Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells inhibit growth and promote apoptosis of HepG2 cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most common type of cancer worldwide and remains difficult to treat. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the umbilical cord (UC-MSCs) on HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. UC-MSCs were co-cultured with HepG2 cells and biomarkers of UC-MSCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. mRNA and protein expression of genes were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry, respectively. Passage three and seven UC-MSCs expressed CD29, CD44, CD90 and CD105, whereas CD34 and CD45 were absent on these cells. Co-culture with UC-MSCs inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HepG2 cells in a time-dependent manner. The initial seeding density of UC-MSCs also influenced the proliferation and apoptosis of HepG2 cells, with an increased number of UC-MSCs causing enhanced proliferation inhibition and cell apoptosis. Co-culture with UC-MSCs downregulated mRNA and protein expression of -fetoprotein (AFP), Bcl-2 and Survivin in HepG2 cells. Thus, UC-MSCs may inhibit growth and promote apoptosis of HepG2 cells through downregulation of AFP, Bcl-2 and Survivin. US-MSCs may be used as a novel therapy for treating hepatocellular carcinoma in the future.