Objective Biliary epithelial cell (BEC) proliferated actively induced by ischemia-type biliary lesion (ITBL), which played an important role in the development of biliary complication after orthortopic liver transplantation (OLT). The aims of this study is to provide novel method to protect the liver endured cold preservation and reperfusion injury (CPRI) and reduce posttransplant biliary complication, and explore its possible mechanism.Methods Based on constructed OLT models for studying ITBL, the hepatic oval cell (HOC) or the IL-13 genemodified HOC to the portal vein of the recipient 〔OLT+HOC group and OLT+IL-13· HOC group〕 were-transfused, then the pathology change, the liver function and the expressions of the α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) and Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA of the transplanted liver of CPRI were observed, the proliferation of BEC and survival rate of the recipients were also observed. Results The BEC injury was showed in grafts with prolonged ischemia time, characterized by induction of BEC proliferation, liver function injury and cholestasis sign reflecting the increase of serum ALT, AST and TBIL. The OLT+IL-13·HOC group had better results than OLT and OLT+HOC group, which indicated the OLT+IL-13·HOC group had low level of expression α-SMA (after operation 7 d, Plt;0.05) and proliferation of BEC (after operation 3 d, Plt;0.05). The expressions of HO-1 mRNA were higher in OLT+IL-13·HOC group than in other groups. The survival rate of OLT group was lower than that of the OLT+IL-13·HOC group and sham operation group (Plt;0.05).Conclusion High expression level of IL-13 in recipient rats could promote the expression of HO-1 mRNA in transplant liver, and profit to protection donor liver, and recover of the liver function after liver transplantation. It perhaps is the mechanism of protective effect of IL-13 on graft that stimulate the expression of HO-1 mRNA significantly.
Objective To construct gene-modified hepatic stem cells (WB-F344 cells), which have rat IL-13 gene and can secrete the recombinant rat IL-13 cytokine in the cells. Methods Firstly, the rat IL-13 sequences were synthesized. Then the sequences were amplificated in bacterium coli after recombinated with pWPXL-MOD plasmid. After PCR and sequence identification, the positive clones were packaged into lentivirus. After detecting the virus titer, the WB-F344 cells with constructed lentivirus vector with rat IL-13 gene were cultured, then the valid targets (expression level of the IL-13) were detected by real time-PCR and Western blot in cultured WB-F344 cells on 5 days. Results The valid DNA of rat IL-13 was recombinated and packaged in lentivirus vector. The recombinant gene sequence was correct by checking with gene sequence test. Then the recombinant was introducted into the WB-F344 cells cultures. The best multiplicity of infection (MOI) value for effective transfection was 5. IL-13 had been detected on day 5 after transfection by checking with real-time PCR and Western blot. Conclusion The recombinant rat IL-13 gene with lentivirus vector is constructed and gene-modified WB-F344 cells are cultured successfully, which can be used in next animal experiment.
Objective To investigate the clinical outlook of hepatic stem cells and its relations with liver cancer. Methods The literatures of recent years on the studies of hepatic stem cells were reviewed. Results Liver cancer may consist of cells of various differentiation grades and it may result from the perodifferentiated hepatic stem cells or abnormal differentiated cells. Conclusion The hypothesis of hepatic stem cells has been identified extensively. Further study maybe helpful for revealing the origin, carcinogenesis of hepatic cancer, and may also be useful for the understanding of the mechanism of metastasis.