Zhang Liyang, Xiang Juanjuan, Li Guiyuan
Stem Cell Res Ther. 2013 Mar 18;4(2):22. doi: 10.1186/scrt170.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging as promising gene vectors for cancer therapy because of their unique characteristics, including the ease of their expansion and genetic modification and their remarkable tumor-tropic properties. However, there remains a concern that MSCs may promote cancer progression. Surprisingly, there are conflicting reports within the literature describing both the promotion and inhibition of cancer progression by MSCs. The reasons for this discrepancy are still unknown. The surface markers, differentiation ability, and tumorigenic roles of MSCs, as well as their effect on immunoregulation, produce heterogeneity. In this review, we describe the heterogeneity of MSCs by the species from which they are derived, the methodology for their isolation and the context of their interactions with cancer cells. The conflicting roles of MSCs in tumor progression may be attributable to the bimodal effect of unmodified MSCs on immunoregulation. MSCs have been reported to suppress T-cell function and inhibit graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). On the other hand, MSCs elicit the graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect in some cases. Selective allodepletion may be used to dissociate GVHD from the GVT effect. Understanding the conditions that balance GVHD and the GVT effect of MSCs may be crucial to advance cancer therapy research with respect to MSCs.
间充质干细胞（MSCs）因其独特特性，正成为癌症治疗中颇具前景的基因载体，这些特性包括易于扩增和基因改造，以及显著的肿瘤趋向性。然而，人们仍担心MSCs可能促进癌症进展。令人惊讶的是，文献中有相互矛盾的报道，描述了MSCs对癌症进展的促进和抑制作用。这种差异的原因尚不清楚。MSCs的表面标志物、分化能力、致瘤作用及其对免疫调节的影响产生了异质性。在本综述中，我们从来源物种、分离方法以及与癌细胞相互作用的背景等方面描述了MSCs的异质性。MSCs在肿瘤进展中的矛盾作用可能归因于未修饰的MSCs对免疫调节的双峰效应。据报道，MSCs可抑制T细胞功能并抑制移植物抗宿主病（GVHD）。另一方面，MSCs在某些情况下会引发移植物抗肿瘤（GVT）效应。选择性去除异体成分可用于将GVHD与GVT效应分离。了解平衡MSCs的GVHD和GVT效应的条件对于推进MSCs相关的癌症治疗研究可能至关重要。
