The liver as a potential hematolymphoid organ examined from modifications occurring in the systemic and intrahepatic hematolymphoid system during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.

In order to investigate whether or not the adult murine liver can function as one of the hematolymphoid organs, we studied the alteration of cellular characteristics in the systemic and intrahepatic hematolymphoid systems during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Liver regeneration affects the systemic hematolymphoid system, as can been seen from the transient increase in colony forming unit in culture (CFU-C) frequency observed in the bone marrow at 20 hr and its gradual increase in the spleen up to the 6th day after partial hepatectomy. CFU-C were found not only in peripheral blood lymphocyte-rich fraction (PBL), but also in intrahepatic lymphocyte-rich fraction (IHL) of the normal adult liver. CFU-C frequency showed a weak increase in PBL and a dramatic increase, up to the 6th post-hepatectomy day, in IHL subfraction cells, forming a very strong liver association. Colonies, which were generated from IHL in a fibrin clot culture system, were mainly composed of granulocytes, macrophages and mast cells. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) positive cells too were detected in IHL and found to increase after partial hepatectomy. IHL of the normal liver were proliferated not only by IL-3 and GM-CSF but also by IL-2. The proliferative responses of IHL to these cytokines were further augmented on day 6 after partial hepatectomy. Similar results were obtained in peripheral blood and splenic lymphocyte-rich fractions. These observations, therefore, suggest that the adult murine liver has hematolymphoid cells as its component and has the function of a hematolymphoid organ closely associated with the systemic hematolymphoid system.