Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Dec 24, 2021; 12(12): 1101-1156
Published online Dec 24, 2021. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v12.i12.1101
Liver regeneration biology: Implications for liver tumour therapies
Christopher Hadjittofi, Michael Feretis, Jack Martin, Simon Harper, Emmanuel Huguet
Christopher Hadjittofi, Michael Feretis, Jack Martin, Simon Harper, Emmanuel Huguet, University Department of Surgery, Addenbrookes Hospital, NIHR Comprehensive Biomedical Research and Academic Health Sciences Center, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Hadjittofi C authored text in sections on animal and in vitro models, and alternative regeneration pathways; Feretis M authored text in sections on in vitro and human models; Martin J authored text in sections on zebrafish models; Hadjittofi C, Feretis M and Martin J complex mitogens; Harper S assisted in design of manuscript and manuscript review; Huguet E designed the structure of the overall manuscript and authored text in all sections; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Emmanuel Huguet, BSc, DPhil, FRCS, MBChB, Surgeon, Surgical Oncologist, University Department of Surgery, Addenbrookes Hospital, NIHR Comprehensive Biomedical Research and Academic Health Sciences Center, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom. emmanuel.huguet@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
Received: April 27, 2021
Peer-review started: April 28, 2021
First decision: June 16, 2021
Revised: June 20, 2021
Accepted: November 26, 2021
Article in press: November 26, 2021
Published online: December 24, 2021
Core Tip

Core Tip: The liver has remarkable regenerative potential, allowing recovery from 90% hepatectomy in some rodent models. Current understanding of liver regeneration comes from in vitro and animal models. Liver regeneration is controlled by mitogens acting in autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine ways. Complex cross talk occurs between parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells. Regeneration involves hypertrophy and hyperplasia, with both cellular phenotypic fidelity and transdifferentiation, which come into play according to the nature and magnitude of the injury, and the presence of underlying liver disease. Current knowledge provides guiding principles for strategies to optimise liver regeneration potential in the treatment of liver tumours.