Table 1.
Liver immune cells.
| Liver Immune Cells | Location in Homeostasis | Main Surface Markers | Putative Role in Diseases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kupffer Cells | Inside the sinusoids; adhered to the endothelium | F4/80, CD11b | Controlling inflammation; Kupffer cell depletion is associated with worse prognosis |
| Dendritic Cells | Underneath hepatic capsule; around large vessels | CD19−CD11c+; CD8α+B220− CD11b− (lymphoid); CD8α− B220−CD11b+ (myeloid); B220+ CD11b− (plasmacytoid) | Enhanced response to viral infections, controlling viral spread and T cell activation |
| Monocytes | Inside the sinusoids as patrolling cells | CD11bhiCD115hiGr1lo | Infiltrating monocytes control pathogen spread and heal tissue injury |
| Neutrophils | Ly6G+CD11b+F4/80− | Overt infiltration is associated with enhanced liver injury in several models | |
| Eosinophils | CD11b+CD193+Siglec F+ | Role in pathogenesis of liver diseases through release of granules containing TNF-α, highly cytotoxic proteins such as major basic protein and eosinophilic cationic protein | |
| Natural Killer Cells | CD3−NK1.1+ | Involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, mainly tumors and viral infections; higher cytotoxicity than other NK cells | |
| NKT Cells | CD3+NK1.1+ | Patrolling liver sinusoids to provide intravascular immune surveillance | |
| T lymphocytes | CD3+CD4+ (T CD4 cells); CD3+CD8+ (T CD8 cells) | Clearance of virus and in virus-induced immunopathology | |
| B lymphocytes | CD19+ | Antibody-secreting cells within germinal centers of intraportal lymphoid follicles, during viral hepatitis | |
| γδ T cells | CD24+ CD25− CD27+ | Controlling early viral infections; expressing perforin, lysing virus-infected targets, and releasing IFN-γ |