African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12501

Full Length Research Paper

Mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells under different induction systems in hepatitis B patients with liver failure

Liang Peng1, Hai-peng Zhu2, Yu-bao Zheng1, Chan Xie1, Yu-tian Chong1 and Zhi-liang Gao1*
  1Department of Infectious Diseases, 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China. 2Department of Infectious Diseases, Dongguan People’s Hospital, Dongguan, 88# Shaditang, China.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 23 December 2010
  •  Published: 31 January 2011

Abstract

 

This study aimed to investigate and compare induced differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from hepatitis B (HB) patients with liver failure into hepatocytes-like cells with different induction systems in vitro. The differentiation of MSCs from HB patients with liver failure was induced in vitro into hepatocytes-like cells by three cell culture media (serum-free medium (group 1), auto serum-containing medium (group 2) and medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) (group 3)). Cell morphology, cell growth curve, amount of urea and glycogen and mRNA expressions of ALB, CK18 and AFP were detected and compared. Morphological changes in group 1 and 2 were more evident than that in group 3 and cell growth in group 3 was faster than the other two groups. The amount of urea and glycogen in group 1 and 2 was significantly elevated when compared with that in group 3 after 6 days of culture. RT-PCR analysis indicated the mRNA expressions of ALB, CK18 and AFP in group 1 and 2 were markedly increased as compared to that in group 3. The differentiation of MSCs from HB patients with liver failure into hepatocytes-like cells can be induced by three different cell culture media and the inductive effects were more profound in cells grown in the serum-free medium and auto serum-containing medium.

 

Key words: Liver failure, mesenchymal stem cells, hepatogenic differentiation, in vitro.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: MSCs, Marrow mesenchymal stem cells; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor; FGF-4, fibroblast growth factor 4; EGF, epidermal growth factor; HB,hepatitis B; FBS, fetal bovine serum; AFP, α-feto protein; ALB, albumin; CK-18,cytokeratin- 18; RT-PCR, reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction.