The effects of crocin and crocetin on immune cells of prostate cancer patients in co-culture with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

• Crocin and crocetin at concentrations of 3, 6, 12 μM increased the cell viability in PBMCs of PCa patients co-cultured with AD-MSCs and at concentrations of 3, 6, 12, 25, 50, 100 μM without co-culture with AD-MSCs increased the cell viability of PBMCs of PCa patients. Also, crocin and crocetin at concentrations of 6, 12, 25 μM with or without AD-MSCs decreased the percentage of apoptosis in PBMCs of PCa patients. • Crocin and crocetin at concentrations of 6, 12, 25 μM increased the percentage of (CD3 + CD4 + ) and (CD3 + CD8 + ) cells co-cultured with or without AD-MSCs. Also, at a concentration of 6 μM co-cultured increased (CD45 + CD19 + ) cells in co-culture with AD-MSCs. • Crocin and crocetin reduced the level of MDA and increased the superoxide dismutase in PBMCs of PCa patients co-cultured with AD-MSCs at concentrations of 6, 12, 25 μM. Similarly to crocin and crocetin, Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) exhibit potent anti-apoptotic and antioxidant properties. This study investigates the effects of crocin and crocetin on PBMCs of PCa patients co-cultured with AD-MSCs. We found that crocin and crocetin at concentrations of 3, 6, 12 μM increased the cell viability of PBMCs co-cultured with AD- MSCs and at concentrations of 3, 6, 12, 25, 50, 100 μM increased the cell viability of PBMCs without co-culture with AD-MSCs. At concentrations of 6, 12, 25 μM, decreased the percentage of apoptosis and increased the percentage of (CD3 + CD4 + ) and (CD3 + CD8 + ) cells among PBMCs co-cultured with or without AD-MSCs. At a concentration of 6 μM, also increased percentage of (CD45 + CD19 + ) cells among PBMCs in co-culture. In addition, they at concentrations of 6, 12, 25 μM decreased the level of MDA and increased SOD in PBMCs. Overall further research should evaluate the clinical effects of combining crocin and crocetin with AD-MSCs for treating PCa and other cancers.