Effects of aFGF and HGF on differentiation of murine hepatic stem cells

Objective To evaluate the effect of acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on differentiation and maturation of murine fetal hepatic stem cells. Methods ED13 Sprague-Dawley (SD) fetal rat liver cells were isolated by collagenase digestion technique and cultured under different conditions (groupⅠ,Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ).aFGF and HGF were used in group Ⅰ, aFGF in group Ⅱ, HGF in group Ⅲ, and group Ⅳ was used as the control.The AFP and ALB in culture matrix were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and the expression of CK-19 was observed by immunocytochemical technique. Results The values of AFP in group Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ were lower than those in the control group (group Ⅳ), while ALB were higher (AFP: t=6.264, 3.221, 2.591, P0.05;ALB: t=6.324, 2.145, 2.954, P0.05).AFP and ALB in group Ⅱ and Ⅲ showed no significant difference (AFP: t=0.501, P0.05;ALB: t=0.616, P0.05).AFP in group Ⅳ was higher than that in group Ⅱor Ⅲ, but ALB was lower (AFP: t=3.221, 2.591, P0.05;ALB: t=2.145, 2.954, P0.05).The CK-19 + cells were over 50% in all samples, and they were over 90% in 22 samples (73.33%). Conclusion It is feasible to isolate the hepatic stem cells from ED13 fetal rat liver by collagenase digestion technique.It is proved that both aFGF and HGF can precipitate hepatic stem cells to differentiate into mature hepatocytes, and there is synergistic action between them.