Figure 4. The effect of immunosuppressant or sensitization on GFP-positive hepatocyte survival after transplantation.
(A) Timeline of Experiment 2. A dose of 0.3 mg/kg of tacrolimus was administered after hepatocyte transplantation for five days a week, and tissue samples were collected 42 days after transplantation. The control group received normal saline instead of tacrolimus. (B) Timeline of Experiment 3. The recipient rats received a subcutaneous injection of GFP-positive hepatocytes (1×108 cells) on the same day as retrorsine treatment. Fourteen days after hepatocyte transplantation into the liver, tissue samples were collected to evaluate the survival of transplanted hepatocytes. (C) After immunosuppressant treatment, the specimen shows GFP-positive hepatocytes and abundant GFP-positive sinusoidal lining cells. These non-parenchymal cells were also positive for the RecA marker of endothelial cells.