1 The disease is particularly serious in some developing countries, and new, effective therapies are essential, in addition to current medical, antiviral, and immunomodulation treatments and selleck chemicals llc liver transplantation. In China, the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seropositive rate is 9.09% for individuals

over 3 years of age,2 and hepatitis B promotes social health problems as a result of its potential for serious complications, including liver cirrhosis and liver failure. Marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MMSCs), one type of somatic stem cells, are characterized by the property of self-renewal and multipotentiality,3-7 and MMSCs have the following advantages for therapeutic application: ease for isolation and cultivation, high expansion potential, a stable phenotype, substantial immune compatibility, and mild side effects after transplantation. MMSCs have been demonstrated

SCH772984 manufacturer to play an important role in cellular therapy and tissue engineering8-10 and have significant potential for the treatment of hepatitis B. In autologous transplantation, MMSCs are derived from the patients themselves, which avoids the potential for immune rejection. At present, autologous MMSCs have been widely applied in the treatment of liver diseases.11-14 However, some studies on the treatment of chronic liver disease with MMSC transplantation have selleck products some limitations, such as a small sample size, lack of controls, and absence of tracing the transplanted cells, short-term observation, and absence of evaluation on long-term efficacy, prognosis, and safety.15, 16 In 2005, we conducted

autologous transplantation with MMSCs in liver failure patients caused by hepatitis B,17 with the longest follow-up reaching 192 weeks. We report our findings, including liver function at 1∼48 weeks after transplantation, symptoms and survival rate, and incidence of HCC during the 192-week follow-up. Patients matched for age, sex, and disease condition were recruited as controls. We aimed to investigate the short-term efficacy and long-term prognosis of liver failure patients caused by hepatitis B after a single transplantation of autologous MMSCs.