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Semin Liver Dis 2003; 23(4): 385-396
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-815564
Copyright © 2003 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

Progenitor Cells in Diseased Human Liver

Tania A. Roskams1,2 , Louis  Libbrecht2 , Valeer J. Desmet2
  • 1Professor in Pathology and Head, Laboratory of Morphology and Molecular Pathology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  • 2Liver Research Unit, Laboratory of Morphology and Molecular Pathology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
14 January 2004 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Hepatic progenitor cells are immature epithelial cells that reside in the smallest ramifications of the biliary tree in human liver. These cells are capable of differentiating toward the biliary and the hepatocytic lineages and represent the human counterpart of the oval cells in murine liver. An increased number of progenitor cells (referred to as “activation”) and differentiation of the same toward hepatocytes or bile duct epithelial cells, or both, is a component of virtually all human liver diseases. The extent of progenitor cell activation and the direction of differentiation are correlated with the severity of the disease and the type of mature epithelial cell (hepatocyte or bile duct epithelial cell), respectively, that is damaged. Analogous to findings in animal models of hepatocarcinogenesis, human hepatic progenitor cells most likely can give rise to hepatocellular carcinoma. The factors that govern human hepatic progenitor cell activation and differentiation are beginning to be identified.

KEYWORDS

Hepatic progenitor cells - oval cells - human liver diseases - progenitor cell activation and differentiation - hepatocarcinogenesis

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