ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: Semaphorins were initially characterized as axon guidance factors but were subsequently implicated in the regulation of immune responses, angiogenesis, organ formation and a variety of other physiological and developmental functions. Various semaphorins enhance or inhibit tumour progression through different mechanisms. The objective of this study was to assess the expression of various semaphorins and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene transcripts as well as the serum level of Sema3A in individuals with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). METHODS: Tissue expression of Sema3A, Sema3C, Sema4D, Sema6D and VEGF was determined in both tumour tissues and tissues around the tumour from 30 individuals with pathologically confirmed LSCC using quantitative real-time PCR. Furthermore, the serum level of Sema3A in these individuals was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Sema3C gene transcript showed a significant increase (P=0.001), while Sema4D was observed with a significant decrease in tumour samples compared to non-tumoural tissues (P≤0.01). The expression of the Sema3C gene was found to be associated with the stage of LSCC tumour as it was statistically significant for tumours with stage IV (P<0.01). The serum level of Sema3A was not found to be significant between cases and controls. INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS: Increased expression of Sema3C but decreased expression of Sema4D in tumour tissue of LSCC may introduce these two growth factors as crucial mediators orchestrating tumour growth in individuals with LSCC. This result could open a new vision for the treatment of this malignancy.
Subject(s)
Head and Neck Neoplasms , Semaphorins , Humans , Semaphorin-3A/genetics , Semaphorin-3A/metabolism , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck , Semaphorins/genetics , Semaphorins/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can be isolated from adult tissues such as adipose tissue and other sources. Among these sources, adipose tissue (because of easy access) and placenta (due to its immunomodulatory properties, in addition to other useful properties), have attracted more attention in terms of research. The isolation and comparison of MSC from these two sources provides a proper source for clinical experimentation. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of MSC isolated from human adipose tissue and placenta. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adipose and placental MSC were isolated from the subcutaneous adipose tissues of 10 healthy women (25 to 40 years) and from a fresh term placenta (n= 1), respectively. Stem cells were characterized and compared by flow cytometry using CD29, CD31, CD34, CD44, CD45, CD105, CD166 and HLA-DR markers. Osteocytes and adipocytes were differentiated from isolated human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSC). RESULTS: Adipose and placenta-derived MSC exhibited the same morphological features. ADSC differentiated faster than placenta; however, both were differentiated, taking up to 21 days for osteocyte and 14 days for adipocyte differentiation. About 90% of PLC-MSC and ADSC were positive for CD29, CD44, CD105, and CD166; and negative for CD31, CD34, CD45, and HLA-DR. CONCLUSION: The two sources of stem cells showed similar surface markers, morphology and differentiation potential and because of their multipotency for differentiating to adipocytes and osteocytes, they can be applied as attractive sources of MSC for regenerative medicine.
