Salvianolic Acid B Enhances Hepatic Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Through Upregulation of WNT Pathway and Inhibition of Notch Pathway.

ABSTRACT: Hepatocytes differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) could provide a powerful tool for enabling cell-based therapies, studying the mechanisms underlying human liver development and disease, and testing the efficacy and safety of pharmaceuticals. However, currently most in vitro protocols yield hepatocytes with low levels of liver function. In this study, we investigated the potential of Salvianolic acid B (Sal B), an active pharmaceutical compound present in Salvia miltiorrhiza, which has been shown to have an antifibrotic effect in previous studies, to enhance hepatocyte differentiation from human ESCs. After treatment with Sal B, albumin expression and secretion were consistently increased, indicating that Sal B could promote hepatocyte differentiation process. Expression of

SUBMITTER: Chen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5813732 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature