Abstract
The low liver repopulation efficacy of transplanted hepatocytes is probably due to their poor proliferative capacity linked to the age of the liver donors. The age‐dependent proliferative potential of wild type F344 rat hepatocytes was investigated after transplantation into old and young CD26‐deficient F344 rat host livers. Repopulation rates were determined by flow cytometry and assay of CD26 enzyme activity.Hepatocytes isolated from either young or old donor rats formed small and rare clusters of donor‐derived hepatocytes in senescent host livers. However, both hepatocytes from juvenile and from senescent donor livers transplanted into juvenile host livers developed cell clusters significantly larger and more frequently as compared with senescent host livers. Repopulation of juvenile host livers by old or young hepatocytes amounted to 20 % as compared 2 % in senescent hosts. No functional difference between transplanted juvenile and senescent hepatocytes was observed in the host liver tissue in terms of glycogen storage. As compared to senescent host animals, serum levels of IGF1 were significantly higher in juvenile rats. Thus, in rats, the age of the recipient liver seems to be critical for the efficient repopulation by transplanted hepatocytes involving regulation along the growth hormone‐IGF1‐axis.
Published Version
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