Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026

Murine Precision-Cut Liver Slices as an Ex Vivo Model of Liver Biology
Published on: March 14, 2020
High mobility group box 1 release from cholangiocytes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure
Heng Xu1, Hongxia Li2, Yachao Qu2
1Hepatology and Cancer Biotherapy Ward, Beijing You'an Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, P.R. China ; Department of Pathophysiology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
Abstract:
High mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) is an important proinflammatory molecule in a number of inflammatory disorders, but little is known about its role in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). To elucidate the role of HMGB1 in ACLF, the expression of HMGB1 in liver specimens from patients with ACLF was investigated. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to confirm the expression and subcellular localization of HMGB1 in liver specimens obtained from 13 patients with ACLF caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, 20 patients with chronic viral hepatitis B and 20 healthy controls. In addition, TFK-1 cells (human cholangiocarcinoma cell line) were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. The extracellular level of HMGB1 in the culture medium was then determined by ELISA, and cell viability was also examined. In patients with ACLF caused by HBV infection, HMGB1 was found mainly in the cholangiocytes, and cytoplasmic translocation was observed in the cholangiocytes in the liver specimens. In the TFK-1 cell cultures, HMGB1 levels gradually increased from as early as 4 h after stimulation with LPS or TNF-α until the end of the stimulation. LPS and TNF-α actively induced the cytoplasmic translocation of the HMGB1 protein in TFK-1 cells. These data suggest that HMGB1 plays a critical role in the systemic inflammation associated with ACLF.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Liver Regeneration
Cells of Liver
The liver comprises four major types of cells— hepatocytes, stellate, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The hepatocytes are...
Jaundice
Cirrhosis II: Pathophysiology
Hepatitis
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test

