Transplantation of insulin-producing cells from umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

• Published in: Journal of biomedical science 2012-04, Vol.19 (1), p.47-47, Article 47
• Main Authors: Tsai, Pei-Jiun, Wang, Hwai-Shi, Shyr, Yi-Ming, Weng, Zen-Chung, Tai, Ling-Chen, Shyu, Jia-Fwu, Chen, Tien-Hua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood sugar; Bone marrow; C-Peptide; Cell Differentiation; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Diabetes therapy; DNA polymerases; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Humans; Insulin; Insulin - metabolism; Insulin Secretion; Insulin-producing cells; Insulin-Secreting Cells - metabolism; Insulin-Secreting Cells - pathology; Liver; Liver - cytology; Liver - metabolism; Mesenchymal stem cell; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - cytology; Peptides; Portal Vein; Rats; Rodents; Stem cells; Streptozocin; Transplant; Transplantation; Umbilical Cord - cytology
• ISSN: 1423-0127; 1021-7770; 1423-0127
• DOI: 10.1186/1423-0127-19-47

Although diabetes mellitus (DM) can be treated with islet transplantation, a scarcity of donors limits the utility of this technique. This study investigated whether human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from umbilical cord could be induced efficiently to differentiate into insulin-producing cells. Secondly, we evaluated the effect of portal vein transplantation of these differentiated cells in the treatment of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats. MSCs from human umbilical cord were induced in three stages to differentiate into insulin-producing cells and evaluated by immunocytochemistry, reverse transcriptase, and real-time PCR, and ELISA. Differentiated cells were transplanted into the liver of diabetic rats using a Port-A catheter via the portal vein. Blood glucose levels were monitored weekly. Human nuclei and C-peptide were detected in the rat liver by immunohistochemistry. Pancreatic β-cell development-related genes were expressed in the differentiated cells. C-peptide release was increased after glucose challenge in vitro. Furthermore, after transplantation of differentiated cells into the diabetic rats, blood sugar level decreased. Insulin-producing cells containing human C-peptide and human nuclei were located in the liver. Thus, a Port-A catheter can be used to transplant differentiated insulin-producing cells from human MSCs into the portal vein to alleviate hyperglycemia among diabetic rats.