Can hepatocytes proliferate when transplanted into the spleen? Demonstration by autohistoradiography in the rat.

The aim of this work was to study hepatocyte multiplication after transplantation into the spleen, in order to apply this technique to the treatment of chronic liver disease. Hepatocytes isolated by an in situ collagenase perfusion technique in Wistar Furth rats were injected into the splenic parenchyma of three groups of syngeneic rats: controls with normal liver (group 1), 75% hepatectomies (group 2), and end-to-side portacaval shunts (group 3). The proliferation of transplanted hepatocytes was studied by autohistoradiography after the intraperitoneal administration of 0.6 microCi/g body weight of [3H]-thymidine, at 1, 3, 7 and 15 days after transplantation of hepatocytes. Significant incorporation of [3H]-thymidine by the transplanted hepatocytes during the study period was observed mostly in groups 2 and 3. The incorporation, although delayed was sustained and of greatest magnitude in the portacaval-shunted animals. The ability of transplanted hepatocytes to proliferate in the spleen, particularly after a portacaval shunt, indicates that this procedure may have therapeutic applications in the treatment of chronic liver disease.