Rodent Models of Liver Repopulation

The liver has an extraordinary faculty to regenerate. Hepatocytes are highly differentiated cells that, despite a resting G0 state in the normal quiescent liver, can re-enter the cell cycle to reconstitute the organ after an injury. However, the first cell therapy approaches trying to harness this specific characteristic of the hepatocytes came up against the competition with resident hepatocytes in the ability to proliferate. This review will describe the different rodent models that have been developed in the last 15 years to demonstrate the concept of liver repopulation with transplanted cells harbouring a selective advantage over resident hepatocytes. Examples will then be given to show how these models demonstrated the therapeutic efficiency of cell transplantation in specific disorders. The transplantation of human hepatocytes into some of these mouse models led to the creation of humanized livers. These humanized mice provide a powerful tool to study the physiopathology of human hepatotropic pathogens and to develop drugs against them. Finally, emphasis will be placed on the role of these rodent models in the demonstration of the hepatocytic potential of stem cells.