Neutrophils Shift Metabolism in a Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Coculture Model

Neutrophils appear to reshape the energy metabolism of triple-negative breast cancer cells grown alongside stromal cells, according to a laboratory study published in BMC Cancer. Researchers built a coculture model combining a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line with breast fibroblasts, then exposed these cultures to neutrophils isolated from healthy donors to observe how the immune cells influenced the tumor-mimicking environment.

TNBC is one of the most lethal breast cancer subtypes and is characterized by substantial accumulation of neutrophils within the tumor microenvironment, yet the impact of these immune cells on disease progression remains unclear. The coculture system was designed to model interactions between cancer cells and stromal cells in a controlled setting.

The model reproduced features seen in patients. The coculture generated a pro-inflammatory environment, with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines resembling cytokine profiles reported in cancer patients. Coculture-conditioned medium also attracted neutrophils and activated them to produce reactive oxygen species, indicating a functional immune response rather than passive cell presence.

Metabolic activity, measured with the Seahorse Extracellular Flux Assay, differed between the coculture and the corresponding monocultures of cancer cells or fibroblasts alone. When neutrophils were added to the coculture, mitochondrial activity increased, suggesting that neutrophils may promote a metabolic shift in the system.

The authors conclude that their results support further investigation of neutrophil-driven changes in energy metabolism in TNBC microenvironments. As an in vitro model using a single cancer cell line and donor-derived neutrophils, the findings are hypothesis-generating rather than evidence of clinical effects, and the study was published as an open-access paper on 22 October 2026.

Subject of Research: How neutrophils alter the metabolic profile of a triple-negative breast cancer and stromal cell coculture model

Article Title: Neutrophils alter the metabolic profile of a coculture model of triple-negative breast cancer and stromal cells

Article References: Salzer, A. T., Williams, C., Skoluda, S., Stylianou, M., Gilthorpe, J. D., & Urban, C. F. (2026). Neutrophils alter the metabolic profile of a coculture model of triple-negative breast cancer and stromal cells. BMC Cancer, 26(1), Article 1272. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-026-17186-6

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12885-026-17186-6

Keywords: triple-negative breast cancer, neutrophils, tumor microenvironment, coculture, metabolism, mitochondrial activity, reactive oxygen species, cytokines, fibroblasts, Seahorse assay, BMC Cancer, alter