Genet Mol Res. 2016 Jul 15;15(3). doi: 10.4238/gmr.15038550.

Differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells into hepatocyte-like cells induced by liver tissue homogenate.

Xing XK¹, Feng HG¹, Yuan ZQ¹.

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy and feasibility of inducing the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro using Sprague Dawley rats, as a model of hepatocyte generation for cell transplantation. BMSCs were isolated and grown using the adherent method and exposed to 5 or 10% liver tissue homogenate, before being collected for analysis after 0, 7, 14, and 21 days. Immunofluorescence and western blotting were employed to detect the liver-specific markers a-fetoprotein (AFP) and albumin (ALB). Supernatant urea content was also measured to verify that differentiation had been induced. After 7 days in the presence of 10% liver tissue homogenate, BMSCs demonstrated hepatocyte-like morphological characteristics, and with prolonged culture time, liver-specific markers were gradually produced at levels indicating cell maturation. AFP expression peaked at 14 days then began to decrease, while both urea and ALB levels increased with induction time. Overall, marker expression in the 5% homogenate group was less than or equal to the 10% group at each time point. Thus, in a rat model, liver tissue homogenate obtained from partial hepatectomy can induce the differentiation of BMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells. This method is simple, feasible, and has remarkable real-world application potential.