Wharton’s Jelly-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells can Differentiate into Hepatocyte-like

Background: Wharton’s jelly is an unlimited source of stem cells that can be used in cell therapy and tissue engineering without any ethical concern. It has been revealed the cell-free extract could be effective to induce cell differentiation. The objective of this study was to induce Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into hepatocyte-like cells by premeabilization of the cells in the presence of HepG2 cell line extract. Methods: MSCs were isolated from the umbilical cord, CD marker profile and their differentiation potential into adipogenic and osteogenic lineages were determined. The cells were then, permeabilized by streptolysin O in the presence of HepG cell extract. The treated cells were cultured for 17 days. The cell phenotype was evaluated and the hepatocyte specific markers were detected by immunofluorescence and immunocytochemistry