Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cell-derived conditioned media inhibits colon cancer cells via activating AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy

Document Type : Original article

Authors

1 Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

2 Department of Immunology, School of Medicine Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

3 Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

4 Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Prior studies have shown that conditioned media derived from Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-CM) have anti-cancer properties. This research investigated the impact of WJ-CM on HT-29 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells by examining autophagy biomarkers and the AMPK/mTOR pathway. The HT-29 cells were subjected to WJ-CM and an AMPK activator (AICAR). Autophagy and levels of AMPK and mTOR proteins were investigated. WJ-CM increased the expression of phosphorylated AMPK while reducing the level of phosphorylated mTOR in HT-29 cells. WJ-CM treatment elevated the LC3B/LC3A ratio and ATG7, ATG5, and Beclin-1 expression. However, there was a parallel drop in p62 expression, which indicates autophagy induction. AICAR increased the influence of WJ-CM on viability, as well as the levels of biomarkers associated with autophagy, phosphorylated  AMPK, and phosphorylated  mTOR in the HT-29 cells. WJ-CM inhibits colorectal cancer cell growth via activating AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy.

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