The liver, which is a metabolic organ, plays a pivotal role in tolerance induction. Hepatic stellate cells (HpSCs), which are unique non-parenchymal cells, exert potent immunoregulatory activity during cotransplantation with allogeneic islets effectively protecting the islet allografts from rejection. Multiple mechanisms participate in the immune tolerance induced by HpSCs, including the marked expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), attenuation of effector T cell functions and augmentation of regulatory T cells. HpSC conditioned MDSC-based immunotherapy has been conducted in mice with autoimmune disease and the results show that this technique may be promising. This article demonstrates how HpSCs orchestrate both innate immunity and adaptive immunity to build a negative network that leads to immune tolerance.
Keywords: Hepatic stellate cells; Hepatic tolerance; Immunotherapy; Myeloid-derived suppressor cells.