[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [General pathology](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/) › [Tissue repair](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/#a-repair) › Liver regeneration [General pathology](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/) · [Tissue repair](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/#a-repair) # Liver regeneration - Process The liver can regrow lost mass in weeks: the remaining liver cells divide until the organ reaches the size the body needs. Updated 2026-11-01 ## Key points - Hepatocytes are stable cells: quiescent in G0, they divide after injury. - Priming (TNF, IL-6 from Kupffer cells) → proliferation (HGF, EGF, TGF-α) → termination (TGF-β). - Regrowth is compensatory hyperplasia of the remnant, not regrowth of the lobes. - Blocked hepatocyte division → progenitor cells near the canals of Hering (ductular reaction). - Regeneration without an intact framework → cirrhotic nodules. ## What it is The liver is the classic example of regeneration by stable cells. After partial removal or acute injury, mature hepatocytes that normally rest in G0 re-enter the cell cycle and restore liver mass, guided by cytokines and growth factors. The removed lobes do not grow back; the remnant enlarges (compensatory hyperplasia). When hepatocytes cannot divide, as in chronic injury, progenitor cells help, but repeated injury with fibrosis ends in cirrhosis. ## Key facts - After removal of up to about two thirds of a healthy liver, the remnant restores most of the lost mass within weeks to a few months. - Regeneration restores mass and function, not the original shape: the remaining lobes grow larger. - Regeneration on a destroyed framework gives disorganised regenerative nodules; with fibrous septa this is cirrhosis. - Living-donor liver transplantation relies on regeneration in both donor and recipient. ## Step by step - Loss of liver mass (resection, toxic or viral injury) changes blood flow and the signals reaching the remnant. - Priming: Kupffer cells release TNF and IL-6, which move resting hepatocytes from G0 into G1. - Proliferation: growth factors, mainly HGF and EGF-family ligands (EGF, TGF-α), drive hepatocytes through the cell cycle. - Most hepatocytes divide once or twice; then endothelial, biliary and stellate cells divide and the lobules are rebuilt. - Termination: TGF-β and related signals stop proliferation once the liver-to-body mass ratio is restored. - If hepatocytes cannot divide (chronic hepatitis, massive necrosis), progenitor cells near the canals of Hering proliferate: ductular reaction. ## Clinical notes - Acute liver failure can recover fully if enough hepatocytes survive and the framework is intact; otherwise transplantation may be needed. - Chronic regenerative activity in cirrhosis, together with DNA damage from hepatitis B or C or alcohol, raises the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. - Before a major hepatectomy, surgeons estimate the future liver remnant and sometimes enlarge it first by blocking the portal branch to the part to be removed. ## Memory aid Prometheus' liver in three acts: wake up (TNF, IL-6), grow (HGF, EGF), stop (TGF-β). ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Which cytokines prime hepatocytes to enter the cell cycle after partial hepatectomy? TNF and IL-6, released mainly by Kupffer cells. ## Does the liver regrow its resected lobes? No; the remaining lobes enlarge by hepatocyte proliferation (compensatory hyperplasia) until the needed mass is restored. ## What happens when hepatocytes cannot proliferate in chronic injury? Progenitor cells near the canals of Hering proliferate and form a ductular reaction that can give rise to hepatocytes or biliary cells. [Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/general-pathology/liver-regeneration/) ## Related - [Tissue repair: regeneration or scar; labile, stable and permanent cells](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/tissue-repair-regeneration-or-scar-labile-stable-and-permanent-cells/) - [Fibrosis in organs: TGF-β and the myofibroblast](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/fibrosis-in-organs-tgf-and-the-myofibroblast/) - [Hyperplasia: physiologic and pathologic](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/hyperplasia-physiologic-and-pathologic/) - [Granulation tissue and scar formation](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/granulation-tissue-and-scar-formation/) ## Related conditions - [Cirrhosis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/cirrhosis/) - [Viral hepatitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/viral-hepatitis/) - [Acute liver failure](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-liver-failure/) - [Autoimmune hepatitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/autoimmune-hepatitis/) - [Alcoholic liver disease (biochemistry)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/alcoholic-liver-disease/) - [Hepatocellular carcinoma](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/hepatocellular-carcinoma/) - [Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD/NAFLD)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/metabolic-dysfunction-associated-steatotic-liver-disease/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Liver: lobule, acinus, hepatocytes, sinusoids, Kupffer cells](https://durgical.com/en/histology/liver-lobule-acinus-hepatocytes-sinusoids-kupffer-cells/) - [Functions of the liver](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/functions-of-the-liver/) - [Stem cells and tissue renewal: labile, stable and permanent tissues](https://durgical.com/en/histology/stem-cells-and-tissue-renewal-labile-stable-and-permanent-tissues/) - [Liver, gallbladder and pancreas](https://durgical.com/en/embryology/liver-gallbladder-and-pancreas/) - [Interleukin-6](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/interleukin-6/) - [TNF-α](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/tnf/) [← All of general pathology](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/) Educational content on the mechanisms of disease; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given. Sources: [23.6 Accessory Organs in Digestion: The Liver, Pancreas, and Gallbladder](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/23-6-accessory-organs-in-digestion-the-liver-pancreas-and-gallbladder) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022); [Hepatic Cirrhosis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482419/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024); [Cirrhosis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000255.htm) (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, 2026). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/liver-regeneration/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/liver-regeneration/