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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Isolation and Identification of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Adipose Tissue of Sprague Dawley Rats
Published on: April 7, 2023
[A study on the transdifferentiation of adipose mesenchymal stem cells into hepatocytes]
Zhan Liu1, Ze-ya Shi, Hui-xin Zhou
1Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410005, China. liuzhan2004@126.com
Objective:
To investigate the possibility of transdifferentiation of adipose mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs) into hepatocytes.
Methods:
Human omentum adipose tissue was dispersed with collagenase I. Cells collected were cultured in a DMEM-F12 medium containing 2% FBS supplemented with 20 ng/ml HGF, 10 ng/ml FGF4, 1xITS and 0.1 micromol/L dexasmison. The cells of the control group were also cultured in the same kind of medium but without any cytokines serving as a control. The expression of hepatic transcriptional factors such as GATA4 and HNF1 were checked by RT-PCR. At the end of the induction, hepatocyte markers were analysed by flow cytometry, and cytokeratin expressions were examined using cyto-immunofluorescence methods.
Results:
AMSCs grew like fibroblasts and were passaged easily. Most of the third passaged AMSCs were positive against anti-CD29, anti-CD44 antibodies, but negative for the anti-CD34 and anti-CD45 ones. The hepatic transcriptional factor was expressed gradually to higher levels during the induction time. AFP and Alb positive cells were 30.0% and 17.8% of the total cultured cells, and the rate of cells positive to the two markers was 6.9%. The inducted cells were positive for CK18 and CK19 antibodies at the end of the induction. The cells in the control group were negative when checked by these methods.
Conclusions:
AMSCs could be directed to differentiate into hepatocytes in vitro by a cytokine cocktail with a low concentration FBS culture system.
