Korean J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surg.  2005 Jun;9(2):95-101.

In Vivo Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell into Hepatocytes

• Lee KG
• Lee KS
• Park HK
• Choi D
• Kim HJ

Abstract

PURPOSE
Embryonic stem (ES) cells have been regarded as a powerful resource in cell replacement therapy. In recent reports, mouse ES cells have been successfully applied to the treatment of spinal cord injuries, hereditary myelin disorders of the central nervous system and diabetes mellitus. Various liver diseases are another group that could benefit from the availability of stem cell therapy; however, no previous demonstration has been made that shows the differentiation of ES cells into hepatocytes. METHODS: To investigate the in vivo differentiation potential of mouse ES cells, we injected ES cells into the splenic cortex of immuno-suppressed nude mice. RESULTS: In a histological analysis of the teratomas derived from injected ES cells some areas were shown, due to their morphology, to contain typical hepatocytes. The hepatic nature of these cells was further confirmed by immunohistochemical assays using the antibody against alpha-fetoprotein and hepatocyte-specific antibodies. In addition, periodic acid-Shiff staining revealed a small portion of hepatic area in the ES-derived teratoma produced glycogen, implying these cells are functional hepatocytes. CONCLUSION: Our case demonstrated for the first time that mouse ES cells can differentiate in vivo into a mixed population of hepatocytes with different maturation stati, which could potentially extend the usage of ES cells in cell replacement therapy for various liver diseases.

Keyword

Stem Cell Transplantation; Cell Differentiation; Mice; Stem Cells; Hepatocytes

MeSH Terms

alpha-Fetoproteins
Animals
Antibodies
Cell Differentiation
Central Nervous System
Diabetes Mellitus
Embryonic Stem Cells*
Glycogen
Hepatocytes*
Liver Diseases
Mice*
Mice, Nude
Myelin Sheath
Spinal Cord Injuries
Stem Cell Transplantation
Stem Cells
Teratoma
Antibodies
Glycogen
alpha-Fetoproteins