The Multifaceted Roles of MSCs in the Tumor Microenvironment: Interactions With Immune Cells and Exploitation for Therapy

Andrea Papait; Francesca Romana Stefani; Anna Cargnoni; Marta Magatti; Ornella Parolini; Antonietta Rosa Silini

doi:10.3389/fcell.2020.00447

The Multifaceted Roles of MSCs in the Tumor Microenvironment: Interactions With Immune Cells and Exploitation for Therapy

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Jun 19:8:447. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00447. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Andrea Papait¹, Francesca Romana Stefani¹, Anna Cargnoni¹, Marta Magatti¹, Ornella Parolini^{2

3}, Antonietta Rosa Silini¹

Affiliations

¹ Centro di Ricerca E. Menni, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy.
² Department of Life Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
³ Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "Agostino Gemelli" IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy.

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and is composed of different cellular components, including immune cells and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). In this review, we will discuss MSCs in the TME setting and more specifically their interactions with immune cells and how they can both inhibit (immunosurveillance) and favor (immunoediting) tumor growth. We will also discuss how MSCs are used as a therapeutic strategy in cancer. Due to their unique immunomodulatory properties, MSCs isolated from perinatal tissues are intensely explored as therapeutic interventions in various inflammatory-based disorders with promising results. However, their therapeutic applications in cancer remain for the most part controversial and, importantly, the interactions between administered perinatal MSC and immune cells in the TME remain to be clearly defined.

Keywords: cancer; immunoediting; immunosurveillance; inflammation; mesenchymal stromal cells; perinatal; placenta; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review