Isolation and Characterization of Stem Cells Sub Population within the Human Fetal Liver

Isolation and Characterization of Stem Cells Sub Populationwithin the Human Fetal Liver

Human fetal liver is the potential source of both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cells which can be identified using phenotypic markers. Isolation of homogenous populations of hepatic progenitor cells and their sub-populations is an essential prerequisite for investigating specific markers and appropriate cell types for their possible clinical applications. Several studies have demonstrated the presence of a variety of stem cell populations within the fetal liver. The present study was undertaken to identify specialized cell populations, their valuable growth potential and bi-potential differentiation capability derived from human fetal liver using CD133.