Differentiation Of Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Towards Liver Stem Cells In Vitro

Background: The stem cell is a kind of cell which can keep alive for a long term and has a few of differentiation potencies. While, the progenitor cell is a kind of cell keeping one or double ways of differentiation and the capability of its differentiation, self-renew and self-maintenance is confined. For the survival time, the progenitor cell is shorter than the stem cell. As the researching results, hepatic stem cells can be found in the adult liver. The oval cell, as progenitor cell, can differentiate into hepatocyte and bile duct epithelium cell. Because the oval cell can take part in hepatic tissue repair. But the majority studies of the hepatic stem cell have been foused on in vivo and minority studies are in vitro. A defined cell culture based model is urged to be established and expected to throw light on the entity of HSCs and promote studies on liver development and concerned medical problems. Now the study on the hepatic stem cell has become a researching topic in the world.Objective To explore the feasibility of differentiation of the rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMMSCs) towards hepatic stem cells(HSCs) in vitro.Methods To culture rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro by culturing the full bone marrow stem cell and purified by adhesive-screening method, expanded in vitro culture. Then the isolated cells were cultured in a system containing hepatocte growth factor(HGF). The morphology of the cells was observed, and the expressions of albumin, AFP, and CK18, CK19, Vimnentin were detected with EALSA and immunohistochemistry technique.Results After being cultured with HGF, the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells showed multilateral and olivary tansformation. The differentiated cells expressed albumin, AFP, CK18, CK19 and Vimentin.Conclusions 1 .The method of culturing the full bone marrow stem cell is a convenient and reducing contamination method.2. HGF is a key point role in differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells towards liver stem cells in vitro.3. MSC has a few of differentiation potencies and has the ability to trans-differentiated into hepatic stem cells in vitro.4. They might be another source of the hepatic stem cells.