ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Liver fibrosis is the early stage of terminal liver diseases. Effective treatment for liver fibrosis can prevent the occurrence of terminal liver diseases. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantation is a promising method to treat liver fibrosis. OBJECTIVE:To study the therapeutic effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels on liver fibrosis in rats. METHODS: Eighteen Sprague-Dawely rats were randomized into three groups: control, model and cel transplantation groups. Animal models of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis were made in the latter two groups. After modeling, 1 mL bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels (5×105) or the same volume of normal saline was injectedviathe tail vein into the rats in the cel transplantation and model groups, respectively. Rats in the control group were given no treatment. Degree of liver fibrosis, liver function, histological changes of the liver were detected and observed in the three groups at 4 weeks after treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the control group, the liver tissues had normal structure with no fibrosis; in the model group, proliferation of fibrous tissues in the portal area of the liver, inflammatory cel infiltration, vacuolar degeneration and irregular arrangement of liver cels, and tissue structure damage were observed; in the transplantation group, liver tissue damage was severer than the control group but milder than the model group. Levels of serum hyaluronidase, type IV colagen and procolagen III were significantly lower in the cel transplantation group than the model group (P< 0.05). These findings indicate that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantation can aleviate liver fibrosis and improve liver function in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis.