Therapeutic effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with bone marrow M2 macrophages on a rat model of liver cirrhosis / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （BMSCs） co-cultured with bone marrow-derived M2 macrophages （M2-BMDMs）， named as BMSCM2， on a rat model of liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride （CCl4）/2-acetaminofluorene （2-AAF）. MethodsRat BMDMs were isolated and polarized into M2 phenotype， and rat BMSCs were isolated and co-cultured with M2-BMDMs at the third generation to obtain BMSCM2. The rats were given subcutaneous injection of CCl4 for 6 weeks to establish a model of liver cirrhosis， and then they were randomly divided into model group （M group）， BMSC group， and BMSCM2 group， with 6 rats in each group. A normal group （N group） with 6 rats was also established. Since week 7， the model rats were given 2-AAF by gavage in addition to the subcutaneous injection of CCl4. Samples were collected at the end of week 10 to observe liver function， liver histopathology， and hydroxyproline （Hyp） content in liver tissue， as well as changes in the markers for hepatic stellate cells， hepatic progenitor cells， cholangiocytes， and hepatocytes. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the N group， the M group had significant increases in the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） （P<0.01）； compared with the M group， the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in ALT and AST （P<0.01）， and the BMSCM2 group had significantly better activities than the BMSC group （P<0.05）. Compared with the N group， the M group had significant increases in Hyp content and the mRNA and protein expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） in the liver （P<0.01）； compared with the M group， the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in Hyp content and the expression of α-SMA （P<0.05）， and the BMSCM2 group had a significantly lower level of α-SMA than the BMSC group （P<0.01）. Compared with the N group， the M group had significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the hepatic progenitor cell markers EpCam and Sox9 and the cholangiocyte markers CK7 and CK19 （P<0.01） and significant reductions in the expression levels of the hepatocyte markers HNF-4α and Alb （P<0.01）； compared with the M group， the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam， Sox9， CK7， and CK19 （P<0.05） and significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of HNF-4α and Alb （P<0.05）， and compared with the BMSC group， the BMSCM2 group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam and CK19 （P<0.05） and significant increase in the expression level of HNF-4α （P<0.05）. ConclusionM2-BMDMs can enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on CCl4/2-AAF-induced liver cirrhosis in rats， which provides new ideas for further improving the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on liver cirrhosis.

Effects of different subtypes of Numb protein subtypes on liver fibrosis-related signaling pathways / 临床肝胆病杂志

Liver fibrosis is the only way for various chronic liver diseases to develop into liver cirrhosis and is a reversible pathological state. However, how to prevent or reverse the development and progression of liver fibrosis is still an important scientific problem to be solved in clinical practice. As an important cell fate determinant, Numb has been shown to be closely associated with the development of many diseases. In the fibrotic environment, different subtypes of Numb protein are translated due to the selective shear action of the Numb gene, which have different regulatory effects on the activation of different signaling pathways and the differentiation of liver stem cells. At present, there are few reports on the role of Numb protein subtypes in liver fibrosis. This article reviews the regulatory effect of different Numb protein subtypes on the Notch, Hedgehog, and P53 signaling pathways and liver stem cells and elaborates on their potential application prospects in the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Effect of polarized bone marrow-derived macrophage transplantation on the progression of CCl / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of polarized bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMDM) transplantation on the progression of CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis in rats. Methods Rat BMDMs were isolated and induced to differentiate into M1 phenotype (M1-BMDM) by lipopolysaccharide (5 ng/mL) or M2 phenotype (M2-BMDM) by the supernatant of L929 cells. A rat model of liver fibrosis was established by subcutaneous injection of 30% CCl 4 for 6 weeks, and at week 7, the model rats were randomly divided into model control group (M group), M1-BMDM group, and M2-BMDM group and were given a single injection of normal saline, M1-BMDM, and M2-BMDM, respectively, via the caudal vein, and subcutaneous injection of 30% CCl 4 was given until the end of week 9. Related indices were observed, including liver function, liver histopathology, hydroxyproline (Hyp) content in liver tissue, hepatic stellate cell activation, liver fibrosis, and expression of inflammatory cytokines. The continuous data were expressed as mean±standard deviation; an analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the SNK- q test was used for further comparison between two groups. Results Compared with the M group, both M1-BMDM and M2-BMDM significantly inhibited liver inflammation and liver fibrosis progression and significantly reduced serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities ( P < 0.01) and Hyp content in liver tissue ( P < 0.05). M1-BMDM and M2-BMDM significantly inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and significantly reduced the mRNA expression levels of TGF-β, Col1A1, and Col4 (all P < 0.05). Both M1-BMDM and M2-BMDM significantly increased the expression level of CD163 protein in liver tissue ( P < 0.01), and the M2-BMDM group had a significantly higher level than the M1-BMDM group ( P < 0.05); both M1-BMDM and M2-BMDM significantly reduced the mRNA expression levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 in liver tissue ( P < 0.05) and significantly increased the mRNA expression level of MMP-13 ( P < 0.01); in addition, M2-BMDM significantly reduced the expression level of CD68 protein in liver tissue ( P < 0.01). Both M1-BMDM and M2-BMDM significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and IL-10 and the protein expression level of albumin in liver tissue (all P < 0.05), and the above indices in the M2-BMDM group were significantly higher than those in the M1-BMDM group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Both M1-BMDM and M2-BMDM can effectively inhibit the progression of CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis in rats, possibly by inhibiting the activation of hepatic stellate cells and promoting the activation of anti-inflammatory macrophages. Moreover, M2-BMDM can also inhibit the activation of pro-inflammatory macrophages and thus has a better comprehensive intervention effect than M1-BMDM.

Role of the Numb gene in the progression of liver fibrosis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Liver fibrosis is the response of the body to wound repair, and it is the only way for various chronic liver diseases to develop into liver cirrhosis. At present, there is still no chemical or biological drugs for blocking or reversing liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis has a complex pathogenesis, which involves the TGF-β/Smad, Notch, Wnt, and Hedgehog signaling pathways. However, how to use simple methods to solve this complex issue remains a key scientific problem in the treatment field. As a critical determinant for cell fate, Numb is involved in the regulation of various signaling pathways such as Notch, Wnt, and Hedgehog, but its role in anti-fibrosis has not been taken seriously. This article reviews the potential value of Numb in anti-fibrosis.