The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) surviving and differentiating into hepatocyte-like cells in partially hepatectomized model rats. MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord and cultured with collagenase digestion. Cell surface markers were detected and fifth generation UC-MSCs were labeled with PKH26. The partially hepatectomized model rats were injected with the labeled human umbilical cord MSCs and transplanted through the portal vein. The survival of the labeled cells, in differentiation conditions and the expression of hepatic marker albumin were observed at post-transplantation 1, 2 and 3 weeks under a fluorescence microscope. It was found that the human umbilical cord MSCs could be cultured and amplified in vitro. Following transplantation to the partially hepatectomized liver of the model rat, the cells survived and expresses the hepatic marker albumin in vivo. After being labeled with PKH26, the cells were visualized as red fluorescence under a fluorescence microscope. In the frozen sections of the liver, the marked cells scattered around and most of them expressed albumin with green fluorescence under the fluorescence microscope. In conclusion, the transplanted human umbilical cord MSCs survived and differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells. The human umbilical cord MSCs may therefore be a main source of hepatocytes in transplantation.
Keywords: differentiation; hepatocyte; in vivo; mesenchymal stem cells; stem cells transplantation.