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Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Exert Trophic Effect on Colorectal Cancer Metastasis to the Liver

Pratika Y Hernanda, Alexander Pedroza-Gonzalez, Luc J W van der Laan, Martin J Hoogduijn, Maike P Peppelenbosch and Qiuwei Pan

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. CRC tends to metastasize to the liver, which may occur in 20% to 70% of patients and represents the major cause of death. Mesenchymal Stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have shown to be able to migrate to CRC site and play an important role in tumor progression. We have previously identified a resident MSC population in the liver. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether there is infiltration of MSCs into patient CRC Liver Metastasis (CRC-LM) and their potential effects on tumor cell growth. By culturing resected patient CRC-LM tissue, we observed the emerging of fibroblast-like cells. Further phenotype and functional characterization confirmed their bonafide MSCs features. In situ staining with a well-established MSCs marker showed a significant enrichment of candidate MSCs in patient CRC-LM, particularly the tumor-stromal area. Moreover, MSCs secreted trophic factors significantly increased colony formation and growth of a metastatic CRC cell line. In summary, we found infiltration and enrichment of MSCs in CRC-LM patient, which could in turn nourish tumor cells.