Discipline of Surgery, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
Int J Cancer. 2012 Jul 1;131(1):1-7. doi: 10.1002/ijc.27458. Epub 2012 Feb 28.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are nonhematopoietic multipotent adult stem cells. They have been shown to have a natural tropism for many tumors types, including colorectal, and are capable of escaping host immune surveillance. MSCs are known to engraft at tumors and integrate into their architecture, potentially as carcinoma-associated fibroblasts. In contrast with other malignancies, our understanding of the interactions between colorectal cancer cells and MSCs remains limited. Considering the established importance of inflammation in the colorectal cancer primary tumor microenvironment and the role of stromal cells in this process, there is a potential wealth of information to be gleaned from further investigation of interactions between these cell populations. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is central to colorectal cancer progression and MSCs have also been implicated in this process. This review explores the current knowledge (both in vitro and in vivo) of interactions between colorectal cancer cells and MSCs. It highlights potential effects of cell source, number and ratio on outcome of in vivo studies and explores strategies to more accurately explore their role in the primary tumor microenvironment. As our understanding of the underlying molecular processes in colorectal cancer develops, elucidation of these interactions will be central to development of novel therapeutic strategies for this prevalent disease.
间充质干细胞（MSCs）是一种非造血性多能成体干细胞。已证实它们对多种肿瘤类型具有天然的趋向性，包括结直肠肿瘤，并能够逃避宿主的免疫监视。MSCs 已知会在肿瘤部位定植并整合到肿瘤的结构中，可能成为癌相关成纤维细胞。与其他恶性肿瘤相比，我们对结直肠癌细胞与 MSCs 之间相互作用的理解仍然有限。考虑到炎症在结直肠肿瘤原发性肿瘤微环境中的重要作用以及基质细胞在这一过程中的作用，进一步研究这些细胞群体之间的相互作用可能会获得大量有价值的信息。上皮-间充质转化是结直肠肿瘤进展的核心，MSCs 也与这一过程有关。这篇综述探讨了结直肠癌细胞与 MSCs 之间相互作用的现有知识（包括在体和离体研究）。它强调了细胞来源、数量和比例对体内研究结果的潜在影响，并探讨了更准确地探索它们在原发性肿瘤微环境中作用的策略。随着我们对结直肠癌症中潜在分子过程的理解不断发展，阐明这些相互作用将是开发这种常见疾病新型治疗策略的关键。
