Abstract
Human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been widely investigated both for regenerative medicine and their antinflammatory/immunomodulatory capacity. However, their ability to home pathological tissues suggested the development of strategies for using MSCs as carrier to deliver drug into tumor microenvironment. MSCs obtained from different tissues can be loaded in vitro with anti-cancer drugs by a simple procedures. In this report, we studied MSCs isolated and expanded from gingival papilla (GinPa-MSCs), by testing their ability to uptake and release three important anti-neoplastic drugs: Paclitaxel (PTX), Doxorubicin (DXR) and Gemcitabine (GCB). The efficacy of drugs releasing GinPa-MSCs was studied on a pancreatic cancer cell line and confirmed in vitro against a line of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC154). Our results demonstrated that GinPa-MSCs efficiently incorporate the drugs and then released them in active form and in sufficient amount to produce a dramatic inhibition of squamous cell carcinoma growth in vitro. If compared with other MSCs sources, the collection of GinPa-MSCs is poorly invasive and cells can be easily expanded and efficiently loaded with anti cancer drugs. In particular, gemcitabine loaded GinPa-MSCs provide a good "cell-mediated drug delivery system" for a future potential application in the context of the oral oncology.