Tunable biomechanical niches regulate hepatic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells for acute liver failure therapy.
Xue T., Zhang J., Li F., Chen G., Yi K., Chen X.
Animal Study, published in Biomaterials (2026) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Animal Study
- Journal
- Biomaterials (2026)
- Country
- Netherlands
- Reported sample size
- —
- PMID
- 40494027
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123458
Abstract (original English)
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a critical disease characterized by hepatocyte necrosis and liver dysfunction. Currently, effective treatments such as liver and hepatocyte transplantation are hindered by donor shortages. Consequently, hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) derived from human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) present substantial therapeutic potential as alternative cells. Establishing a supportive niche is conducive to regulating the differentiation of hADSCs into HLCs with the necessary metabolic and therapeutic functions. In this study, we develop a hydrogel-based synthetic niche composed of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) and oxidized dextran (ODex). These hydrogels, with tunable viscoelasticity and stiffness, regulate hepatic differentiation through Yes-associated protein (YAP) mechanotransduction. Specifically, a combination of faster stress relaxation rate and lower stiffness approximating that of mouse liver fosters the hepatic differentiation of hADSCs. Additionally, this niche also promotes HLC paracrine functions in pro-angiogenesis, anti-oxidative stress, and anti-inflammation. In vivo experiments reveal that hydrogel-based biomechanical niches-regulated HLCs demonstrate satisfactory therapeutic effects in mice with CCl 4 -induced ALF. Overall, this hydrogel-based stem cell niche, which mimics the characteristics of the native liver, with
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is preclinical work; animal or laboratory results cannot be applied to humans.
Evidence level
Evidence comes from animal or laboratory studies and has not been confirmed in humans.
How we grade evidence