How does an artificial liver work?

How does an artificial liver work?

A bioartificial liver support is an extracorporeal device through which plasma is circulated over living and functionally active hepatocytes packed in a bioreactor with the aim to aid the diseased liver until it regenerates or until a suitable graft for transplantation is available.

What are the main functioning cells of the liver?

Four major liver cell types—hepatocytes (HCs), hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), Kupffer cells (KCs), and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs)—spatiotemporally cooperate to shape and maintain liver functions.

What is the role of plasma filter in the bioartificial liver?

For plasma exchange/plasmapheresis, the cellular components of the blood are separated from the plasma using a plasma filter. Plasma is then replaced by either fresh frozen plasma, albumin solution or other plasma substitutes. By this method, certain toxins present in the plasma are removed.

What is the culture of liver?

Different sources of hepatic tissue, including whole or split livers from organ donors or from cadavers, waste liver from therapeutic hepatectomies or small-sized surgical biopsies, can be successfully used to prepare human hepatocytes cultures.

What is an extracorporeal liver assist device?

In acute liver failure, the ideal extracorporeal liver support device (ELSD) would replace the functions of the failing liver in order to permit spontaneous recovery, given the incredible regenerative potential of the liver, negating the need for transplantation.

What is artificial liver support?

Artificial liver systems are used to bridge between transplantation or to allow a patient’s liver to recover. They are used in patients with acute liver failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure.

What holds the cells together in the liver?

The hepatocytes within each sheet interact with each other via cell surface molecules called cadherins. Cadherins present on the surface a liver cell bind preferentially to like cadherins present on the surface of an adjacent liver cell.

What is the shape of liver cell?

The cells are polygonal in shape and their sides can be in contact either with sinusoids (sinusoidal face) or neighboring hepatocytes (lateral faces). A portion of the lateral faces of hepatocytes is modified to form bile canaliculi.

What is the application of hepatocyte culture?

Since Berry and Friend developed methods to isolate hepatocytes from the liver by a collagenase digestion technique in 1969, studies in laboratory animals have demonstrated that hepatocyte transplantation could potentially be used for the treatment of liver failure and inborn errors of liver-based metabolism.

Why is there no liver dialysis?

Most of the toxins that accumulate in the plasma of patients with liver insufficiency are protein bound, and therefore conventional renal dialysis techniques, such as hemofiltration, hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration are not able to adequately eliminate them.

What is Mars dialysis?

MARS therapy stands for Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System, but is often referred to as liver dialysis. Liver dialysis is done when a child has severe liver disease or poisoning that results in abnormal brain function or other problems.