We investigated the effect of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) from Wharton's jelly on carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced liver fibrosis in rats. Rats were treated with CCl 4 for 4 weeks, and this was followed by a direct injection of HUMSCs into their livers. After 4 more weeks of CCl 4 treatment (8 weeks in all), rats with HUMSC transplants [CCl 4 (8W)ϩHUMSC liver] exhibited a significant reduction in liver fibrosis, as evidenced by Sirius red staining and a collagen content assay, in comparison with rats treated with CCl 4 for 8 weeks without HUMSC transplants [CCl 4 (8W)]. Moreover, rats in the CCl 4 (8W)ϩHUMSC (liver) group had significantly lower levels of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvate transaminase, ␣-smooth muscle actin, and transforming growth factor-1 in the liver, whereas the expression of hepatic mesenchymal epithelial transition factor-phosphorylated type (Met-P) and hepatocyte growth factor was up-regulated, in comparison with the CCl 4 (8W) group. Notably, engrafted HUMSCs scattered mostly in the hepatic connective tissue but did not differentiate into hepatocytes expressing human albumin or ␣-fetoprotein. Instead, these engrafted, undifferentiated HUMSCs secreted a variety of bioactive cytokines that may restore liver function and promote regeneration. Human cytokine assay revealed that the amounts of human cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine, leukemia inhibitory factor, and prolactin were substantially greater in the livers of the CCl 4 (8W)ϩHUMSC (liver) group, with considerably reduced hepatic inflammation manifested by a micro positron emission tomography scan. Our findings suggest that xenogeneic transplantation of HUMSCs is a novel approach for treating liver fibrosis and may be a promising therapeutic intervention in the future. Liver Transpl 15: 484-495, 2009.
Smooth muscle cell a b s t r a c tAnkyrin repeat domain 17 (Ankrd17) encodes an ubiquitously expressed protein with two clusters of ankyrin repeats. We have used gene targeting strategy to ablate the Ankrd17 gene in mouse. The Ankrd17-deficient mice died between embryonic day (E) 10.5 and E11.5 due to cardiovascular defects. Serious hemorrhages were detected and the vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) surrounding the vessels were drastically reduced in the Ankrd17-deficient embryos, suggesting that the vascular maturation was not completed. Interestingly, vSMC differentiation marker genes were up-regulated in the mutant embryos. Our data have demonstrated the indispensability of Ankrd17 functioning for vascular maturation during early development. The Ankrd17-deficient mice also provide a new animal model for the analysis of the regulatory pathways of the differentiation of vSMC precursor cells.
This paper investigates the performance, fund characteristics, fund flow of green fund and the impact of subprime mortgage crisis on fund flow volatility. In terms of fund performance, our results show that there is no consistently significant difference between performance of green funds and conventional funds. As for fund characteristics, green funds are more sensitive to market and size risks compared to conventional funds, while they are less sensitive to value and momentum factors than conventional funds. Consistent with prior literature, there exists an asymmetric phenomenon for green funds, that is, fund flows of green funds are significantly related to lagged positive return but not significantly associated with lagged negative returns in normal market conditions. During the subprime mortgage crisis, both mature green and mature conventional funds experienced fund outflows. However, volatility of green funds flows is much lower than their conventional counterparts. Our results suggest that green fund investors can derive utility from the social responsibility attribute, and they are really more socially responsible when making investment decisions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.