The Efficiency of Stem Cells (SCs) Differentiation into Functional Hepatocytes for Treating Liver Disorders: A Systematic Review

Stem cells provided new opportunity to treat various diseases, including liver disorders. Stem cells are unspecialized cells, stimulating influential research interest be indebted to their multipotent self-renewal capacity and differentiation characteristics into several specialized cell types. Many factors contribute to their differentiation into different cell types such as insulin producing cells, osteoblast, and hepatocytes. Accordingly, wide range methods and materials have been used to transform stem cells into hepatocytes, but effectiveness of differentiation is different and depends on several factors such as cell-to-cell adhesion, cell-to-cell contact, and cell biological change. Search was done in PubMed, Scopus, and WOS to evaluate results of studies about stem cells differentiation for higher efficacy. Among more than 28000 papers, 51 studies were considered eligible for more evaluations. Results indicated that most studies were performed on mesenchymal stem cells compared with other types. Acute liver failure was the most investigated liver disorder, and tissue engineering was the most investigated differentiation methods. Also, functional parameters were the most evaluated parameters in assessing differentiation efficacy. We summarize recent advances in increasing efficiency of stem cells differentiation using varied materials, since promising results of this review, further studies are needed to assess efficiency and safety of these cells transplantation in some liver disease treatment.

Automated summary

Stem cells offer a new avenue for treating liver disorders. They have the potential to differentiate into various specialized cell types, and efforts have been made to enhance their differentiation into hepatocytes. However, the effectiveness of this differentiation process depends on factors such as cell-to-cell adhesion and biological changes. A comprehensive review of studies on stem cell differentiation revealed that most research focused on mesenchymal stem cells, with acute liver failure being the most investigated liver disorder. Tissue engineering methods were commonly used for differentiation, and functional parameters were frequently evaluated.