Antitumor effect of cell therapy with mesenchymal stem cells on murine melanoma B16-F10

In this study, the antitumor and immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) obtained from bone marrow in the treatment of dorsal melanoma B16-F10. The MSC cells were obtained from the bone marrow of isogenic C57BL/6J mice, characterized and inoculated by two routes, intratumor (it) and intravenous (iv). The hematological profile, expression markers and receptors, phases of the cell cycle and mitochondrial electrical potential were evaluated by flow cytometry. The dorsal tumor mass showed a significant reduction after treatment by the two routes of administration with a significant effect by the intravenous route. MSC showed immunomodulatory potential and did not induce an increase in the markers involved in tumor control and progression. The number of cells in the sub-G1 phase increased significantly after treatments compared to the control group. The percentage of cells in phases G0/G1, S and G2/M decreased, with only the group (it) showing a significant reduction. The intratumor group showed a significant decrease in the G2/M phase. Treatment with MSC provided a significant decrease in the percentage of metabolically active tumor cells, demonstrating its intrinsic effect in the control of cell proliferation. Regarding the mechanism of cell death, MSCs modulated the expression of proteins involved in the regulation of the cell cycle, angiogenesis receptors and pro-apoptotic proteins by intrinsic and extrinsic routes. Therefore, the use of undifferentiated MSC, administered intratumor and intravenous is possibly a promising treatment for melanoma.