ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To study the effects of hepatectomized rat serum and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on the transdifferentiation of adult rat bone marrow stem cells (ABMSCs) into hepatic parenchymal cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The serum was collected from the rats 24 hours after being subjected to subtotal hepatectomy. ABMSCs were collected and cultured in DMEM/F12 (1:1) containing the hepaetectomized rat serum or HGF. The differentiated hepatocyte-like cells were labeled with CM-DiI and administrated by tail vein injection into the isogeneic rats. The cultured and injected cells were both identified by immunocytochemistry and cultured cells were assayed using RT-PCR and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Hepatectomized rat serum and HGF were demonstrated to have the effect of inducing transdifferentiation of ABMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. The differentiated cells expressed albumin mRNA and albumin after 7 days++'s co-incubation. Albumin-expressing and CM-DiI positive hepatocyte-like cells were characterized in livers and spleens of the rats injected with the cultivated cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>ABMSCs could transdifferentiate into hepatic parenchymal cells by hepatectomized rat serum or HGF.</p>