Antioxidant Effects of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Oxidative Damage in Rat Livers

Background: Liver fibrosis results from excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, which affects liver function over time and leads to its failure. In the past, liver transplant was thought to be the only treatment for end-stage liver disease, but due to the shortage of proper donors other medical treatments have been taken into consideration. Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) in CCl4 damaged rats. Methods: Liver damage in adult male Wistar rats was induced with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The rats were divided into normal control group, receiving CCl4, and those receiving CCl4 + marrow derived-MSC. Human BM-MSC was isolated, cultured, and characterized. The rats were injected with xenograft MSCs into the hepatic lobes of the liver. In the eighth week, blood samples were taken from all groups. Histological examination and biochemical analyses were used to compare the morphological and functional liver regeneration among different groups. Measurement of lipid peroxidation and glutathione transferase activity was also performed. Results: Histopathology and biochemical analyses indicated that local injection of human BM-MSCs was effective in treating liver failure in the rat model. Furthermore, oxidative stress was attenuated by increased level of GSH content after MSC transplantation. Conclusion: Evidence of this animal model approach showed that bone marrow-derived MSCs promote an antioxidant response and support the potential of using MSCs transplantation as an effective treatment modality for liver disease.