title: Transplantation speed offers early hepatocyte engraftment in acute liver injured rats: A translational study with clinical implications.
abstract: The impact of the rate of intraportal hepatocyte transplantation on early engraftment and repopulation is unclear. The aim of this study was to address this and to improve the engraftment and repopulation efficiencies of hepatocyte transplantation for the treatment of a rat model of acute liver failure in a clinically useful way without preconditioning. Acute hepatic injury was induced into Sprague-Dawley rats with D-galactosamine. Hepatocytes were infused intraportally over a period of 30, 70, or 100 seconds to study early engraftment (2 days) and repopulation (7 days). Three groups had significant differences in hepatocyte engraftment (P = 0.018) and repopulation efficiencies (P = 0.037), and an infusion over a period of 70 seconds produced superior outcomes. After the 70-second infusion, the transplanted cells immediately transmigrated the sinusoidal endothelial layer and rarely accumulated in the portal venules, with liver function improving significantly. The mean first peak pressures, without significant differences, were 14.8 ± 6.5, 17.7 ± 3.7, and 13.6 ± 3.0 mm Hg in the 30-, 70-, and 100-second groups, respectively. Differential hepatocyte transfusion rates contributed to accelerated early engraftment and repopulation in rats with acute liver injury. These proof-of-concept findings are of clinical significance because they are easy to translate into practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Maw
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Ya-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chin-Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: Yi-Tian
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Shu-Li
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Rey-Heng
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hui-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Po-Huang
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005688:Galactosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000502:physiology; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000601:surgery; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D005688:Galactosamine