Medium from Umbilical Cord Blood Derived-Hepatoblasts Attenuates Liver Fibrosis in Rats | ||||
| Suez Canal University Medical Journal | ||||
| Article 5, Volume 26, Issue 5, May 2023, Page 0-0 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/scumj.2023.306823 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
| Noha M. Abd El-Fadeal; Nagwan A. Sabek; Emad F. Ismail; Taghrid B. El-Abaseri* | ||||
| Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: The liver is a multifunctional organ in our body. Hepatocyte dysfunction may lead to liver failure. Stem cell (SCs) based therapy is a promising technique for the treatment of liver diseases. Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) are potentially favorable SCs sources for liver transplantation. Aim: We aimed to investigate the in vivo effectiveness of a medium of transdifferentiated hepatoblasts derived from UCMSCs in regenerating liver fibrosis in a rat model. Methods: UCBMSCs were cultured, and expression of specific CD markers was measured by flow cytometer. They were induced to transdifferentiate under pro-hepatogenic conditions, using mainly hepatic growth factor (HGF) and fibroblastic growth factor. Using RT-PCR, the expression of hepatocyte-specific genes was evaluated. A medium of transdifferentiated hepatoblasts was injected in a rat model of CCL4 liver fibrosis followed by an assessment of macroscopic, microscopic, and serum biochemical markers of liver regeneration. Results: After 21 days in culture, UCMSCs adopted the hepatoblasts phenotype. The expression of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin (ALB), cytokeratin-18 (CK-18), and glucose-6 phosphatase (G6P) significantly increased in differentiated UCMSCs compared to control cells (P < 0.05). In addition, ALB and AFP levels showed a three-fold increase in the medium of differentiated hepatoblasts. The in vivo effectiveness of the medium of transdifferentiated hepatoblasts derived from UCMSCs was assessed following 4 s.c. injections in CCL4 rats, livers showed reduced fibrosis and enhanced biochemical function compared to both sham and diseased groups. Conclusion: Medium from transdifferentiated hepatoblasts obtained from UCMSCs may be an effective and applicable treatment of liver fibrosis in rats with a potential clinical assessment in human liver diseases. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| UCB-MSCs; differentiation; hepatoblasts; fibrosis; liver regeneration | ||||
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