title: Role of biomaterials, therapeutic molecules and cells for hepatic tissue engineering.
abstract: Current liver transplantation strategies face severe shortcomings owing to scarcity of donors, immunogenicity, prohibitive costs and poor survival rates. Due to the lengthy list of patients requiring transplant, high mortality rates are observed during the endless waiting period. Tissue engineering could be an alternative strategy to regenerate the damaged liver and improve the survival and quality of life of the patient. The development of an ideal scaffold for liver tissue engineering depends on the nature of the scaffold, its architecture and the presence of growth factors and recognition motifs. Biomimetic scaffolds can simulate the native extracellular matrix for the culture of hepatocytes to enable them to exhibit their functionality both in vitro and in vivo. This review highlights the physiology and pathophysiology of liver, the current treatment strategies, use of various scaffolds, incorporation of adhesion motifs, growth factors and stem cells that can stabilize and maintain hepatocyte cultures for a long period.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials, School of Chemical & Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Thanjavur 613 401, India.
authors.forename: Kirthanashri Srinivasan
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Vasanthan
authors.forename: Anuradha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Uma Maheswari
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Krishnan
authors.forename: Swaminathan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sethuraman
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins