MSC(TRAIL)-mediated HepG2 cell death in direct and indirect co-cultures.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted great interest in cancer therapy since the discovery of their tumor tropism. This study was performed to investigate the effects of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-engineered MSCs on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells (HepG2) under different culture conditions.

Materials And Methods: MSCs engineered with non-secreting TRAIL (MSC(TRAIL-GFP)) (GFP, green fluorescence protein) and secreting TRAIL (MSC(stTRAIL)) were used for the direct co-cultures, and conditioned media (CM) from corresponding cultures were applied to HepG2 as indirect co-cultures.

Potential implications of mesenchymal stem cells in cancer therapy.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the first type of stem cells to be utilized in clinical regenerative medicine, mainly owing to their capacity for multipotent differentiation and the feasibility of autologous transplantation. More recently, the specific tumor-oriented migration and incorporation of MSCs have been demonstrated in various pre-clinical models, highlighting the potential for MSCs to be used as an ideal carrier for anticancer gene delivery. Engineered with specific anticancer genes, MSCs possess the ability of dual-targeting tumor cells.