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Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Kupffer Cell Isolation for Nanoparticle Toxicity Testing
Published on: August 18, 2015
Monocyte-derived Kupffer cells dominate in the Kupffer cell pool during liver injury
Weiyang Li1, Yuanru Yang1, Lin Yang1
1Department of Cell Biology, Municipal Laboratory for Liver Protection and Regulation of Regeneration, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
Abstract:
Healthy Kupffer cell (KC) pool is dominated by embryonic KCs (EmKCs), preserving liver homeostasis. How the KC pool varies upon injury remains unclear. Using chimeric mice with bone marrow (BM) cells labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein, we identify that BM monocyte-derived KCs (MoKCs) become dominant in cholestatic- or toxic-injured livers via immunofluorescence and mass cytometry. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) unveils the enhanced proliferative, anti-apoptotic properties and repair potential of MoKCs compared with EmKCs, which are confirmed in vivo and ex vivo through flow cytometry, qPCR, Cell Counting Kit-8, and immunofluorescence. Furthermore, compared with EmKC-dominated livers, MoKC-dominated livers exhibit less functional damage, necrosis, and fibrosis under damage, as tested by serum alanine aminotransferase activity detection, H&E and Sirius red staining, qPCR, and western blot. Collectively, we highlight that MoKCs dominate the KC pool in injured livers and show enhanced proliferative and anti-apoptotic properties while also promoting repair and attenuating fibrosis.
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