title: Mesenchymal stem cells modified to express interferon-β inhibit the growth of prostate cancer in a mouse model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) genetically engineered to produce interferon-β (IFN-β) as a gene delivery system to treat prostate cancer in an animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  To measure the effects on tumour cell growth in vitro, IFN-β-producing  MSCs (IFN-β-MSCs) were co-cultured with the prostate cancer cell line PC-3. The in vivo migration of intravenously injected fluorescently-labelled MSCs to healthy tissues and PC-3 xenograft tumours grown in immuno-deficient mice was determined by fluorescence microscopy. The antitumour  effects of intravenously injected IFN-β-MSCs on PC-3 xenograft growth and animal survival were also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IFN-β-MSCs inhibited the growth of PC-3 cells in vitro. Fluorescently-labelled MSCs migrated to the margins and centre of tumour masses but not into healthy  tissues. Intravenously injected IFN-β-MSCs significantly reduced PC-3 xenograft tumour weight and increased animal survival compared with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravenously injected IFN-β-MSCs inhibited PC-3 xenograft growth. This could be an effective gene delivery system for  treatment of solid human tumours.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwai Road, Nanchang 330006, China. wanggx-mr@126.com
authors.forename: G-X
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y-A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: H-L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014162:Transfection; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; C007293:DAPI; D016899:Interferon-beta