Human amniotic membrane derived-mesenchymal stem cells induce C6 glioma apoptosis in vivo through the Bcl-2/caspase pathways

High-grade gliomas are difficult to treat. We examined the therapeutic effect of intratumoral administration of human amniotic membrane derived-mesenchymal stem cells (hAMCs) on the growth of gliomas. Tumor volume of the control group was 1632 +/- A 316 mm(3) on day 30, and the group treated with a single intratumoral dose of hAMCs had a tumor volume of 1128 +/- A 269 mm(3) (P < 0.05). Thus, administration of hAMCs significantly reduced tumor size. In rat glioma tissues treated with single and multiple dosages of hAMCs, there was a reduction in tumor volume of approximately 30.9 and 49.5%, respectively. We further evaluated the glioma tissue using Western blotting analysis and observed that the expression of Bax, caspase-8 and caspase-3 were greatly increased and the expression of Bcl-2 was greatly decreased in tumors treated with hAMCs. Sections of nude mice treated with hAMCs clearly showed the presence of an increase in apoptotic cells. The data collected herein confirms for the first time that hAMCs can inhibit C6 glioma growth and induce apoptosis of C6 gliomas in vivo. This demonstrates that hAMCs are a potential new therapeutic agent for the treatment of gliomas.