Current progress in hepatic tissue regeneration by tissue engineering

• Published in: Journal of translational medicine 2019-11, Vol.17 (1), p.383-383, Article 383
• Main Authors: Hosseini, Vahid, Maroufi, Nazila Fathi, Saghati, Sepideh, Asadi, Nahideh, Darabi, Masoud, Ahmad, Saeed Nazari Soltan, Hosseinkhani, Hosseini, Rahbarghazi, Reza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-D printers; Alcoholism; Bioengineering; Carcinoma; Cell differentiation; Death; Development and progression; Genetic engineering; Growth factors; Health aspects; Hepatic regeneration; Homeostasis; Inborn errors of metabolism; Infection; Liver; Liver diseases; Liver failure; Liver transplantation; Metabolism; Metabolites; MicroRNAs; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Organ donors; Organ transplantation; Protein synthesis; Proteins; Regenerative medicine; Researchers; Review; Stem cell research; Stem cells; Surgery; Tissue engineering; Tissue engineering modalities; Transcription factors; Transplantation; Trauma
• ISSN: 1479-5876; 1479-5876
• DOI: 10.1186/s12967-019-02137-6

Liver, as a vital organ, is responsible for a wide range of biological functions to maintain homeostasis and any type of damages to hepatic tissue contributes to disease progression and death. Viral infection, trauma, carcinoma, alcohol misuse and inborn errors of metabolism are common causes of liver diseases are a severe known reason for leading to end-stage liver disease or liver failure. In either way, liver transplantation is the only treatment option which is, however, hampered by the increasing scarcity of organ donor. Over the past years, considerable efforts have been directed toward liver regeneration aiming at developing new approaches and methodologies to enhance the transplantation process. These approaches include producing decellularized scaffolds from the liver organ, 3D bio-printing system, and nano-based 3D scaffolds to simulate the native liver microenvironment. The application of small molecules and micro-RNAs and genetic manipulation in favor of hepatic differentiation of distinct stem cells could also be exploited. All of these strategies will help to facilitate the application of stem cells in human medicine. This article reviews the most recent strategies to generate a high amount of mature hepatocyte-like cells and updates current knowledge on liver regenerative medicine.