Thomson Joanne, Hargrove Laura, Kennedy Lindsey, Demieville Jennifer, Francis Heather
Research, Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, TX, USA.
Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Temple, TX, USA.
Liver Res. 2017 Jun;1(1):26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.livres.2017.05.002. Epub 2017 May 10.
The functions of the liver are very diverse. From detoxifying blood to storing glucose in the form of glycogen and producing bile to facilitate fat digestion, the liver is a very active and important organ. The liver is comprised of many varied cell types whose functions are equally diverse. Cholangiocytes line the biliary tree and aid in transporting and adjusting the composition of bile as it travels to the gallbladder. Hepatic stellate cells and portal fibroblasts are located in different areas within the liver architecture, but both contribute to the development of fibrosis upon activation after liver injury. Vascular cells, including those that constitute the peribiliary vascular plexus, are involved in functions other than blood delivery to and from the liver, such as supporting the growth of the biliary tree during development. Mast cells are normally found in healthy livers but in very low numbers. However, after injury, mast cell numbers greatly increase as they infiltrate and release factors that exacerbate the fibrotic response. While not an all-inclusive list, these cells have individual roles within the liver, but they are also able to communicate with each other by cellular crosstalk. In this review, we examine some of these pathways that can lead to an increase in the homeostatic dysfunction seen in liver injury.
肝脏的功能多种多样。从对血液进行解毒，到以糖原的形式储存葡萄糖，以及产生胆汁以促进脂肪消化，肝脏是一个非常活跃且重要的器官。肝脏由许多不同类型的细胞组成，其功能同样多样。胆管细胞排列在胆管树中，在胆汁输送至胆囊的过程中，协助运输并调节胆汁的成分。肝星状细胞和门静脉成纤维细胞位于肝脏结构内的不同区域，但在肝损伤后激活时，二者都会促使肝纤维化的发展。血管细胞，包括构成胆小管周围血管丛的细胞，除了参与肝脏的血液进出输送外，还具有其他功能，比如在发育过程中支持胆管树的生长。肥大细胞通常存在于健康肝脏中，但数量极少。然而在损伤后，肥大细胞数量会大幅增加，它们会浸润并释放加剧纤维化反应的因子。虽然这并非全部细胞类型，但这些细胞在肝脏中各自发挥着作用，而且它们还能够通过细胞间相互作用进行交流。在本综述中，我们研究了其中一些可能导致肝损伤中稳态功能障碍加剧的途径。
