| Stem cells are found in all multi-cellular organism. They | | | | liver, we investigated the hepatic potential of umbilical |
| retain the ability to renew themselves and can | | | | cord blood cells both in vitro and in vivo. We |
| differentiate into a diverse range of specialised cell | | | | determined the most efficient conditions leading |
| types. | | | | umbilical cord blood cells to produce albumin. In a |
| As stem cells can be grown and transformed into | | | | novel primary culture system supplemented with a |
| specialized cells with characteristics consistent with | | | | combination of growth/differentiation factors, about |
| cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves | | | | 50% of umbilical cord blood cells in 21-day cultures |
| through cell culture, their use in medical therapies has | | | | expressed albumin, and the albumin cells coexpressed |
| been proposed. In particular, embryonic cell lines, | | | | hepatocyte lineage markers. The albumin expressing |
| autologous embryonic stem cells generated through | | | | cells were able to proliferate in the culture system. |
| therapeutic cloning, and highly plastic adult stem cells | | | | Moreover, in the cell-transplantation model into |
| from the umbilical cord blood or bone marrow are | | | | liver-injured severe combined immunodeficient mice, |
| touted as promising candidates. | | | | inoculated umbilical cord blood cells developed into |
| Human umbilical cord blood cells have many | | | | functional hepatocytes in the liver, which released |
| advantages as grafts for cell transplantation because | | | | human albumin into the sera of the recipient mice. In |
| of the immaturity of newborn cells compared with | | | | conclusion, this study demonstrates that human |
| adult cells. In contrast to their hematopoietic and | | | | umbilical cord blood is a source of transplantable |
| mesenchymal potential, it remains unclear whether | | | | hepatic progenitor cells. Our finding may have |
| umbilical cord blood cells have endodermal | | | | relevance to clinical application of umbilical cord blood |
| competences. Here, with a view to utilize umbilical | | | | derived cell transplantation as a novel therapeutic |
| cord blood cells for cell transplantation into injured | | | | option for liver failure. |