Mesenchymal stem cells expressing interleukin-18 suppress breast cancer cells in vitro

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Gene Therapy
• Stem Cell Biology

Background:

• Breast cancer is a leading global malignancy with treatment challenges due to disease heterogeneity.
• Current therapies often yield unsatisfactory outcomes, highlighting the need for innovative treatment strategies.
• Cancer gene therapy aims to develop more effective treatments for various cancers, including breast cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of human mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord (hUMSCs) genetically modified with the interleukin 18 (IL-18) gene.
• To evaluate the effects of hUMSCs/IL-18 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of MCF-7 and HCC1937 breast cancer cells in vitro.
• To explore the potential of hUMSCs/IL-18 as a novel antitumor therapy for breast cancer.

Main Methods:

• Lentiviral systems were used for efficient genetic modification of hUMSCs to stably express IL-18.
• In vitro experiments were conducted using MCF-7 and HCC1937 breast cancer cell lines.
• Assays were performed to assess cell proliferation, migration, and invasion following treatment with hUMSCs/IL-18.

Main Results:

• Transduced hUMSCs stably expressed IL-18 protein.
• hUMSCs/IL-18 significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of both MCF-7 and HCC1937 cells.
• The suppression of proliferation appeared to involve the induction of G1- to S-phase arrest in breast cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• hUMSCs genetically modified with IL-18 demonstrate significant antitumor effects against breast cancer cells in vitro.
• The hUMSCs/IL-18 therapy effectively inhibits cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion.
• This approach offers a potential new avenue for developing effective gene therapies for breast cancer treatment.