Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Cell Transplant. 2009;18(12):1261-79. doi: 10.3727/096368909X470522. Epub 2009 Aug 5.
Liver failure is one of the main causes of death worldwide and is a growing health problem. Since the discovery of stem cell populations capable of differentiating into specialized cell types, including hepatocytes, the possibility of their utilization in the regeneration of the damaged liver has been a focus of intense investigation. A variety of cell types were tested both in vitro and in vivo, but the definition of a more suitable cell preparation for therapeutic use in each type of liver lesions is yet to be determined. Here we review the protocols described for differentiation of stem cells into hepatocytes, the results of cell therapy in animal models of liver diseases, as well as the available data of the clinical trials in patients with advanced chronic liver disease.
肝脏衰竭是全球主要死亡原因之一，也是一个日益严重的健康问题。自从发现能够分化为包括肝细胞在内的特化细胞类型的干细胞群体以来，人们一直关注将其用于受损肝脏的再生。已经在体外和体内测试了多种细胞类型，但尚未确定每种类型的肝损伤更适合用于治疗的细胞制剂。在这里，我们回顾了将干细胞分化为肝细胞的描述方案、细胞疗法在肝脏疾病动物模型中的结果，以及晚期慢性肝病患者临床试验的现有数据。
