[Strategies for hepatocyte transplantation]

Hepatic parenchymal cell transplantation is a promising method for managing patients with the acute liver failure and may create a bridge to whole organ grafting. Elimination or reduction of the immunogenicity of the hepatocytes would permit long-term graft survival without the need of non-specific immunosuppression. The presented experimental evidence suggests that modulation of hepatocyte immunogenicity by purification and cryopreservation reduces the alloresponse to hepatocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Identification of inoculated cells facilitates long-term monitoring of their localization and metabolic activity.