Immune cells in liver regeneration: Current evidence and potential clinical targets.

The livers' ability to regenerate after injury has attracted the investigation of possible therapeutic targets for liver disease. Cells of the immune system are considered fundamental for the initiation, propagation, and termination of liver regeneration as they produce essential signaling molecules, such as cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. Previous evidence mainly focused on macrophage involvement in liver regeneration, namely Kupffer cells which secrete mitogenic cytokines. However, recent evidence has implicated other immune cell subsets in liver regeneration including platelets, the complement system, dendritic cells, granulocytes, and innate and adaptive lymphocytes. The concurrent function of different immune cell subsets highlights functional redundancies between immune cells and the temporospatial dynamics of liver regeneration. In this review, we discuss our understanding of the role of immune cells in liver regeneration, recent advances and cellular targets identified for clinical therapy over the past decade.