Cell Therapy Using Adipose-Derived Stem Cells for Chronic Liver Injury in Mice

The present study investigated whether transplantation of autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) administered into the systemic circulation of a mouse with chronic liver injury provides therapeutic efficacy in the absence of any undesirable side effects. The ASCs used were isolated from mice with the same genetic background as the recipient mice and expanded in vitro. For the induction of chronic liver injury, mice were repetitively administered twice a week with CCl₄, a well-known hepatotoxin, for a period of 4 weeks. One day after the eighth dose of CCl₄, ASC transplantation was performed by tail vein injection and subsequently followed by two additional doses of CCl₄ administration. The recipient mice were divided into four groups (vehicle control, 1.5×10³, 1.5×10⁴, and 1.5×10⁵ ASCs per mouse). One day after the final CCl₄ administration, all mice were sacrificed to assess serum markers and liver histology. The level of serum markers for liver injury and hepatic function did not differ among the four groups. Similarly, no difference was observed in the liver histology between groups. Cell transplantation with ASCs in our model of chronic liver failure did not result in any observable side effects, but from our results, a single application of ASCs seems to be ineffective in improving liver injury.