Objective To observe the survival and differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells labeled with green fluorescent protein in SD rat liver during embryonic stage, and to explore the feasibility of establishing human-rat chimeric liver during embryonic development.
Methods Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were transfected and labeled with lentivirus carrying green fluorescent protein, and then injected into experimental group rat embryos. After the fetal mice were born, frozen sections were made to observe the migration and distribution of GFP-hUCMSCs in the liver tissue, and the expression of human-related proteins in the mouse liver was detected by immunohistochemistry. The control group was injected with an equal volume of normal saline.
Results The distribution of GFP signal was detected in the liver tissue of the fetal rats in the experimental group at 45d, 75d, and 120d after birth, and the expression of human hepatocyte-related proteins ALB, HNF3β and HNF4α could be detected in the corresponding liver tissue, but the content of the 120d rat was very low. Some are not even detected. The control group was negative.
Conclusions The presence of GFP signal and the expression of human hepatocyte-related proteins ALB, HNF3β and HNF4α can still be detected in the liver of fetal mice injected with hUCMSCs at the embryonic stage on the 75th day of birth, and they show a decreasing trend with time.