Autologous transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells into the vena portae of minipig; a preliminary experiment for NOTES approach

Abstract

Introduction: There is evidence that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could trans-differentiate into the liver cells in vitro and in vivo and thus may be
used as an unfailing source for stem cell therapy of liver disease. Combination of MSCs (with or without their differentiation in vitro) and minimally
invasive procedures as laparoscopy or Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) represents a chance for many patients waiting for
liver transplantation in vain.
Methods: Over 30 millions of autologous MSCs at passage 3 were transplanted via the portal vein in an eight months old miniature pig. The deposition
of transplanted cells in liver parenchyma was evaluated histologically and the trans-differential potential of CM-DiI labeled cells was assessed
by expression of pig albumin using immunofluorescence.
Results: Three weeks after transplantation we detected the labeled cells (solitary, small clusters) in all 10 samples (2 samples from each lobe) but
no diffuse distribution in the samples. The localization of CM-DiI+ cells was predominantly observed around the portal triads. We also detected the
localization of albumin signal in CM-DiI labeled cells.
Conclusion: The study results showed that the autologous MSCs (without additional hepatic differentiation in vitro) transplantation through the
portal vein led to successful infiltration of intact miniature pig liver parenchyma with detectable in vivo trans-differentiation. NOTES as well as other
newly developed surgical approaches in combination with cell therapy seem to be very promising for the treatment of hepatic diseases in near
future.