Growth factors contribute to the mediation of angiogenic capacity of glioma-associated mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are important components of stromal cell populations and serve a crucial role in tumor growth and progression. Previously, our laboratory successfully isolated and cultured MSCs from human glioma issues and demonstrated that glioma-associated mesenchymal stem cells (gb-MSCs) participate in and maintain tumor angiogenesis. Furthermore, growth factors, such as fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial cell growth factor, were demonstrated to be associated with endothelial cell tube formation. However, the effect of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) on the angiogenic activity of gb-MSCs remains unknown. The present study aimed therefore to explore their effects in gb-MSCs angiogenesis. In the present study, gb-MSCs were isolated from patients with glioma and were characterized using flow cytometry and differentiation experiments. Furthermore, the results from tube formation assay revealed that TGF-β1 and PDGF-BB could mediate the angiogenic capacity of gb-MSCs in vitro. In addition, results from immunofluorescence demonstrated that gb-MSCs expressed TGF-β1R and PDGFR, which are the receptors for TGF-β1 and PDGF-BB, respectively. Taken together, these findings indicated that TGF-β1 and PDGF-BB may serve a crucial role in mediating gb-MSC angiogenesis, which might provide a therapeutic strategy for targeting the angiogenic capacity of gb-MSCs in patients with glioma.