RESUMEN
BACKGROUND:Recent studies have shown that adipose-derivedmesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) not only have multilineage differentiation potential, but also exert an important role in blood sugar balance and hormone production.OBJECTIVE:To observe the differentiation potential of human ADMSCs (hADMSCs) into functional islet-like cells and the therapeutic effect of hADMSCs transplantation in diabetic rats.METHODS:PDX-1 gene was transfected into hADMSCs by adenovirus. Cell differentiation and insulin secretion were identified and detected by dithizone staining and ELISA, respectively. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (n=4), diabetes group (n=8) and transplantation group (n=8). Rats in the latter two groups were subjected to making diabetic models by 65 mg/kg streptozotocin injection. Afterwards, rats in the transplantation group were given PDX-1 transfected ADMSCs via the tail vein.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At 15 days after transfection, the number of insulin positive cells and insulin secretion were both increased significantly (P < 0.05). Fasting glucose levels in the transplantation group decreased significantly (P < 0.05), while the body weight increased significantly (P < 0.05). In the diabetic group, the fasting glucose level still maintained at a high level, and the body weight of rats was significantly decreased. These results implicated that PDX-1 gene could induce hADMSCs differentiating into functional islet-like cells. PDX-1 transfected ADMSCs transplantation is effective in treating diabetic rats, but the mechanism needs further study.