Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42272962›Full record

ArticleBioengineering & translational medicine2026

Protein Kinase C-Delta (PKCδ) inhibition stabilizes endothelium and suppresses triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) intravasation in a microfluidic hypoxic tumor model.

Indira Sigdel, Awurama Ofori-Kwafo, Earshed Al Mamun, Amit K Tiwari, Yuan Tang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Bioengineering & translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Indira SigdelDepartment of Bioengineering, College of Engineering The University of Toledo Toledo Ohio USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5469-6638
Awurama Ofori-KwafoDepartment of Bioengineering, College of Engineering The University of Toledo Toledo Ohio USA.
Earshed Al MamunDepartment of Bioengineering, College of Engineering The University of Toledo Toledo Ohio USA.
Amit K TiwariDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock Arkansas USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7427-7155
Yuan TangDepartment of Bioengineering, College of Engineering The University of Toledo Toledo Ohio USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metastasis is the principal cause of mortality in breast cancer, but therapies specifically targeting metastatic mechanisms are scarce. In triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), hypoxia within the tumor microenvironment (TME) promotes endothelial dysfunction, increasing vascular permeability and facilitating cancer cell intravasation. This study presents a microfluidic-based idealized microvascular on-chip (iMVoC) model utilizing human umbilical vein endothelial cells and TNBC cells (SUM159PTX) to model a hypoxic TME. This model mimicked dynamic flow perfusion, promoting endothelial alignment along the flow direction, while supporting 3D tumor structures exhibiting varying oxygen levels in the tissue compartment. The iMVoC model enabled cell-cell interactions and the exchange of media and nutrients between compartments. Hypoxia was confirmed by increased nuclear translocation of hypoxia inducible factors (HIF)-1α and HIF-2α in TNBC cells, indicating hypoxia-based signaling. Hypoxia-induced endothelial cell (EC) inflammation was validated through elevated permeability, upregulation of adhesion molecules, and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, suggesting activation of the HIF-ROS pathway. Enhanced tumor cell intravasation was observed across inflamed endothelium, and cytokine profiling further confirmed EC activation through inflammatory signaling. Application of the protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) inhibitor (PKCδ-TAT) significantly mitigated these effects, shifting HIF localization from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, reducing ROS production, downregulating inflammatory cytokines, and lowering TNBC intravasation. These findings demonstrate PKCδ as a key mediator linking hypoxia to EC dysfunction and tumor dissemination. Protecting EC barrier integrity emerges as a promising strategy to mitigate hypoxia-driven TNBC metastasis, with the iMVoC platform offering a valuable tool for testing anti-cancer therapeutics or drug combinations involving PKCδ-TAT.

Indexed as

endothelial cellshypoxiainflammationmetastasismicrofluidicstriple‐negative breast cancertumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID42272962
PMCPMC13247439

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.