Generation of Luminal Vasculature in Liver Organoids: From Basic Vascular Biology to Vascularized Hepatic Organoids.
作者信息
Kim Hyo Jin, Kim Gyeongmin, Chi Kyun Yoo, Kim Jong-Hoon
机构信息
Laboratory of Stem Cells and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
出版信息
Int J Stem Cells. 2023 Feb 28;16(1):1-15. doi: 10.15283/ijsc22154. Epub 2022 Oct 31.
Liver organoids have gained much attention in recent years for their potential applications to liver disease modeling and pharmacologic drug screening. Liver organoids produced reflect some aspects of the in vivo physiological and pathological conditions of the liver. However, the generation of liver organoids with perfusable luminal vasculature remains a major challenge, hindering precise and effective modeling of liver diseases. Furthermore, vascularization is required for large organoids or assembloids to closely mimic the complexity of tissue architecture without cell death in the core region. A few studies have successfully generated liver organoids with endothelial cell networks, but most of these vascular networks produced luminal structures after being transplanted into tissues of host animals. Therefore, formation of luminal vasculature is an unmet need to overcome the limitation of liver organoids as an model investigating different acute and chronic liver diseases. Here, we provide an overview of the unique features of hepatic vasculature under pathophysiological conditions and summarize the biochemical and biophysical cues that drive vasculogenesis and angiogenesis . We also highlight recent progress in generating vascularized liver organoids and discuss potential strategies that may enable the generation of perfusable luminal vasculature in liver organoids.