Scavenger endothelial cells of vertebrates: A nonperipheral leukocyte system for high- capacity elimination of waste macromolecules

摘要

Studies over the last two decades have shown that mammalian nonmacrophagic liver endothelial cells clear the blood from nu- merous physiological and foreign waste macromolecules, such as polysaccharides and proteins released during extracellular matrix turnover, intracellular macromolecules, modified serum proteins, and bacterial and fungal proteins [Smedsrod, B., Pertoft, H., Gustafson, S. & Laurent, T. C. (1990) Biochem. J. 266, 313-327]. These macromolecules are released daily in gram-amounts in a normal human body and are effectively taken up and degraded by the liver endothelial cells.