Laboratory of Biomedical Material Engineering, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China.
Cytotherapy. 2009;11(8):1032-40. doi: 10.3109/14653240903121278.
Umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells are an attractive choice in cytotherapy and represent an alternative to hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using the technique of micro-encapsulation to study the differentiation and function of UCB cells in an injured liver model and the potential of encapsulated UCB cells for use in the reversal of hepatic injury.
UCB cells were isolated from fresh human UCB, encapsulated using the alginate-poly-lysine-alginate method and transplanted intraperitoneally into liver-injured mice induced by CCl4. Encapsulated UCB cell growth, viability and differentiation in vivo were detected. For evaluating the recovery of injured liver tissues, serum aminotransferases and liver histology were assessed.
Encapsulated UCB cells showed better growth behavior after being implanted. Under conditions favoring differentiation in vivo, the expression of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and albumin (ALB) and urea synthesis were detected in a time-dependent manner. Serum amino-transferases were decreased after transplantation of encapsulated UCB cells into injured mice, and damage to the histologic structure of the liver was reduced.
The cell microencapsulation system provides a novel approach for learning more about the differentiation and function of UCB cells in vivo. Transplantation of encapsulated UCB cells can enhance recovery of CCl4-injured mouse liver. These observations suggest potential as an alternative to hepatocyte transplantation for cellular therapy of liver failure.
脐带血（UCB）细胞在细胞治疗中是一种有吸引力的选择，是肝细胞的替代品。本研究旨在探讨微囊化技术在损伤肝模型中研究 UCB 细胞分化和功能的可行性，以及封装 UCB 细胞在逆转肝损伤中的应用潜力。
从新鲜人 UCB 中分离 UCB 细胞，使用藻酸盐-聚赖氨酸-藻酸盐方法进行封装，并通过 CCl4 诱导的肝损伤小鼠腹腔内移植。检测体内封装 UCB 细胞的生长、活力和分化。为了评估损伤肝组织的恢复情况，评估了血清氨基转移酶和肝组织学。
封装后的 UCB 细胞表现出更好的生长行为。在有利于体内分化的条件下，以时间依赖性方式检测到甲胎蛋白（AFP）和白蛋白（ALB）的表达和尿素合成。将封装的 UCB 细胞移植到损伤小鼠体内后，血清氨基转移酶降低，肝组织学结构损伤减轻。
细胞微囊化系统为了解 UCB 细胞在体内的分化和功能提供了一种新的方法。封装 UCB 细胞的移植可以增强 CCl4 损伤小鼠肝脏的恢复。这些观察结果表明，它可能替代肝细胞移植用于肝衰竭的细胞治疗。
