The Role of Cytokines in Interactions of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Breast Cancer Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells, because of their high proliferation, differentiation, regenerative capacity, and ease of availability, have been a popular choice in cytotherapy. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have a natural tendency to home in a tumor microenvironment and act against it, owing to the similarity of the latter to an injured tissue environment. Several studies have confirmed the recruitment of MSCs by tumor through various cytokine signaling that brings about phenotypic changes to cancer cells, thereby promoting migration, invasion, and adhesion of cancer cells. The contrasting results on MSCs as a tool for cancer cytotherapy may be due to the complex cell to cell interaction in the tumor microenvironment, which involves various cell types such as cancer cells, immune cells, endothelial cells, and cancer stem cells. Cell to cell communication can be simple or complex and it is transmitted through various cytokines among multiple cell phenotypes, mechano-elasticity of the extra- cellular matrix surrounding the cancer cells, and hypoxic environments. In this article, the role of the extra-cellular matrix proteins and soluble mediators that act as communicators between mesenchymal stem cells and cancer cells has been reviewed specifically for breast cancer, as they are the leading members of cancer malignancies. The comprehensive information may be beneficial in finding a new combinatorial cytotherapeutic strategy using MSCs by exploiting the cross-talk between mesenchymal stem cells and cancer cells for treating breast cancer.