Liver Regeneration: An update on the Role of Non- Parenchymal Cells

Many advances have been made during last years in the field of liver regeneration. Current studies underline the importance of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) as one of the sources for constructing bioartificial livers (BAL) and as source of cells for transplantation. However, the liver microenvironment is also formed by nonparenchymal cells (NPCs) that interact with LPCs and parenchymal cells during liver regeneration. Recent advances in liver tissue engineering have shown the importance of NPCs in extracorporeal systems, such as bioreactors for BAL or in several systems of 3D culture in combination with either hepatocytes, hepatoblast or LPCs. A precise knowledge of the functional role and the relationships between the diverse liver cell types is of great importance in the development of a liver organoid. Thus, this review focuses on the role of NPCs during liver regeneration in regard to their relationship with LPCs, and their potential use in 3D and extracorporeal systems in order to improve their efficacy and thus, their potential to be in the clinical setting.

Keywords: 3D co-culture, Bioartificial liver, Bioreactor, Extracellular matrix, Hepatic stellate cells, Hepatic stem cells, Hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, Liver progenitor cells, Liver regeneration, Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, Nonparenchymal cells.