Tumour progression involves interactions among various cancer cell clones, including the cancer stem cell subpopulation and exogenous cellular components, termed cancer stromal cells. The latter include a plethora of tumour infiltrating immunocompetent cells, among which are also immuno-modulatory mesenchymal stem cells, which by vigorous migration to growing tumours and susequent transdifferentiation into various types of tumour-residing stromal cells, may either inhibit or support tumour progression. In the light of the scarce therapeutic options existing for the most malignant brain tumour glioblastoma, mesenchymal stem cells may represent a promising novel tool for cell therapy, e.g. drug delivery vectors. Here, we review the increasing number of reports on mutual interactions between mesenchymal stem cells and glioblastoma cells in their microenvironment. We particularly point out two novel aspects: the different responses of cancer cells to their microenvironmental cues, and to the signalling by kinin receptors that complement the immuno-modulating cytokine-signalling networks. Inflammatory glioblastoma microenvironment is characterised by increasing expression of kinin receptors during progressive glioma malignancy, thus making kinin signalling and kinins themselves rather important in this context. In general, their role in tumour microenvironment has not been explored so far. In addition, kinins also regulate blood brain barrier-related drug transfer as well as brain tumour angiogenesis. These studies support the on-going research on kinin antagonists as candidates in the development of anti-invasive agents for adjuvant glioblastoma therapy.

肿瘤进展涉及各种癌细胞克隆之间的相互作用，包括癌症干细胞亚群和外源细胞成分（称为癌症基质细胞）。后者包括大量的肿瘤浸润免疫活性细胞，其中还有免疫调节间充质干细胞，它们通过旺盛地迁移到生长中的肿瘤并随后转分化为各种类型的肿瘤基质细胞，可以抑制或支持肿瘤进展。鉴于大多数恶性脑肿瘤胶质母细胞瘤的治疗选择稀缺，间充质干细胞可能代表一种有前途的细胞治疗新工具，例如药物递送载体。在这里，我们回顾了越来越多的关于间充质干细胞和胶质母细胞瘤细胞在微环境中相互作用的报告。我们特别指出了两个新的方面：癌细胞对其微环境线索的不同反应，以及对补充免疫调节细胞因子信号网络的激肽受体信号传导的不同反应。炎症性胶质母细胞瘤微环境的特点是在进行性胶质瘤恶性肿瘤期间激肽受体的表达增加，因此激肽信号传导和激肽本身在这种情况下相当重要。一般来说，迄今为止，它们在肿瘤微环境中的作用尚未被探索。此外，激肽还调节血脑屏障相关的药物转移以及脑肿瘤血管生成。这些研究支持正在进行的激肽拮抗剂研究，作为开发用于辅助胶质母细胞瘤治疗的抗侵袭剂的候选药物。