Human cordonal stem cell intraperitoneal injection can represent a rescue therapy after an acute hepatic damage in immunocompetent rats.
OBJECTIVE
Tissue homeostasis and turnover require reserve stem proliferating cells. Several studies performed on immunodeficient animals have suggested a degree of plasticity by the hematopoietic stem cell compartment that may represent source for liver regeneration. We sought to explore the hepatic differentiation potential of hematopoietic stem cells from human cord blood, after toxic liver damage induced by allyl-alcohol in immunocompetent rats.


METHODS
Wistar rats were divided into groups (A) allyl-alcohol intraperitoneal injection with hematopoietic stem cell intraperitoneal infusion at 1 day and sacrifice 3 days later; (B) stem cell injection and sacrifice 3 days later; (C) allyl-alcohol infusion and sacrifice 4 days later; and (D) sacrifice without any treatment. Livers, spleens, and bone marrows were analysed for human stem cells using flow-cytometry; livers were also tested by histology and immunohistochemistry to study the pattern of hepatic regeneration after damage and human stem cell conversion into hepatocyte-like cells, respectively.


RESULTS
Flow-cytometry revealed selective recruitment of human hematopoietic stem cells by damaged livers (group A) compared with control group B. In addition, liver damage was reduced in animals treated with stem cells. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that human stem cells could convert hepatic cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that hematopoietic stem cells selectively recruited by injured livers can contribute to hepatic regeneration after acute toxic damage in immunocompetent recipients.
Piscaglia
A C
AC
Dept. of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Di Campli
C
C
Zocco
M A
MA
Di Gioacchino
G
G
Novi
M
M
Rutella
S
S
Bonanno
G
G
Monego
G
G
Vecchio
F M
FM
Michetti
F
F
Mancuso
S
S
Leone
G
G
Gasbarrini
G
G
Pola
P
P
Gasbarrini
A
A
D000818:Animals; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D020005:Propanols / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000379:methods*
D020005:Propanols; C006463:allyl alcohol