Role of platelet-derived growth factor in directional migration of human mesenchymal stem cells toward gliomas

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect ofplatelet-derived growth factor （PDGF） and conditional medium of U87 glioma cells on the migration ability of human mesenchymal stem cells （hMSCs） to understand the possible role of PDGF in the directional migration ofhMSCs toward gliomas. Methods hMSCs were isolated from the whole bone marrow by adherent culture, and the expression of PDGF receptor （PDGFR-α,β） in the cells was examined by RT-PCR. In vitro migration assay was performed using transwell inserts to observe the effect of PDGF （0, 5, 50, and 125 ng/mL） and the conditional medium on the directional migration ability ofhMSCs. The changes in the migration ability of hMSCs in response to addition of anti-PDGF antibody in the conditional medium were investigated. Results RT-PCR detected the expression of PDGFR-ct and PDGFR-13 mRNA in the isolated hMSCs. In the cell migration assay, both PDGF and the conditional medium induced directional migration of hMSCs （P〈0.05）, which was significantly suppressed by anti-PDGF antibody （P〈0.05）. Conclusion With chemokine-like activities, PDGF concentration-dependently enhances the directional migration of hMSCs toward gliomas in vitro. Key words: Mesenchymal stem cells; Platelet-derived growth factor; Migration