Effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation into rats with acute liver failure

Objective To determine the effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) transplantation into rats with acute liver failure.Methods Acute liver failure was surgically induced by 90% hepatectomy.20 rats were divided into BMSCs transplantation group(n = 10) and control group.In the BMSCs transplantation group,BMSCs were suspended in 0.3 ml saline with 2 × 106 cells and transplanted after 90% hepatectomy immediately.In the control group:0.3 ml saline was injected.The rat survival rate was defined as the percentage of live rats at any specific time point.Serum levels of ALT,AST,and Alb were determined on day 0,1,2,3,and 7 after hepatectomy.BMSCs-derived Alb mRNA expression in liver was determined by RT-PCR on day 7.Results The survival rate of BMSCs group was 80%,while that of control group was 20%.BMSCs were detected in the liver after transplantation.Serum levels of ALT and AST were significantly decreased on day 1,2 and 3 in BMSCs group compared to the control group.At the same time,serum levels of Alb were significantly increased.Conclusion BMSCs transplantation increases the survival rate of hepatectomy induced acute liver failure rats and promotes the recovery of liver functions.BMSCs transplantation could possibly be an alternative to liver transplantation for the treatment of liver failure.