Bone mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing FGF4 contribute to liver regeneration in an animal model of liver cirrhosis.

It is recognized that Fibroblast Growth Factor 4 (FGF-4) could not only increase the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), but also induce BMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. However, the role of FGF4 played in liver regeneration in vivo is unclear. This study constructed FGF4 overexpressing BMSCs and then transplanted them into cirrhotic rats to investigate the role of FGF4 played in liver regeneration. The results showed that FGF4 promoted the location of the BMSCs only at the early stage, and more proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and Jagged-1 positive hepatocytes were found in the cirrhotic rats. This study indicated that FGF4 transduced BMSCs contributed to liver regeneration might by the transplanted microenvironment.