Immortalized hepatocyte transplantation for treating liver failure

    LI Yu, WANG Jun, XU Zhe, ZHANG Yan, BAI Xueª²Fan

    Center of Infectious Disease, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi¬ðan 710038, China, Department of Anesthesiology, Shaanxi Provincial Corps Hospital, Chinese People¬ðs Armed Police Forces, Xi¬ðan 710054, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To study the roles of immortalized and primary human fetal hepatocyte intrasplenical transplantations in treating the rats with acute liver failure (ALF) induced by Dª²galactosamine (Dª²gal). METHODS: ALF rats were induced by Dª²gal, and were divided into 3 groups. Rats of group¢ñreceived 2¡Á107 immortalized human fetal hepatocytes intrasplenically; rats of group ¢òreceived 2¡Á107 primary human fetal hepatocytes intrasplenically; rats of group ¢ó received 1 mL normal saline intrasplenically. All rats received Cyclosporin A(CsA) at 10 mg/kg im simultaneously. Then the survival rates, liver function and liver histology of all rats were observed. RESULTS: Survival rates of rats in group¢ñand ¢ò were obviously higher than that of group ¢ó (72.2% vs 22.2%, 61.1% vs 22.2%, P<0.01); the liver function and liver histology were also improved significantly as compared with those of group ¢ó. Survival rate of group ¢ñ was close to that of group¢ò (72.2% vs 61.1%, P>0.05). CONCLUSION: After human fetal hepatocyte transplantation intrasplenically, the survival rate of ALF rats intoxicated with Dª²gal is increased, and the liver function and histology are also improved. The immortalized hepatocytes would become the ideal cell material in the study of hepatocyte transplantation. ......