Hepatic progenitor cells in canine and feline medicine: potential for regenerative strategies

New curative therapies for severe liver disease are urgently needed in both the human and veterinary clinic. It is
important to find new treatment modalities which aim to compensate for the loss of parenchymal tissue and to
repopulate the liver with healthy hepatocytes. A prime focus in regenerative medicine of the liver is the use of
adult liver stem cells, or hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs), for functional recovery of liver disease. This review
describes recent developments in HPC research in dog and cat and compares these findings to experimental
rodent studies and human pathology. Specifically, the role of HPCs in liver regeneration, key components of the
HPC niche, and HPC activation in specific types of canine and feline liver disease will be reviewed. Finally, the
potential applications of HPCs in regenerative medicine of the liver are discussed and a potential role is suggested
for dogs as first target species for HPC-based trials.