Liver Stem Cells – Novel Sources

Hepatocytes have also been cultured from Wharton’s Jelly, the main component of the umbilical cord’s extracellular matrix (Anzalone, et al, 2010). The MSCs found in Wharton’s Jelly express markers previously identified in embryonic stem cells, such as Nanog an Oct3/4A, and appear to be able to exert an immunomodulatory effect on Natural Killer (NK) cells and regulatory T-cell populations. The ability to effectively reduce inflammation, target and destroy diseased tissue, and give rise to new, healthy hepatocytes, makes Wharton’s Jelly look like an excellent source of stem cells for treating liver disease. Amniotic epithelial cells, taken from the human placenta after childbirth, have also been found to differentiate into hepatocytes (Marongui, et al, 2011). These would provide an added source of stem cells for treating a variety of conditions, including liver disease, as they appear able to differentiate into cell types from all three germ layers.

Growing Liver Cells

Marongui (et al, 2011) used in vivo investigations and an animal model to investigate ways of guiding amniotic epithelial cells to give rise to hepatocytes and developed an extracellular matrix of proteins, along with growth factors, cytokines, and hormones to achieve this. The resulting hepatocytes could metabolize ammonia, testosterone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate, and expressed inducible fetal cytochromes. Upon transplantation into the livers of laboratory mice the stem cells gave rise to hepatocyte-like cells which behaved at similar levels to adult liver cells.

A Need for Liver Stem Cell Treatment Trials

Despite all of these trials taking place in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, a clinical trial on liver disease that was set to take place in America has now been withdrawn due to ‘logistic issues’ meaning that US researchers are reliant on information from overseas to inform their current endeavors. Further interesting research has also been published, courtesy of researchers in China, including a study of the effects of a particular phytochemical on the activity of mesenchymal stem cells when addressing liver fibrosis in vivo. Qiao (et al, 2011) used an extract called baicalin taken from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi which has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities to observe any improvements in the activity of MSCs on hepatic fibrosis.

Four treatment modalities were used in this study; MSCs alone, MSCs pre-treated with baicalin, baicalin alone, and pre-treated MSCs combined with baicalin. MSCs alone promoted partial recovery of liver function and suppression of liver inflammation but did not significantly reduce the size of the existing fibrosis. The most successful group was that using baicalin administered in combination with pre-treated MSCs which displayed a synergistic effect and suppressed liver inflammation, reduced the size of existing fibrosis, and aided recovery of liver function. Although the researchers do not outline the mechanisms behind the baicalin effect it may be that this could be used alongside stem cell therapies for liver disease to encourage improved regeneration.

Read More –> Growing Mini-Livers in the Lab