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Extensive experimental studies indicate that autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are able to ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and potentially multiple sclerosis. However, the impact that the inflammatory environment present in EAE may have on the biological properties of BMSCs expanded in vitro for transplantation is yet to be clarified. It was investigated whether BMSCs isolated from EAE-induced C57bl6/J mice and expanded in vitro preserve the properties of BMSCs isolated from healthy donors (BMSCs-control). The mesenchymal origin, the differentiation potential, and the transcriptional expression profile of six histone-modifying genes were studied in both groups of BMSCs. BMSCs-EAE exhibited distinct morphology and larger size compared to BMSCs-control, higher degree of proliferation and apoptosis, differences in the adipogenesis and the osteogenesis induction, and differential expression of stromal markers and markers of progenitor and mature neuronal/glial cells. Moreover, BMSCs-EAE exhibited different expression patterns on a number of histone-modifying genes compared to controls. We recorded manifold differences, both phenotypical and functional, of in vitro expanded BMSCs-EAE in comparison to their healthy donor-derived counterparts that may be attributed to the inflammatory environment they originated from. Whether our findings may be of any clinical relevance needs to be clarified in future studies, in vivo.

Antimitotic chemotherapy remains the most effective approach to treat a variety of human neoplasms. Since the discovery of tubulin-targeting agents, vinca alkaloids and the taxanes including paclitaxel and docetaxel are used clinically to treat several solid tumors of the head and neck, breast, lung, ovary, and bladder. Despite the preclinical and clinical success of tubulin-targeting agents, the ability of tumors to develop an acquired resistance to drugs used for treatment and neurotoxicity severely limited their long-term effectiveness to cancer cure. Lately, advances in antimitotic treatments led to the identification of novel mitosis-specific agents that are expected to show higher selectivity and less cytotoxicity compared to known antimitotics. This review focuses on the progress of kinesin motor inhibitors that target proteins that function predominantly in mitosis.

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