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Review
. 2018 Jan 31;9(1):22.
doi: 10.1186/s13287-018-0780-x.

Mesenchymal stem cells in the osteosarcoma microenvironment: their biological properties, influence on tumor growth, and therapeutic implications

Ying Zheng  1 , Gangyang Wang  2 , Ruiling Chen  1 , Yingqi Hua  3 , Zhengdong Cai  4
Affiliations
Review

Mesenchymal stem cells in the osteosarcoma microenvironment: their biological properties, influence on tumor growth, and therapeutic implications

Ying Zheng et al. Stem Cell Res Ther. .

Abstract

During tumorigenesis and development, participation of the tumor microenvironment is not negligible. As an important component in the tumor microenvironment, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been corroborated to mediate proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance in many cancers, including osteosarcoma. What's more, because of tumor site tropism, MSCs can be engineered to be loaded with therapeutic agents so that drugs can be precisely delivered to tumor lesions. In this review, we mainly discuss recent advances concerning the functions of MSCs in osteosarcoma and their possible clinical applications in the future.

Keywords: Clinical applications; Drug resistance; MSCs; Metastasis; Osteosarcoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors’ information

Ying Zheng and Ruiling Chen are undergraduates of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Gangyang Wang is PhD of Shanghai Bone Tumor Institution. Yingqi Hua and Zhengdong Cai are professors of the research group.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Different effects exerted by the TME on naïve MSCs (N-MSC). Under the effects of some cytokines (SDF-1, MIF, TGF-β, and so on), N-MSCs are recruited to the TME. Through the paracrine network in the TME, N-MSCs undergo a series of functional transformations. On one hand, INF-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1α strengthen the tumor growth-promoting effects of MSCs; On the other hand, INF-γ, TNF-α, and TGF-β enhance the ability of MSCs to promote tumor metastasis. Furthermore, MSCs can differentiate into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) under the stimulation of TGF-β
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Promising methods for using MSCs as delivery vehicles. (i) Transduct MSCs with retroviral vectors that carry therapeutic RNA: capture the MSCs from the patient, modify MSCs by transduction with retroviral vectors at the first passage, culture the transducted MSCs for several days, select the cells with puromycin, expand the transducted and selected cells to the clinical necessary dose, and finally administer them to the patient. (ii) Load MSCs with nanoparticles incorporated with drugs: load chemotherapeutic agents in nanoparticles, uptake the nanoparticles with MSCs, and administer the MSCs into patients
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