肝卵圆细胞分子标志物的研究进展

Progress in research of molecular markers for hepatic oval cells

肝干细胞是一类具有自我更新与增殖分化能力的细胞,能产生表现型与基因型和自己完全相同的子细胞.起源于前肠内胚层,在胚胎发育过程中以肝细胞的形式存在,在成年哺乳动物肝中以小卵圆细胞存在,表现为核大而胞质小并具有特殊的细胞标记.正常情况下这类细胞处于静止期,增生分裂非常慢.当切除或药物损伤后,这类细胞开始活化增生,迅速从静止期进入增殖期.近年来的研究已经证实,肝卵圆细胞在肝细胞严重受损和分裂增生受抑制时呈现出向肝细胞和胆管上皮细胞双向分化的潜能,是一种肝脏的干细胞,目前已经成为热点.肝卵圆细胞不仅在急慢性肝功能不良、晚期肝硬化等肝脏病变,在胰腺病变引起的糖尿病等疾病研究中也开始引起兴趣.但如何发现和获得肝卵圆细胞始终是解决此类问题的关键.本文就肝卵圆细胞的分子标志物的研究进展作一综述.

Hepatic stem cells have the capacity of self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation and can produce progeny cells that have the same phenotypes and genotype as parental cells. The cells originate from the foregut endoderm and exist in the form of hepatic cells in embryonic liver, and small oval cells （OCs） with a large nuclear/ cytoplasmic ratio and special cell markers in the adult liver. Hepatic stem cells are normally in the dormant state and divide at a very slow rate. The cells begin to be activated to proliferate quickly and transit from quiescent phase to proliferative phase when the liver is resected by operation or injured by drugs. In recent years, numerous studies have confirmed that hepatic OCs are hepatic stem cells that have the bipotential capability of differentiation into mature hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells when hepatocyte proliferation is inhibited and liver regeneration compromised. The research of the role of hepatic OCs in the management of acute and chronic liver dysfunction, advanced cirrhosis, other liver diseases, and diabetes caused by pancreatic lesions has attracted wide attention. Great efforts have been made to find and isolate hepatic OCs. This review discusses the progress in research of molecular markers for hepatic OCs.