Analbuminemic Rat Model for Hepatocyte Transplantation

Orthotropic whole and split liver transplantation are successful and well-established treatments for liver disease. However, the short supply of donor organs is a major obstacle to the widespread use of this therapy (Merion, 2010). Recent research has focused on cell transplantation as a therapy for liver disease. Although only a small number of hepatocytes can be transplanted into the liver by transfusion into the portal circulation, the transplanted cells can regenerate the normal hepatic tissue when liver growth is impaired as a result of continuous hepatic damage (Roy-Chowdhury & Roy-Chowdhury, 2011; Gilgenkranz, 2010). A number of animal models have demonstrated that much of the liver can be replaced via repopulation by a small number of transplanted hepatocytes, which restore normal liver functions and improve recipient survival. Hepatocyte transplantation is therefore expected to be used as a therapy for human liver disease. To optimize the therapeutic application of hepatocyte transplantation, however, number of problems such as the methods to monitor and evaluate the functionality of the transplanted cells and the suppression of host immunological responses against the transplanted cells require mitigation.