Research progress on the transplantation of adult precursor cells for treating acute liver injury

Yuan Dong

Abstract：End-stage liver disease is a common severe liver disease syndrome in clinical practice, and is caused by various conditions including hepatitis, decompensated liver cirrhosis, and hepatoma. Liver transplantation is the most effective treatment for patients with liver failure. However, there is a severe shortage of liver donors, and other challenges. Therefore, cell transplantation therapy for end-stage liver diseases, including acute liver injury, has garnered increasing attention as a viable alternative to orthotopic liver transplantation. A wide range of cell sources is available and can be categorized into mature and immature cell types. Currently, cell transplantation still faces numerous challenges. These challenges include a substantial demand for mature cells, whereas immature cells must overcome issues, such as the loss of stemness and aberrant differentiation, all of which have considerably impeded the clinical advancement of cell transplantation. Therefore, identifying appropriate cell sources and ensuring their ability to survive in vitro and engrafting and repopulating damaged hepatocytes in vivo can facilitate liver protection and regeneration, thereby improving outcomes for patients with end-stage liver disease. Furthermore, because mitochondria are vital organelles for cell survival, research on mitochondrial function is a critical indicator for evaluating the fate of cells. Similarly, maintaining the integrity of mitochondrial morphology and function is essential for the optimal performance of transplanted cells. In this review, we summarize the research progress on cell transplantation for the treatment of end-stage liver diseases using acute liver injury as a disease model and further discuss the relationship between mitochondria and cell fate.