Regulation of cell engraftment in the liver

摘要

Recent advances in organ repopulation and stem cell biology have brought us tocx astonishing new avenues of therapeutic possibilities. The liver is a key player in cell therapy because liver disease imposes an enormous burden worldwide and liver-directed therapies are applicable to many other disorders, including genetic conditions with extrahepatic manifestations. To understand the value of liver cell therapy in specific disorders, it is necessary to define what magnitude of liver repopulation will be therapeutic. The first step in liver repopulation involves deposition of transplanted hepatocytes in an optimal fashion, efficient engraftment of transplanted cells, and integration of transplanted cells in the liver parenchyma so that cellular integrity is restored, cells express specialized genes in physiologically regulated manner, and cell proliferation can be induced as desired. The area of cell engraftment has been under active investigation. Available insights indicate that after deposition in liver sinusoids, hepatocytes engraft in the liver and survive throughout the life of syngeneic animals.