Development of transplantable self-regenerative liver tissue consisted of hepatocytes and stem cells

本研究建立了培养肝细胞片和成纤维细胞片的方法。成纤维细胞片可移植腹腔，在体内表现出良好的适应性。我们发现成纤维细胞片在显微镜下增强组织修复，并诱导卵圆细胞（一种肝祖细胞）的积累。我们没有从成纤维细胞片本身获得肝干细胞的证据，但利用受体特异性标记，积累的细胞来源于受体。因此，我们推测成纤维细胞片通过改善损伤受体环境来促进受体干细胞的形成。在本研究中，我们还尝试了肝细胞与成纤维细胞片的共培养系统。从技术上讲，这已经实现了，但是，细胞组装仍然是成熟组织。虽然需要进一步的研究来获得初步的目的，但成纤维细胞片有望成为促进干细胞的可移植组织工程的候选材料。

We established the procedures of cultured hepatocyte sheet and fibroblast sheet in this study. Fibroblast sheet was transplantable to the abdominal cavity and showed excellent adaptation in vivo. We have discovered that fibroblast sheet enhanced tissue repair microscopically and induced accumulation of oval cell, a hepatic progenitor cell.We have not got an evidence of hepatic stem cells from fibroblast sheet itself, however, using recipient specific markers, accumulated cells were originated from recipient. Thus, we speculate that fibroblast sheet promote recipient stem cells thorough the improvement of injured recipient environment.In this study, we also have attempted that coculture system of hepatocyte and fibroblast sheet. Technically, it has been achieved, but, the cellular assembly remained mature tissue. Although further study is needed to obtain initial purposes, fibroblast sheet is expecting candidate for the transplantable tissue engineering which promotes stem cells.