A peculiar molecular profile of umbilical cord-mesenchymal stromal cells drives their inhibitory effects on multiple myeloma cell growth and tumor progression

Stem Cells Dev. 2015 Jun 15;24(12):1457-70. doi: 10.1089/scd.2014.0254. Epub 2015 Mar 11.

Abstract

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) are under intensive investigation in preclinical models of cytotherapies against cancer, including multiple myeloma (MM). However, the therapeutic use of stromal progenitors holds critical safety concerns due to their potential MM-supporting activity in vivo. Here, we explored whether MSCs from sources other than BM, such as adipose tissue (AD-MSCs) and umbilical cord (UC-MSCs), affect MM cell growth in comparison to either normal (nBM-MSCs) or myelomatous marrow MSCs (MM-BM-MSCs). Results from both proliferation and clonogenic assays indicated that, in contrast to nBM- and MM-BM-MSCs, both AD and particularly UC-MSCs significantly inhibit MM cell clonogenicity and growth in vitro. Furthermore, when co-injected with UC-MSCs into mice, RPMI-8226 MM cells formed smaller subcutaneous tumor masses, while peritumoral injections of the same MSC subtype significantly delayed the tumor burden growing in subcutaneous plasmocytoma-bearing mice. Finally, both microarrays and ELISA revealed different expression of several genes and soluble factors in UC-MSCs as compared with other MSCs. Our data suggest that UC-MSCs have a distinct molecular profile that correlates with their intrinsic anti-MM activity and emphasize the UCs as ideal sources of MSCs for future cell-based therapies against MM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / cytology
  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism
  • Adipose Tissue / transplantation*
  • Animals
  • Carcinogenesis / genetics
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Multiple Myeloma / genetics
  • Multiple Myeloma / therapy*
  • Umbilical Cord / cytology
  • Umbilical Cord / metabolism
  • Umbilical Cord / transplantation*