title: The liver sieve and atherosclerosis.
abstract: The 'liver sieve' is a term developed to describe the appearance and the role of fenestrations in the liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (LSEC). LSECs are gossamer-thin cells that line the hepatic sinusoid and they are perforated with pores called fenestrations clustered in sieve plates. There is growing evidence that fenestrations act like a permselective ultrafiltration system which is important for the hepatic uptake of many substrates, particularly chylomicron remnant lipoproteins. The liver sieve is a very efficient exchange system, however in conditions such as hepatic cirrhosis and fibrosis, diabetes mellitus and old age, there is defenestration of the liver sieve. Such defenestration has been shown to influence the hepatic uptake of various substrates including lipoproteins. In the future, pharmacological manipulation of the liver sieve may play a number of therapeutic roles including the management of dyslipidaemia; increasing the efficiency of liver-targeted gene therapy; and improving regeneration of old livers.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Pathology, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Victoria C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Cogger
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dobbs
authors.forename: Hamish
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jamieson
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Sarah N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Hilmer
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Le Couteur
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D053298:Chylomicron Remnants / Q000378:metabolism; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000378:metabolism; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D053298:Chylomicron Remnants