ABSTRACT
Objective To establish an effective method for inducing mouse bone marrow mononuclear cells(MNCs) to differentiate into hepatocytes.Methods MNCs were isolated by gradient density centrifugation,and the cells were cultured in Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's medium supplemented with 10 % new bovine serum(NBS),20 ng/ml hepatocyte growth factor(HGF),10 ng/ml fibroblast growth factor-4(FGF-4) and 10 ng/ml oncostatin m(OSM) for 21 days' induction.The medium was changed every 3 days.Results When MNCs were cultured with HGF,FGF-4 and OSM,cuboidal morphology was observed,and cells also expressed marker genes specific for liver cells in a time-dependent manner.?-fetoprotein(AFP) and cytokeratin 19(CK19) were expressed on the day 7,and CK18 and TAT were detected on the day 14-21,in common with the immunofluoresence results.Differentiated cells further demonstrated these cells also acquired functional characteristics of hepatocytes.Conclusion Mouse MNCs can differentiate into hepatocytes when induced by HGF,FGF-4 and OSM.