Problems associated with the treatment of liver failure necessitate more research on advanced strategies like cell-based therapy and tissue engineering. Since cell therapy approaches suffer from some limitations, tissue engineering and material science converge the sight onto stem cell-biomaterial based therapy. In this study, the human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAd-MSCs), carrying ectopic fluorescent reporter genes, were encapsulated in the chitosan-β-glycerol phosphate hydroxyethyl cellulose (β-GP-HEC) and transplanted into the right lobe of the intact liver of Wistar rats (as cell-laden scaffolds). In addition, labeled hAd-MSCs were injected into the liver (as scaffold-free groups).All experimental groups were monitored after 15, 45, 90, and 180 days of transplantation. Fluorescence microscopy and histological evaluations were used to monitor the migration and distribution of cells within the two test groups along with their related controls, during the 6-month follow-up. Moreover, the ability of cells to migrate to other tissues was detected by quantitative PCR. Macroscopic inspection during this period showed no evidence of pathological inflammatory responses. Microscopic observations revealed that the injected cells were detectable at the target organ, for at least 6 months in both scaffold and scaffold-free groups. However, the scaffold-free samples showed signs of reduction in cellular augmentation over time. The molecular assessment also confirmed that the application of scaffold in vivo reduced unnecessary cell migration into other organs. In conclusion, the application of cell-seeded β-GP-HEC scaffold not only improved cell survival but also reduced the rate of cellular escape from the target area of transplantation.

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