Effect of hypoxic treatment on bone marrow cells that are able to migrate to the injured liver

Restricted numbers and poor regenerative properties limit the use of adult stem cells. We tested the effect of hypoxic treatment as a method by which to increase cell migration. Bone marrow cells (BMCs) were cultured under oxygen saturations of 0.1, 3, and 20% for 24 h. After hypoxic treatment, BMCs of apoptotic fraction were decreased. The expression of CXCR4 was noticeably increased in the hypoxia-treated BMCs and their migration in response to SDF-1 alpha was enhanced compared with cells cultured under normoxic condition. Hypoxic BMCs had a higher degree of engraftment to the CCl4-injured liver than the normoxic cells. Hypoxic treatment of BMCs may have merits in decreasing apoptosis of those cells as well as in enhancing cellular migration to SDF-1 alpha, the chemokine which binds to BMCs expressed CXCR4 and to the injured tissue, such as CCl4 damaged liver. (C) 2008 International Federation for Cell Biology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.