Association between liver progenitor cells and liver regeneration

The liver has a strong ability of regeneration and the remaining liver cells can quickly enter the replication state after acute liver injury or partial hepatectomy. In case of chronic liver injury or severe liver disease, liver progenitor cell (LPC)-mediated regeneration may play a major role in liver regeneration. At present, the presence of dual-energy LPCs in animals and humans has been confirmed by lineage tracing and single-cell sequencing, and many studies have shown that the degree of LPC proliferation is associated with the severity of liver injury. This article briefly describes the origin and activation of LPCs and the role and regulatory mechanism of LPCs in mediating liver regeneration in different types of liver injury, and it is pointed out that in-depth research is needed for LPCs in the future to provide a basis for the reconstruction of liver parenchyma and the treatment of advanced liver disease by LPC transplantation.