Background aims: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a multipotent cell population of clinical interest because of their ability to migrate to injury and tumor sites, where they may participate in tissue repair and modulation of immune response. Although the processes regulating MSC function are incompletely understood, it has been shown that stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) can alter MSC activity. More specifically, it has been reported that human bone marrow-derived MSCs can be "polarized" by TLR priming into contrasting immunomodulatory functions, with opposite (supportive or suppressive) roles in tumor progression and inflammation. Adipose-derived MSCs (ASCs) represent a promising alternative MSC subpopulation for therapeutic development because of their relative ease of isolation and higher abundance compared with their bone marrow-derived counterparts; however, the polarization of ASCs remains unreported.
Methods: In this study, we evaluated the phenotypic and functional consequences of short-term, low-level stimulation of ASCs with TLR3 and TLR4 agonists.
Results: In these assays, we identified transient gene expression changes resembling the reported pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory MSC phenotypes. Furthermore, these priming strategies led to changes in the functional properties of ASCs, affecting their ability to migrate and modulate immune-mediated responses to prostate cancer cells in vitro.
Conclusions: TLR3 stimulation significantly decreased ASC migration, and TLR4 stimulation increased ASC immune-mediated killing potential against prostate cancer cells.
Keywords: Toll-like receptors; adipose-derived; mesenchymal stromal cells; polarization; priming; prostate cancer.
Copyright © 2022 International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.