Partial hepatectomy and subsequent radiation facilitates engraftment of mouse embryonic stem cells in the liver.
For liver-targeted regenerative medicine, embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells proffer great expectation. In vitro exposure to a combination of various growth factors, such as hepatocyte growth factor and fibroblast growth factor-4, as well as cytokines, leads to differentiation of ES cells into hepatocyte-like cells. We sought to determine the in vivo environment that allowed engraftment of ES cells transplanted to the liver. Thus, we examined the effect of partial hepatectomy (50%) (PHT) and subsequent radiation (RT) of the male Balb/c mouse host liver on ES cell engraftment. ES cells (5 x 10(6)) derived from 129Sv mice were transplanted into the residual liver. The controls were ES cells transplanted into a normal liver. Bromo-deoxy-residine (BrdU)-uptake was performed to evaluate the effect of hepatectomy and RT on hepatocyte regeneration. Mouse ES cells engrafted, forming teratomas in the normal liver without showing any mononuclear infiltration. A liver modified by PHT and RT facilitated engraftment of mouse ES cells compared with a normal liver. Hepatic RT significantly suppressed hepatocytic uptake of BrdU.
Kobayashi
N
N
Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, Okayama, Japan. immortal@md.okayama-u.ac.jp
Ando
M
M
Kosaka
Y
Y
Yong
C
C
Okitsu
T
T
Arata
T
T
Ikeda
H
H
Kobayashi
K
K
Ueda
T
T
Kurabayashi
Y
Y
Tanaka
N
N
D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000494:pharmacology; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects
D016207:Cytokines; D006133:Growth Substances