Treatment of carbon tetrachloride and phenobarbital-induced chronic liver failure with intrasplenic hepatocyte transplantation

Hepatocyte transplantation (HTx) has been shown to improve the survival of laboratory animals with experimentally induced acute liver failure and to a meliorate the physiologic abnormalities associated with liver-based metabol ic deficiencies. However, the role of HTx in the treatment of liver cirrhos is (LC) has not been adequately studied. In order to address this issue, HT x was performed in rats following induction of stable LC using phenobarbita l (PhB) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Intrasplenic transplantation of 50 x 10(6) primary hepatocytes could significantly improve liver functions an d prolong the survival of rats with irreversible, decompensated LC.