Open AccessAdvances in generating liver cells from pluripotent stem cells as a tool for modeling liver diseases
Author(s) -
Maepa Setjie W.,
Ndlovu Hlumani
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
stem cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.159
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1549-4918
pISSN - 1066-5099
DOI - 10.1002/stem.3154
Subject(s) - biology , induced pluripotent stem cell , stem cell , liver cell , liver injury , steatosis , regenerative medicine , hepatic stellate cell , cancer research , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , bioinformatics , embryonic stem cell , pharmacology , genetics , gene , medicine , endocrinology
Developing robust in vitro models of the liver is essential for studying the pathogenesis of liver diseases, hepatotoxicity testing, and regenerative medicine. Earlier studies were conducted using cell lines derived from hepatomas. Due to the inherent limitations of cell lines, researchers used primary human hepatocytes (PHHs), which are considered a gold standard for in vitro modeling of the liver. However, due to the high cost of PHHs and lack of donors, researchers have sought an alternative source for functional liver cells. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) emerged as a viable alternative due to their plasticity and high proliferative capacity. This review gives an overview of the major advances that have been achieved to develop protocols to generate liver cells such as hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and Küpffer cells from PSCs. We also discuss their application in modeling the pathogenesis of liver diseases such as drug‐induced liver injury, acute liver failure, and hepatic steatosis.