title: Comparison of the therapeutic effectiveness of human CD34+and rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on improvement of experimental liver fibrosis in Wistar rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have numerous advantages as grafts for cell transplantation. We hypothesized differing impacts of human UCB cells and rat BM-MSCs on reversal of hepatic injury and revival of liver function in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty rats were divided into 4 groups; control group, CCl4group, CCl4/CD34+group and CCl4/BM-MSCs group. Blood samples were driven from rats at 4, 8 and 12 weeks to measure serum concentration of albumin and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Quantitative expression of collagen Iα, TGF-β, α-SMA, albumin, MMP-2, MMP-9 and TNF-α were assessed by polymerase chain reaction. Histopathological examination of the liver tissue was performed. GFP labeled cells were detected in groups injected with stem cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regarding liver function, CD34+were more efficient than BM-MSCs in elevating albumin (P<0.05) and reducing ALT (P<0.05) concentrations. Concerning gene expression, CD34+were more effective than BM-MSCs in reducing gene expressions of collagen Iα (P<0.01), TGF-β1 (P<0.01) and α-SMA (P<0.01). Both CD34+and BM-MSCs have the same efficacy in reducing TNF-α (P<0.001 andP<0.01, respectively). Furthermore, CD34+were more valuable than BM-MSCs in increasing gene expression of albumin (P<0.05) and MMP-9 (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together; human UCB CD34+stem cells were more efficient in improvement of experimental liver injury than BM-MSCs. This study highlighted an important role of human UCB CD34+stem cells in liver fibrosis therapy.
authors: Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University Assuit, Egypt.
authors: Hayam G
authors: HG
authors: Sayyed
authors: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University Assuit, Egypt.
authors: Amany
authors: A
authors: Osama
authors: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University Assuit, Egypt.
authors: Naglaa K
authors: NK
authors: Idriss
authors: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Cario, Egypt.
authors: Dina
authors: D
authors: Sabry
authors: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University Sohag, Egypt.
authors: Azza S
authors: AS
authors: Abdelrhim
authors: Department of Oncological Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University Assuit, Egypt.
authors: Rania
authors: R
authors: Bakry
keywords: CCl4 liver fibrosis; bone marrow stem cell; stem cell therapy; umbilical cord blood CD34+