Many advances have been made during last years in the field of liver
regeneration. Current studies underline the importance of liver progenitor cells (LPCs)
as one of the sources for constructing bioartificial livers (BAL) and as source of cells
for transplantation. However, the liver microenvironment is also formed by nonparenchymal
cells (NPCs) that interact with LPCs and parenchymal cells during liver
regeneration. Recent advances in liver tissue engineering have shown the importance of
NPCs in extracorporeal systems, such as bioreactors for BAL or in several systems of
3D culture in combination with either hepatocytes, hepatoblast or LPCs. A precise
knowledge of the functional role and the relationships between the diverse liver cell
types is of great importance in the development of a liver organoid. Thus, this review
focuses on the role of NPCs during liver regeneration in regard to their relationship
with LPCs, and their potential use in 3D and extracorporeal systems in order to
improve their efficacy and thus, their potential to be in the clinical setting.
Keywords: 3D co-culture, Bioartificial liver, Bioreactor, Extracellular matrix,
Hepatic stellate cells, Hepatic stem cells, Hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, Liver
progenitor cells, Liver regeneration, Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, Nonparenchymal
cells.
