• The Effect of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells- Derived Conditioned Medium on Human Liver Cancer Cell Line: Provoking or Preventing Progression
  • khaled sharifi,1,* Samaneh Zolghadri,2 Bita geamizadeh,3 Negar Azarpira,4 Maryam kaviani,5 Mahdokht hosein aghdaie,6
    1. Transplant Research Center, Research Tower, Khalili Street, Shiraz, 7193711351, Iran. Tel/Fax: +98 07136281529
    2. Department of Biology, Islamic Azad University of Jahrom 7414785318, Iran. Tel/Fax: +98-715-437-200
    3. Transplant Research Center, Research Tower, Khalili Street, Shiraz, 7193711351, Iran. Tel/Fax: +98 07136281529
    4. Transplant Research Center, Research Tower, Khalili Street, Shiraz, 7193711351, Iran. Tel/Fax: +98 07136281529
    5. Transplant Research Center, Research Tower, Khalili Street, Shiraz, 7193711351, Iran. Tel/Fax: +98 07136281529


  • Introduction: Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common liver cancer with a high mortality rate. Many endeavors have been conducted to find new methods for treating this disease. Previous studies indicated that stem cell-based therapeutic approaches seem to be promising in the treatment of cancers. On the other hand, provoking or preventing the impacts of stem cells on cancer cells is challenging. In the present study, we investigated the effect of conditioned media from human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells on the human liver cancer cell line (HepG2).
  • Methods: Methods: we treated HepG2 cells with 0%, 50%, and 100% conditioned media for 48 hours. The HepG2 cells were evaluated regarding viability, cell migration, apoptosis, biochemical function, and the expression of genes and proteins related to proliferation and migration.
  • Results: Results: Our results showed that conditioned media did not significantly affect the viability and apoptosis of HepG2 cells. However, alpha-fetoprotein secretion was significantly decreased in the presence of conditioned media. On the other hand, the migration potential of the cells was increased when exposed to the conditioned media. Furthermore, significant reductions of Glypican 3, Cyclin D-1, and Catenin beta-1 gene expression were observed in the treatment with conditioned media. However, there were no substantial changes in the protein levels related to these genes.
  • Conclusion: Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings suggest that conditioned media from human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells may have contradictory effects on the HepG2 cells under the studied conditions. Therefore, further investigation is required to clarify the precise effect of this conditioned media in different concentrations and time points on the cancer cells.
  • Keywords: Keywords: Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Human Liver Cancer Cell Line; Hepatocellular