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Liver transplantation is the primary treatment for end-stage liver disease and hepatic failure, but this treatment is limited by donor shortage, cost, and associated morbidity and mortality. Now, researchers are investigating mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as an alternative native-cell source for the treatment of liver disease. Under chemically defined conditions, MSCs differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells that express liver-specific genes and possess functions similar to those of adult hepatocytes.
In this study, lethal fulminant hepatic failure was induced by carbon tetrachloride gavage in nonobese, diabetic, severe-combined-immunodeficient mice. Mesenchymal stem cell–derived hepatocytes (MDHs) and MSCs were intrasplenically or intraveno…