[TRANSPLANTATION OF HUMAN AMNIOTIC EPITHELIAL CELLS IN TREATMENT OF HEPATIC FIBROSIS IN IMMUNE RATS].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the survival, migration, and effect of human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) on hepatc fibrosis in immune rats so as to provide the experimental theory for the clinical treatment with hAECs. METHODS: Sixty-four 10-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats (weighing, 220-280 g) were randomly divided into 4 groups, sixteen rats in each group. Rat hepatic fibrosis model was induced in groups A, B, and C; hepatic fibrosis rats were injected with 4 x 10(6) hAECs in group A, and with normal saline in group B, and no treatment was given in group C; group D served as control group. After 2 weeks of transplantation, the expression of human Alu gene repeat sequence was detected by DNA-PCR method and human leucocyte antigen G (HLA-G) by immunohistochemical staining in heart, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, and brain in group A, and then the percentage of positive expression was compared between organs except spleen. Semi-quantitative analysis was done for liver fibrosis with HE staining according to Chevallier semi-quantitative histological liver fibrosis scoring system, and immunohistochemical staining for TGF-β1 was used to record immunohistochemical score (ISH), the concentrations of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and albumin (ALB) were determined to analyze hepatic fibrosis. RESULTS: Alu gene repeat sequence and HLA-G could be detected in liver, heart, brain, lung, and kidney in group A, the percentage of positive expression in the liver was significantly higher than that in the other organs (P < 0.05). The histological semi-quantitative score of group A (10.47 ± 3.20) was significantly lower than that of groups B and C [(13.84 ± 3.46) and (13.85 ± 3.16)](P < 0.05), but no significant difference was found between groups B and C (P > 0.05). The ISH scores in groups A, B, C, and D were 3.60 ± 1.50, 5.38 ± 2.60, 5.50 ± 2.40, and 1.87 ± 1.36, respectively; groups A, B, and C were significantly higher than group D, and group A was significantly lower than groups B and C (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between groups B and C (P > 0.05). The concentrations of ALT and AST in groups A, B, and C were significantly higher than those in group D, and group A was significantly lower than groups B and C (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between groups B and C (P > 0.05). The concentration of ALB in groups A, B, and C was significantly lower than that in group D, and group A was significantly higher than groups B and C (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between groups B and C (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: hAECs can survive in immune rats by intrasplenic transplantation and migrate to liver, heart, brain, lung, and kidney, and the liver shows the largest migration. The transplantation of hAECs in immune rat with cirrhosis can alleviate hepatic fibrosis and improve the serum indexes of liver function.