[Possible use of amniotic cells for regenerative medicine]

Human amniotic epithelial cells are able to express differentiation markers of at least two cell lineages, neuronal cells and hepatic parenchymal cells in vitro(Neurosci Lett 209: 9, 1996, J Hum Genet 45: 171, 2000). The former was characterized by the expression of neurofilament and glial fibrillary acidic protein, and the latter, by albumin and alpha-fetoprotein. Since amnion is formed in the early stage of embryogenesis, immature undifferentiated cells may be reserved. In addition to biological features, amniotic epithelial cells are obtained from the placenta during Cesarean section without obvious ethical problems. Amniotic membrane may be one novel cell source in regenerative medicine for neuronal and hepatic disease, including an ex vivo gene carrier.