Non-Invasive Vibration-Stress of the Cirrhotic Liver of Patients Waiting for Transplantation Induces of Circulating CD133+ Stem Lymphocytes Committed Phenotypically toward the Liver

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies of tissues’ regeneration have confessed the recovery of damaged liver by hematopoietic stem cells. The cells act not only by cell replacement in the target organ but also by delivering trophic factors that support endogenous liver regeneration. A little is known of how organ-derived signals recruit such committed cells into circulation. Objective: We investigated the roles of noninvasive mechanical percutaneous stress of cirrhotic human liver in numbers fluctuation of trophic, liver-specific alpha-fetoprotein-positive fraction of CD133-positive hematopoietic stem cells in lymphocytes of patients waiting for liver transplantation. Methods: To promote in blood the number of the alpha-fetoprotein-positive fraction of CD133-positive hematopoietic stem cells, committed to liver’ tissue, we activated mechanically the cirrhotic liver of patient by transcutaneous micro vibration received from skin-contacted electro-magnetic vibraphones generated mechanical pulses with amplitude 10 μm and smoothly changing frequency from 0.03 kHz to 18 kHz and back forth during one cycle duration 1 minute. The number of the alpha-fetoprotein-positive fraction of CD133-positive hematopoietic stem cells in lymphocytes of potential recipients was controlled by flow cytometry before and during daily sonication of skin area, which corresponds to liver projection on it. The 15 minutes cyclic sonication of the liver area performed daily for three weeks. Results: The sonication increased significantly averaged number of liver-specific alpha-fetoprotein-positive CD133-positive blood lymphocytes in 2 - 3 times compared to a base lane. The second similar sonication, the same zone after three weeks break showed differences with baseline, but it was statistically insignificant. The result was specifically related to the liver as it showed the control sonication of the backbone’s projection on the skin of a separate group of patients with cirrhotic liver from the waiting list. Conclusion: The stem cells committed to the liver recruit from the bone marrow into circulation, when organ mechanically stresses and secretes specific humoral signals to provoke of lymphopoiesis on host liver repair.