Anti-Cytokeratin monoclonal antibody, clone BF2

Adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) may be an attractive therapeutic source for acute liver injury because of their high accessibility and non-invasiveness. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potentials of porcine ADMSCs for acute liver failure (ALF). The morphology, differentiation potential, expression patterns of cell surface markers and liver-specific genes were compared between the ADMSCs derived from the pigs with or without ALF. For therapeutic studies, the expanded porcine ADMSCs from either ALF pig (ALF-ADMSCs) or healthy control pig (Nor-ADMSCs) of passage 3 were transplanted into CCl4-induced ALF mice, and the liver histology and functional tests were performed at days 1, 7, 14, and 21 after cell transplantation. ALF-ADMSCs expressed higher mRNA level of hepatic growth factor (HGF) than the Nor-ADMSCs. Both ALF-ADMSCs and Nor-ADMSCs improved liver histology, functions, and mouse survival rate. Higher level of porcine hepatocyte-specific genes was seen in the livers of ALF-ADMSCs transplanted mice as compared to the Nor-ADMSCs transplanted mice. In particular, ALF-ADMSCs transplanted mice expressed significantly higher level of albumin and cytokeratin 18 in the liver tissues as compared to the Nor-ADMSCs transplanted mice. ALF-ADMSCs might be superior to Nor-ADMSCs in the treatment of ALF as the former possesses stronger hepatic differentiation potential.

In vitro culture of human salivary gland epithelial cells (SGEC) is still a challenge. A high quantity and quality of cells are needed for the cultivation of 3D matrices. Furthermore, it is known that DNA damage is supposed to be an important factor involved in carcinogenesis. This study investigates cellular function and DNA integrity of human SGEC during 3 passage steps in 2 groups (group 1: n = 10; group 2: n = 9). Cellular function was analyzed by immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). DNA integrity was tested via the comet assay. Immunohistochemistry and qPCR results showed stable alpha-amylase and pan-cytokeratin levels; TEM revealed functional cells; and no significant DNA damage could be detected in the comet assay during 3 culture steps. The study shows that not only at cellular but also at DNA level human SGEC can be safely quantified over 3 passages for preclinical tissue engineering without loss of differentiation and function.