Intrahepatic tracking of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells after transplanting into rats with liver fibrosis / 中华器官移植杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To establish a method of PKH26 labeled bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into rats with liver fibrosis and observe cell immigration and differentiation in the liver after transplantation.Methods Bone marrow-derived EPCs were isolated and cultured from rats with liver fibrosis,and then labeled with PKH26 in vitro.Under the scanning confocal microscopy and flow cytometry,PKH26 fluorescent labeling rate and cell survival rate were measured.EPCs of PKH26 fluorescent labeling were transplanted into rats with liver fibrosis via the tail vein,and the migration situation was observed in the liver.Endothelial cell markers CD31 and von willebrand factor (vWF) were detected by using immunofluorescence.Results The PKH26-labeled EPCs appeared red fluorescence and the labeling rate was 96.65 ％.As compared with unlabeled cells,the labeled cells grew well,and had no significant changes in the growth curve.After transplantation into the liver of rats,the PKH26 labeled cells were mainly distributed in blood vessel endothelium along fibers and hepatic sinusoids in hepatic lobule.Endothelial cell-specific antigens such as CD31 and vWF could be detected along the vascular walls.Conclusion PKH26 could be used to label and track EPCs in the liver of rats with liver fibrosis in vitro.The PKH26-labeled cells may migrate to the surrounding of the hepatic vessels and differentiate into mature endothelial cells.