Co-transplantation of hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells

摘要

The complex architecture of the liver embraces hepatocytes, a variety of non-parenchymal cells, notably the sinusoidal lining cells (endothelial and Kupffer cells), stellate cells, lymphocytes, as well as the biliary epithelial cell population, and an emergingly significant population in the canal of Hering with stem cell characteristics1. The importance of the non-parenchymal cell population in maintaining the integrity of the liver architecture, and supporting and modulating the function of hepatocytes, has become a major research area in the past decade. Liver cell transplantation, as this volume illustrates, is one area of huge potential that has not yet moved to an effective place in the clinical arena. Naturally, the main area of interest has been the provision of hepatocyte function. The survival, proliferation and expressed function of transplanted hepatocytes in experimental systems remains such a striking phenomenon that the option of co-transplanting non-parenchymal cells with hepatocytes has remained a relatively under-explored area. There are, however, a number of reasons for which co-transplantation of non-parenchymal cells and hepatocytes might be advantageous. The potential advantages include1. facilitation of vascularization of new hepatic cords;2. provision of extracellular matrix, maintenance of differentiated function by hepatocytes;3. providing immune modulation of hepatocyte function;4. providing immunoprotection for hepatocytes, and modulation of hepatocyte growth.