Abstract:

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the clinical use of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation for the treatment of liver fibrosis has achieved good effects, but the source of the liver is rare. The techniques for bone marrow stem cells differentiating into mature hepatocytes are still immature.
OBJECTIVE: To discuss the possibility of the differentiation of BMSCs induced by liver cirrhosis sera of rats in vitro into hepatocytes．
METHODS: Rat BMSCs were isolated, purified and identified; normal and liver cirrhosis sera of rats were prepared; the third passage BMSCs were divided into groups for culture: Group A: DMEM+10% fetal bovine serum (FBS); Group B: hepatocyte growth medium (HGM)+5% cirrhosis sera of rats; Group C: HGM+5% normal rat sera; Group D: HGM+5% liver cirrhosis sera of rats; Group E: HGM+5% liver cirrhosis sera of rats+25 μg hepatocyte growth factors (HGF). Cell morphology was observed and the cell growth curve was measured with MTT assay. The expressions of Alpha-fetoprotein and Cytokeratin18  were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and the albumin content in supernatant was determined by bromoeresol green method. Transforming growth factors β1 in supernatant was detected by ELISA.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Normal rat sera can obviously promote the proliferation of BMSCs; liver cirrhosis sera of rats are of certain effect on BMSCs proliferation and can effectively induce the differentiation of BMSCs into hepatocytes. The combined application with HGF can raise BMSCs differentiation.