Xenotransplantation for Liver Therapy Or: Can Porcine Hepatocytes Generate Physiological Functions Sufficient for a Human Patient in ALF?

Abstract

Detailed knowledge about physiology, biochemistry and function is required before artificial liver devices using porcine hepatocytes may be used successfully. Improvement of cell culture conditions and tissue engineering may permit the generation of human hepatocytes as substitutes for grafts in a transplantation setting.

The physiological functions of xenografts have to be compatible with those of the recipient. However, first observations indicate that most physiological interaction in widely divergent species combinations such as pig and man are considerably different. This may be crucial for the selection of a suitable organ, tissue or cell for a clinical set-up.

These differences vary from organ to organ and cell to cell. Only very conservative molecules, like for example insulin or calcitonin function properly in both species, while others such as complement, albumin and erythropoietin do not fulfill their task properly or not at all.