Objective  To observe the effect of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) on the growth, metastasis and apoptosis of hepatocarcinoma cells with low metastatic potential.

  Methods  Mouse model with low metastatic liver cancer cells were used.Mice were randomly divided into the model experimental group and the control group.In the experimental group, BMSCs(5 × 10⁵) were injected into the tail vein of each mouse on the 7th day after inoculation with hepatocarcinoma cells.Mice in the control group were injected with the culture solution(0.2 mL per mouse) of BMSCs through the tail vein at the same time.The subcutaneous tumor volume was measured every week after the start of the experiment.Animals were sacrificed at day 14(2 weeks), day 21(3 weeks), day 28(4 weeks), day 35(5 weeks), and day 42(6 weeks) after inoculation of tumor cells.Complete dissection of the tumor blocks was done and the tumor inhibition rate was calculated by weight and volume.Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of the osteopontin, bone salivary protein, and integrinαⅤgenes and the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase3 genes.

  Results  The inhibitory effect of BMSCs on tumor weight was statistically significant at 3 weeks.The tumor weight of the samples from the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the samples from control group.The inhibitory effect of BMSCs on tumor volume was statistically significant at 2, 3, 5, and 6 weeks.The tumor volume of the samples from the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the samples from the control group.The expression of pro-apoptotic factors, Bax and caspase3, in BMSCs was increased, and the expression of anti-apoptotic factor, Bcl-2, decreased gradually.

  Conclusion  BMSCs inhibited the growth of low metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma cells.The inhibition rate on tumor weight and volume was highest at the third week, and the tumor inhibition rate decreased gradually with time.