Hypofunction of the salivary glands can substantially affect quality of life. Current treatments for salivary hypofunction are of limited effectiveness. Although the implantation of functional salivary gland tissue from autologous glandular cells represents a possible physiologic solution to this problem, tissue engineering of salivary glands would require the generation of a great number of acinar cells (ACs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of transdifferentiation of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) into functional ACs using a co-culture system.

BMSCs were isolated from adult rats and co-cultured with rat parotid ACs using a double chamber system. The transdifferentiation of BMSCs was evaluated by immunocytochemical analysis of a-amylase, which has unique functional expression in ACs.

Expression of a-amylase, indicating successful transdifferentiation of BMSCs into ACs, was found in 30% of BMSCs after co-culturing for 1 week, and in 50% after co-culturing for 2 and 3 weeks.

This study has demonstrated the potential of rat BMSCs to transdifferentiate into ACs, and support the feasibility of application of BMSCs in salivary gland tissue engineering. [J Formos Med Assoc 2007;106(1):1-7]