Ameliorative Effect of Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells on Injured Liver of Mice Infected with Schistosoma mansoni

The technique of stem cells or hepatocytes transplantation has recently improved in order to bridge the time before whole-organ liver transplantation. In the present study, unfractionated bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) were harvested from the tibial and femoral marrow compartments of male mice, which were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with and without hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and then transplanted into Schistosoma mansoni-infected female mice on their 8th week post-infection. Mice were sacrificed monthly until the third month of bone marrow transplantation, serum was collected, and albumin concentration, ALT, AST, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were assayed. On the other hand, immunohistopathological and immunohistochemical changes of granuloma size and number, collagen content, and cells expressing OV-6 were detected for identification of liver fibrosis. BMSCs were shown to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells. Serum ALT, AST, and ALP were markedly reduced in the group of mice treated with BMSCs than in the untreated control group. Also, granuloma showed a marked decrease in size and number as compared to the BMSCs untreated group. Collagen content showed marked decrease after the third month of treatment with BMSCs. On the other hand, the expression of OV-6 increased detecting the presence of newly formed hepatocytes after BMSCs treatment. BMSCs with or without HGF infusion significantly enhanced hepatic regeneration in S. mansoni-induced fibrotic liver model and have pathologic and immunohistopathologic therapeutic effects. Also, this new therapeutic trend could generate new hepatocytes to improve the overall liver functions.

Retroviral gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells derived from murine bone marrow and human umbilical cord blood

Both bone marrow [BM] and umbilical cord blood [UCB] CD,; cells represent an attractive source to approach gene therapy for treatment of many disorders that affect gastrointestinal tract [GIT], urinary bladder and liver which lead to different diseases and finally malignancies. Hematotoxicity is a major and frequently dose-limiting side effect of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. Methylguanine-DNA-methyItransferase [MGMT] gene transfer into stem cells was considered as an efficient method for protection against hematotoxicity caused by chemotherapeutic drugs. In the present study a retroviral [RV] vector containing plasmids of both MGMT and eGFP [enhanced green fluorescent protein] was transfected, under the control of 1 alpha-promotor, into stem cells derived from murine BM and human UCB CD[34] cells. The retrovira1 gene transfer rate into both types of stem cells was detected by Flow cytometry at different concentrations of RV supernatant dilutions after 24 hours and 48 hours. The percentage positivity of transduction rate after 24 hours was 94.4% when RV supematant was added undiluted to hUCB CD[34] stem cells and at 1:10, 1:100, 1:1000 dilutions, the positivity rate was 88.7%, 33.6%, 6.6% respectively. When the RV supernatant was added undiluted to mBM stein cells, the percentage positivity of transduction rate was 78.6%, and at 1:10, 1:100, 1:1000 dilutions, the positivity rate was 72.8%, 31%, 6.3% respectively. After 48 hours, percentage positivity of undiluted RV supernatant was 96%, when transduced into hUCB CD[34] stem cells, and at dilutions 1:10, 1:100, 1:1000, the percentage was 91.2%, 35%, 6.9% respectively. The positivity of gene transfer into mBM stem cells was 82.3% when RV supernatant was added undiluted, and at dilutions 1:10, 1:100, 1:1000 the percentage positivity was 75.4%, 32.6%, 6.7% respectively. DNA detection by PCR has been performed to estimate both types of stem cells after gene transfer. Generally, these results conclude that gene therapy can be fulfilled by transducing a retroviral vector carrying special characters inside either bone marrow or umbilical cord blood stem cells. So it can be used for curing different diseases and malignancies

Effect of non specific immuno-stimulant [isoprinosine] and linseed oil on some immunological aspects in rats

In this study, the effect of the immunomodulating agents, isoprinosine and linseed oil was studied in male Sprague- Dawley rats. The LD50 of Proteus mirabilis of both agents was 418 mul of 48 hours growth compared with 296 mul in the control group, accordingly the survival index was calculated and body temperature was recorded. The effect of both compounds on the total body weight, liver, spleen and thymus weights and on the L + S + Thy: T ratio in both the normal and bacterially-infected animals was studied as well as their effect on the total leucocytic neutrophilic, lymphocytic and monocytic counts was estimated. The level of serum TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma was measured in both normal and bacterially- stimulated animals. The effect of linseed oil and isoprinosine on cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-c and LDL-c were evaluated

Prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral infections among schistosoma mansomni patients in Egypt

The Prevalence of hepatitis B [HBV] and hepatitis C [HCV] virus infections among Schistosoma mansoni patients was studied, Serum samples from 33 Schistosoma mansoni diseased patients were tested for antigen of HBV and antibody to HCV [anti-HCV] using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Hepatitis B surface antigen was detcted in the serum of 8 patients [24.2%], compared with [5.2%] in the sera of control group of non infected individuals [2 out of 38], while hepatitis C antibodies were detected in the serum of 6 patients [18.2%] compared with [7.8%] in the sera of the control group [3 out of 38 non schistosomal individuals]. These figures illustrate the significant prevalence of hepatitis B and C infections in association with Schistosoma mansoni