Kupffer Cells

Abstract

Kupffer cells, the resident macrophages of the liver, are located within the lumen of the sinusoids overlapping the thinned endothelial wall, and their cellular extensions contribute to a kind of double lining of the sinusoid (Motta 1984). Kupffer cells represent the largest population of macrophages in the mammalian body (Bouwens et al. 1986), and are largely responsible for clearing the post-mesenteric blood of gut-derived bacteria and potent bacterial toxins such as endotoxins or peptidoglucans. Besides high phagocytic and endocytic activity, hepatic macrophages secrete a host of mediators which interact in a paracrine way with neighboring cells, mainly hepatocytes and stellate cells.