Transplanted bone marrow stromal cells lead to hepatocellular carcinoma?

A research article published on May 21, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology shows that bone marrow stromal cells could differentiate into hepatic stem cells in rodents and humans and might be a valuable strategy of future replacement therapy for damaged malfunctional hepatocytes, because it is easier to obtain autologous bone marrow cells than other tissue-specific stem cells. However, the safety and efficacy of hepatic stem cells derived from bone marrow stromal cells should be adequately confirmed before any therapies are tested in humans.

A research team led by Dr. Zheng from Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, People's Hospital of Hainan Province, transplanted bone marrow stromal cells into mice via portal vein. Hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by diethylnitrosamine. The results demonstrate that cultured bone marrow stromal cells can differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro and hepatocytes, hepatic stem cells derived from bone marrow stromal cells are not cellular origin of hepatocellular carcinomas, and bone marrow cells may be potentially used in cell-based replacement therapy or gene delivery systems.