Michal Hošala1, Ľudovít Laca1, Ján Janík1, Jozef Hatok2, Marek Adámik1, Fani Mazyar1
Hepatocyte transplantation is a procedure promising a great hope for the treatment of certain diseases of the liver which have been treatable only by orthotopic liver transplantation so far. Potential benefits of hepatocytes transplantation include easier, safer, cheaper treatment and also in certain cases to waive immunosuppression. The first transplantation of hepatocytes in humans was realized by Mito and Kusano in Japan in 1993. Recent clinical studies have shown that transplantation of hepatocytes can be used in the treatment of acute liver failure, liver cirrhosis and some congenital disorders of liver metabolism. It is very important to handle isolation of liver cells and their transplantation technique as well as storage of hepatocytes. The article describes the basic principles of transplantation of hepatocytes, the possibility of freezing in storage of hepatocytes, as well as prospects for future research.