Table 2.

Anticancer agents delivered by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)

Agent	Rationale	Model	References
IFNα	Immunostimulatory, apoptosis-inducing and anti-angiogenic	Metastasis (melanoma)	45
IFNβ	Induces differentiation, S-phase accumulation and apoptosis	Orthotopic (glioma)	8
		Metastasis (prostate, breast, melanoma)	11 12 46
IFNγ	Immunostimulatory and apoptosis-inducing	In vitro (leukaemia)	47
IL2	Immunomodulatory cytokine	Orthotopic (glioma)	48
IL12	Activates cytotoxic lymphocytes, natural killer cells and produces IFNγ	Subcutaneous (melanoma, hepatoma, lung)	49 50
CX3CL1	Activates cytotoxic lymphocytes and NK cells	Metastasis (melanoma, colon)	10
Ganciclovir/HSV-tk	Enzyme prodrug conversion	Orthotopic (glioma)	51
5-FC/cytosine deaminase	Enzyme prodrug conversion (5-FC→5-FU)	Subcutaneous (melanoma, colon)	52 53
NK4	Inhibits angiogenesis and lymphogenesis and promotes apoptosis	Metastasis (colon)	54
Oncolytic viruses	Destroys tumours by viral replication	Orthotopic (breast, lung, ovarian)	14 55
		Metastasis (breast)	56
TRAIL	Induces apoptosis	Subcutaneous (breast)	7
		Metastasis (breast)	7
		Orthotopic (glioma)	57 58

MSCs have been engineered to express a range of anticancer agents. The table describes the rationale for their use and the tumour models (all murine) used to demonstrate the anticancer effect in vivo.

5-FC, 5-fluorocytosine; 5-FU, 5-fluorouracil; HSV-tk, herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; NK, natural killer.