E-Book

E-Book 3rd Congress

  • Mesenchymal stem cells and natural killer cells interaction mechanisms and potential clinical applications
  • Batol Abbasi,1 Karim Shamsasenjan,2,*
    1. Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
    2. Tabriz University of Medical Sciences


  • Introduction: Natural killer (NK) cells are a member of the body's innate immune system, which have anti-tumor and anti-viral roles [1]. NK cells in leukemia patients who are candidates for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) play an important role in the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) response [2]. Following HSCT, NK cells are the first population of lymphocytes that recover after HSCT, which helps improve transplantation, reduce rates of leukemia relapse, and reduce GVHD [3, 4]. However, some studies have shown that transplanted NK cells may lead to GVHD by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-a) that directly cause cell damage or indirectly by increasing the activity of transplanted T cells [3]. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent and non-hematopoietic stem cells that can differentiate into mesenchymal and non-mesenchymal tissues [5]. There are many reports that MSCs can affect the immune system by interacting with myeloid and lymphoid cells [6]. It has recently been shown that they can inhibit activity B cells [7,8,9], T cells [8,9,10,11], NK cells [12], dendritic cells [13, 14], and macrophages [9] through direct cell-to-cell interaction and secretion of soluble factors including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), indoleamine‐2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO), and transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) [15,16,17,18]. MSCs due to regulate the immune system can reduce GVHD in allogeneic HSCT [19, 20]. They can escape the immune system by the lack or low expression levels of stimulatory molecules [21], and also they can survive for a long time in an allogeneic environment [22]. Therefore, their allogeneic cell products can be used for therapeutic applications to regulate the immune system in autoimmune diseases, transplantation, and tissue regeneration [23]. This review investigates how MSC could affect NK cell phenotype, proliferation, and activity. We also show signaling two cells in contact with each other and therapeutic applications of MSC on NK cell-related diseases.
  • Methods: Review
  • Results: Review
  • Conclusion: Over the past few years, many researchers have focused on the moderating effect of MSC on the immune system. The researchers showed MSC modulate the function of immune system cells, including NK cells. Some studies have shown that MSC suppresses NK cell function, while a few studies show that MSC enhances NK cell function. This discrepancy in the effect of MSC on NK cells could depend on co-culture conditions such as incubation time, MSC:NK cell ratio, pre-stimulated NK cell conditions. However, most studies indicate that MSC suppresses NK cell function. Today due to the effect of MSC on NK cell function, it has been considered as a therapeutic tool for the therapy of many diseases, including autoimmune diseases, and prevents transplant rejection and GVHD.
  • Keywords: Natural killer cell, Mesenchymal stem cells, Immunomodulation, Signaling, Therapeutic