There is a growing literature of clinical studies of bone marrow (BM) cell therapy for liver cirrhosis. At present, the optimum choice of cell type(s) and the mechanism(s) of effect remain undefined. Cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage have key roles in the development and resolution of liver fibrosis. Therefore, I tested the therapeutic effects of these cells in the context of experimental murine liver fibrosis. The effects of unmanipulated, syngeneic macrophages, their specific BM precursors and unfractionated (whole) BM cells were examined in the iterative carbon tetrachloride model of liver fibrosis. BM-derived macrophage (BMM) delivery resulted in early chemokine upregulation with the hepatic recruitment of endogenous macrophages and neutrophils. These cells delivered matrix metalloproteinases-13 and -9 respectively, into the hepatic scar. The effector cell infiltrate was accompanied by increased levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. A reduction in hepatic myofibroblasts was followed by reduced fibrosis detected 4 weeks after macrophage infusion. Serum albumin levels were elevated at this time. Upregulation of the liver progenitor cell mitogen TWEAK preceded expansion of the progenitor cell compartment. BMM delivery increased hepatic expression of cytokines with reparative effects (including colony stimulating factor-1, insulin-like growth factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor). In contrast to the effects of differentiated macrophages, liver fibrosis was not significantly improved by the application of macrophage precursors and was exacerbated by whole BM. BMMs did not affect liver fibrosis or regeneration in the 1% DDC model of biliary disease. These effects were only detected following the intraportal delivery of BM cells. The peripheral (tail) vein administration of BMMs, either singly or repeatedly did not recapitulate the therapeutic phenotype. This was investigated by in vivo tracking of BMMs constitutively expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP). The peripheral administration route resulted in the early (1 hour) accumulation of BMMs within the pulmonary system. This was followed by delayed hepatic engraftment, which was also numerically reduced (< 30%) compared with intraportal administration. Macrophage cell therapy improves clinically relevant parameters in experimental chronic liver injury. Paracrine signalling to endogenous cells amplifies the effect. The benefits from this single, defined cell type suggest clinical potential.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:705309 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Thomas, James A. |
| Contributors | Forbes, Stuart ; Iredale, John |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/19553 |
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