title: Therapeutic potential of adipose tissue-derived stem cells for liver failure according to the transplantation routes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Even though adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have been spotlighted as a possible alternative for liver transplantation in an experimental setting, the mechanism by which ADSCs improve liver dysfunction remains poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic ability of undifferentiated ADSCs, and find a few clues on how ADSCs alleviate liver damage by comparing the transplantation routes.
  
  
  METHODS
  In vitro generated human ADSCs were checked for surface markers and stage-specific genes for characterization. Afterwards, they were transplanted into C57BL/6 mice with CCl4-induced liver injury. The transplantations were made via tail vein, portal vein, and direct liver parenchymal injection. At 1 and 3 post-transplantation days, serum biochemical parameters and/or liver specimens were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have shown here that ADSCs have the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells, and belong to endodermal and/or early hepatic differentiation stage. After transplantation into the mice with acute liver failure, markers of liver injury, such as alanineaminotransferase, aspartateaminotransferase, as well as ammonia, decreased. Of these transplantation routes, transplantation via tail vein rendered the most prominent reduction in the biochemical parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Undifferentiated ADSCs have the ability to improve hepatic function in mice with acute liver injury. Moreover, our transplantation route study supports the theory that ADSCs in systemic circulation can exert endocrine or paracrine effects to ameliorate the injured liver.
authors: Department of Surgery, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors: Say-June
authors: SJ
authors: Kim
authors: Ki Cheol
authors: KC
authors: Park
authors: Jung Uee
authors: JU
authors: Lee
authors: Kwan-Ju
authors: KJ
authors: Kim
authors: Dong-Goo
authors: DG
authors: Kim