Liver-specific drug delivery platforms: Applications for the treatment of alcohol-associated liver disease

Figure 3 Lobular liver architecture and biodistribution of nanoparticles. A: Top-down view of a liver lobule. Portal triads, consisting of a portal vein, hepatic artery, and bile duct, surround a central vein in a hexagonal shape. Concentric hexagons designate zones 1-3 moving from the outside to the inside. Portal and arterial blood flows from the triads toward the central vein, whereas bile travels the opposite direction; B: Side view. With the portal triad on the left, portal blood brings nanoparticles from the digestive tract to the liver sinusoids where they can interact with Kupffer cells, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, and others. Nanoparticles of sufficiently small size can pass through the liver fenestrae formed by liver sinusoidal endothelial cells to access the Space of Disse, and subsequently, hepatocytes. Images are not drawn to scale.