Liver: Existing or Potential Regenerative Medicine Strategies

The liver is a large, reddish brown organ that weighs around 3 pounds and is enclosed in the rib cage toward the right side of the abdomen. It has two large lobes: the left lobe and the right lobe. The liver helps in the digestion of food, detoxification of chemicals, and metabolism of drugs. It stores excess food in the form of glycogen that is readily converted to glucose to provide energy when there is shortage of food in the body. It secretes bile for digestion and also makes proteins that are necessary for the clotting of blood among other functions.

The liver is composed of several types of cells, including endothelial, stellate, biliary ductal, Kupffer, and natural killer cells. These cells create the local environment ...