A549 , ATCC , Cat#CCL-185.

Techniques: Activity Assay, In Vivo, Comparison, Control

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: MagGO induces tumor cell death via frequency- and mode-dependent mechanical disruption (A) TEM images of MagGO synthesized under MF. The dashed white line represents the contour edge of GO. Scale bars, 200 nm. (B) M-H curve of GO, MNP, and MagGO. (C) AFM image of MagGO and the height of GO in MagGO. Scale bars, 500 nm. (D, F, and H) Cell viability of U87 (D), MDA-MB-231 (F), and A549 (H) cells treated with MNP and MagGO under RMF and 3D MF (RMF combined with OMF stimulation) at 5 Hz. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The data were presented as the mean ± SD. (E, G, and I) Cell viability of U87 (E), MDA-MB-231 (G), and A549 (I) cells treated with MNP and MagGO under 3D MF of different frequencies. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The data were presented as the mean ± SD.

Article Snippet: Glioblastoma U87 cells, human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 cells, and human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 cells (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) were cultured at 37°C under a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO 2 with culture medium DMEM (Hyclone) containing of 1% penicillin and streptomycin (Hyclone) and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco).

Techniques: Disruption, Synthesized

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: MagGO induces lysosomal disruption (A) CLSM images of MNPs and MagGO in U87 cells. Lysosomes were stained with LysoTracker red (red), and the MNPs and MagGO were labeled with FITC (green). Scale bars, 15 μm. (B and C) Intensity profiles (white dashed line) of signals from lysosome and MNPs/MagGO fluorescent channels in (A). (D) CLSM images of MNPs and MagGO in MDA-MB-231 cells. Lysosomes were stained with LysoTracker red (red), and the MNPs and MagGO were labeled with FITC (green). Scale bars, 15 μm. (E and F) Intensity profiles (white dashed line) of signals from lysosomes and MNPs/MagGO fluorescent channels in (D). (G) CLSM images of MNPs and MagGO in A549 cells. Lysosomes were stained with LysoTracker red (red), and the MNPs and MagGO were labeled with FITC (green). Scale bars, 15 μm. (H and I) Intensity profiles (white dashed line) of signals from lysosomes and MNPs/MagGO fluorescent channels in (G). (J) CLSM images of U87 cells transfected with the EGFP-Gal3 plasmid after MagGO treatment under 3D MF. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. Scale bars, 15 μm. (K) Counts of Gal3 puncta per U87 cell ( n = 10). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (L) Counts of Gal3 puncta per MDA-MB-231 cell ( n = 10). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (M) Counts of Gal3 puncta per A549 cell ( n = 10). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (N) Bio-TEM of lysosomal membrane morphology after mechanoporation for MagGO and MagGO+3D MF. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. Scale bars, 1 μm. The dark blue arrow indicates the site of LMP, while the length of the blue arrow represents the size of the lysosomal membrane “wound”.

Article Snippet: Glioblastoma U87 cells, human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 cells, and human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 cells (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) were cultured at 37°C under a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO 2 with culture medium DMEM (Hyclone) containing of 1% penicillin and streptomycin (Hyclone) and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco).

Techniques: Disruption, Staining, Labeling, Transfection, Plasmid Preparation, Membrane

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: MagGO primarily induces pyroptosis as the mode of cell death (A–C) CLSM images of CTSB release of U87 (A), MDA-MB-231 (B), and A549 (C) cells after MagGO treatment under 3D MF. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. Scale bars, 20 μm. (D–F) The cell viabilities of U87 (D), MDA-MB-231 (E), and A549 (F) cells treated with MagGO were assessed after pre-treatment with z-VAD-FMK (10 μM), Necrostatin-1 (10 μM), 3-Methyladenine (10 μM), Ferrostatin-1 (2 μM), and MCC950 (10 nM) for 4 h, followed by exposure to 3D MF at 5 Hz for 30 min. The applied field strength was 75 mT. The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. (G and H) Quantification of IL-1β (G) and IL-18 (H) release from U87 cells for control, MagGO, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 3). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. (I and J) Western blot analysis of Casp-1 (I) and GSDMD (J) in U87 cells for control, MagGO, and MagGO+3D MF.

Article Snippet: Glioblastoma U87 cells, human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 cells, and human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 cells (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) were cultured at 37°C under a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO 2 with culture medium DMEM (Hyclone) containing of 1% penicillin and streptomycin (Hyclone) and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco).

Techniques: Control, Western Blot

Journal: iScience

Article Title: An atom-edged magnetic nanomotor for cancer mechanotherapy

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114994

Figure Lengend Snippet: Broad antitumor activity of MagGO across multiple tumor models (A) Schematic illustrations of in vivo anticancer therapy for MDA-MB-231 and A549 tumors. The applied field strength is 75 mT. The applied field frequency is 5 Hz. The duration of magnetic field application is 30 min. (B) The MDA-MB-231 tumor volume comparison of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF for 14 days ( n = 5). (C) The MDA-MB-231 tumor images of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). (D) The MDA-MB-231 tumor weight of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. (E) The MDA-MB-231 tumor volume of each mouse in the control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF groups for 14 days. (F) The A549 tumor volume comparison of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF for 14 days ( n = 5). (G) The A549 tumor images of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). (H) The A549 tumor weight of control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF ( n = 5). The data were presented as the mean ± SD. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. (I) The A549 tumor volume of each mouse in the control, MNP, MagGO, MNP+3D MF, and MagGO+3D MF groups for 14 days.

Article Snippet: Glioblastoma U87 cells, human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 cells, and human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 cells (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) were cultured at 37°C under a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO 2 with culture medium DMEM (Hyclone) containing of 1% penicillin and streptomycin (Hyclone) and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco).

Techniques: Activity Assay, In Vivo, Comparison, Control