The Use of Matrigel to Facilitate the Establishment of Human Cancer Cell Lines as Xenografts

Matrigel is a solubilized tissue basement membrane matrix rich in extracellular matrix proteins that was originally isolated from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse tumor. Although composed mainly of laminin, collagen IV, heparan sulphate, proteoglycans, and entactin (nidogen), various growth factors such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and tissue plasminogen activator are also present. Under normal physiological conditions Matrigel polymerizes to produce a reconstituted, biologically active stable matrix, that is effective for the attachment and differentiation of normal and transformed anchorage-dependent cell types (1 –2 ).