Silicon nanowire array overcomes chemotherapeutic resistance by inducing the differentiation of breast cancer stem cells.

Currently, traditional cancer treatment strategies are greatly challenged by the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are root cause of chemotherapy resistance. Differentiation therapy presents a novel therapeutic strategy for CSC-targeted therapy. However, there are very few studies on the induction of CSCs differentiation so far. Silicon nanowire array (SiNWA) with many unique properties is considered to be an excellent material for various applications ranging from biotechnology to biomedical applications. In this study, we report the SiNWA differentiates MCF-7-derived breast CSCs (BCSCs) into non-CSCs by modulating the morphology of cells. In vitro, the differentiated BCSCs lose the stemness properties and thus become sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs, eventually leading to the death of BCSCs. Therefore, this work suggests a potential approach for overcoming chemotherapeutic resistance.