Liver Constituent Cells: Their Niche, Close Intercellular Relationship and Crosstalk with the Extracellular Environment—Current and Future Perspectives (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Tissues and Organs".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 June 2024) | Viewed by 2017

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1. Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
2. Research Center for Nanotechnology for Engineering of Sapienza (CNIS), Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: nutrients; nutrition; neurogenesis; neurodegeneration; aging; nutraceuticals; rare diseases; brain homeostasis; microbione; gut–brain axis
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Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
Interests: cirrhosis and liver failure; apoptosis; liver cancer; retinoids; hepatic stellate cells; clinical and public health nutrition; inflammation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This is the expanded second edition of Special Issue “Liver Constituent Cells: Their Niche, Close Intercellular Relationship and Crosstalk with the Extracellular Environment—Current and Future Perspectives” that 1st edition was very successful with 9 papers published.

The liver is complex anatomy-wise and comprises different specialised cell types. Within the hepatic parenchyma, mainly formed by hepatocytes, it is possible to identify a liver microcirculatory milieu composed of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and resident macrophages (Kupffer cells). Also present in the hepatic parenchyma are biliary ductules made up of cholangiocytes. Sinusoids, hepatocytes and biliary ductules are anatomically similar, and the extracellular matrix takes part not only in spatial arrangement but also in cellular crosstalk. The 3D structure, together with the composition of the extracellular matrix and the cell behaviour, is strictly involved in the liver’s physiological and pathophysiological processes. For example, the cause-and-effect relationships between the different liver cells and the exact timing that leads to CLDs still remain unclear. The capillarisation observed in the pathophysiology of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis was previously thought to follow the onset of hepatic inflammation; however, the current view holds that it occurs prior to inflammation. Furthermore, changes in the sinusoids and the perisinusoidal space (also known as the Disse space) in chronic liver diseases (CLDs) prevent drug delivery to the hepatic parenchyma, highlighting the urgent need to develop new effective pharmaceutical formulations.

The second edition of this Special Issue aims to report both the most recent findings and current opinions on the biological constituents of the liver, their niche, and the close intercellular relationship and crosstalk at anatomical and cell molecular levels in both health and disease. Priority will be given to research on the biological barriers formed during liver disease, their description and the therapeutic approaches to overcome them.

Both comprehensive reviews (more than 4000 words in the main text) and original articles are welcome.

Dr. Marco Fidaleo
Dr. Fausto Andreola
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • chronic liver diseases
  • liver microcirculatory milieu
  • liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs)
  • hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)
  • Kupffer cells
  • hepatocytes
  • cholangiocytes
  • sinusoid capillarization
  • Disse space

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

19 pages, 759 KiB  
Review
Hepatocellular-Carcinoma-Derived Organoids: Innovation in Cancer Research
by Carlo Airola, Maria Pallozzi, Eleonora Cesari, Lucia Cerrito, Leonardo Stella, Claudio Sette, Felice Giuliante, Antonio Gasbarrini and Francesca Romana Ponziani
Cells 2024, 13(20), 1726; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13201726 - 18 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) are highly heterogeneous malignancies. They are characterized by a peculiar tumor microenvironment and dense vascularization. The importance of signaling between immune cells, endothelial cells, and tumor cells leads to the difficult recapitulation of a reliable in vitro HCC model using [...] Read more.
Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) are highly heterogeneous malignancies. They are characterized by a peculiar tumor microenvironment and dense vascularization. The importance of signaling between immune cells, endothelial cells, and tumor cells leads to the difficult recapitulation of a reliable in vitro HCC model using the conventional two-dimensional cell cultures. The advent of three-dimensional organoid tumor technology has revolutionized our understanding of the pathogenesis and progression of several malignancies by faithfully replicating the original cancer genomic, epigenomic, and microenvironmental landscape. Organoids more closely mimic the in vivo environment and cell interactions, replicating factors such as the spatial organization of cell surface receptors and gene expression, and will probably become an important tool in the choice of therapies and the evaluation of tumor response to treatments. This review aimed to describe the ongoing and potential applications of organoids as an in vitro model for the study of HCC development, its interaction with the host’s immunity, the analysis of drug sensitivity tests, and the current limits in this field. Full article
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39 pages, 1893 KiB  
Review
The Interplay between Liver and Adipose Tissue in the Onset of Liver Diseases: Exploring the Role of Vitamin Deficiency
by Ivan Tattoli, Aimee Rachel Mathew, Antonella Verrienti, Lucia Pallotta, Carola Severi, Fausto Andreola, Virve Cavallucci, Mauro Giorgi, Mara Massimi, Lapo Bencini and Marco Fidaleo
Cells 2024, 13(19), 1631; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13191631 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1110
Abstract
The deficiency of vitamins, a condition known as “hidden hunger”, causes comprehensive pathological states. Research over the years has identified a relationship between liver diseases and hypovitaminosis or defects in vitamin metabolism. The exact mechanisms remain elusive; however, the crucial involvement of specific [...] Read more.
The deficiency of vitamins, a condition known as “hidden hunger”, causes comprehensive pathological states. Research over the years has identified a relationship between liver diseases and hypovitaminosis or defects in vitamin metabolism. The exact mechanisms remain elusive; however, the crucial involvement of specific vitamins in metabolic functions, alongside the reclassification of liver disease as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), has prompted researchers to investigate the potential cause-effect dynamics between vitamin deficiency and liver disease. Moreover, scientists are increasingly investigating how the deficiency of vitamins might disrupt specific organ crosstalk, potentially contributing to liver disease. Although the concept of a dysmetabolic circuit linking adipose tissue and the liver, leading to liver disease, has been discussed, the possible involvement of vitamin deficiency in this axis is a relatively recent area of study, with numerous critical aspects yet to be fully understood. In this review, we examine research from 2019 to July 2024 focusing on the possible link between liver-adipose tissue crosstalk and vitamin deficiency involved in the onset and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Studies report that vitamin deficiency can affect the liver-adipose tissue axis, mainly affecting the regulation of systemic energy balance and inflammation. Full article
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