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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 28, 2023; 29(24): 3748-3757
Published online Jun 28, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i24.3748
Vascular endothelial growth factor protein and gene delivery by novel nanomaterials for promoting liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy
Yun Jin, Ying-Hao Guo, Jia-Cheng Li, Qi Li, Dan Ye, Xiao-Xiao Zhang, Jiang-Tao Li
Yun Jin, Ying-Hao Guo, Qi Li, Dan Ye, Xiao-Xiao Zhang, Jiang-Tao Li, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
Jia-Cheng Li, Department of General Surgery, Yuhuan Second People’s Hospital, Taizhou 317600, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Jin Y and Guo YH wrote the paper; Jin Y and Li JT conceived and designed the study; Li JC, Li Q and Li JT reviewed and edited the manuscript; Ye D and Zhang XX created figures; all authors read and approved the manuscript; Jin Y and Guo YH contributed equally to this work.
Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, No. LQ21H030005.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare that we have no conflict of interest to this work.
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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jiang-Tao Li, FACS, MD, Chief Doctor, Professor, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, No. 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China. zrljt@zju.edu.cn
Received: April 3, 2023
Peer-review started: April 3, 2023
First decision: May 4, 2023
Revised: May 13, 2023
Accepted: June 2, 2023
Article in press: June 2, 2023
Published online: June 28, 2023
Abstract

Partial hepatectomy (PH) can lead to severe complications, including liver failure, due to the low regenerative capacity of the remaining liver, especially after extensive hepatectomy. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), whose proliferation occurs more slowly and later than hepatocytes after PH, compose the lining of the hepatic sinusoids, which are the smallest blood vessels in the liver. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), secreted by hepatocytes, promotes LSEC proliferation. Supplementation of exogenous VEGF after hepatectomy also increases the number of LSECs in the remaining liver, thus promoting the reestablishment of the hepatic sinusoids and accelerating liver regeneration. At present, some shortcomings exist in the methods of supplementing exogenous VEGF, such as a low drug concentration in the liver and the reaching of other organs. More-over, VEGF should be administered multiple times and in large doses because of its short half-life. This review summarized the most recent findings on liver regeneration and new strategies for the localized delivery VEGF in the liver.

Keywords: Liver regeneration, Vascular endothelial growth factor, Nano materials, Liver resection

Core Tip: Low regenerative ability of the liver remaining after partial hepatectomy may lead to serious complications including liver failure. The proliferation of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) is slower and occurs later compared to that of hepatocytes, leading to a delayed recovery of the hepatic sinusoids and impaired liver regeneration. Hepatocytes secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that promotes the proliferation of LSECs, and supplementation of exogenous VEGF after hepatectomy also increases the number of LSECs in the remaining liver, thus promoting the reestablishment of the hepatic sinusoids and accelerating liver regeneration. This review summarized the most recent findings on liver regeneration and new strategies for the localized delivery in the liver.