On bioartificial liver assist system: theoretical exploration and strategies for further development.

The major difficulty in establishing a clinical effective bioartificial liver assist device for treatment of fulminate hepatic failure is limitation of our knowledge and technologies about fresh cell behaviors in culture and a lack of knowledge about the etiology and pathogenesis of hepatic coma. Increasing data from clinical and laboratory investigation have accrued indicating that toxins from necrotic liver tissue, mainly as oxygen reactive substances, have a role in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy and even multiple system organs failure. This paper presents the data available and suggests a new pathway for artificial and bioartificial liver assist system.