ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the composition of cells and matrix of normal rat liver as well as the changes that occur during regeneration and fibrosis. It presents a speculative model of the liver as a bioecosystem, based on the current knowledge of cell-cell and cell-matrix interation and their alterations in chronic liver diseases leading to fibrosis and cirrhosis. The data obtained with the regenerating liver clearly suggest, that during growth, collagen deposition is a highly coordinated process and that the correct amounts and types of collagen are manufactured. It is possible to suggest, that the cells involved in collagen synthesis during regeneration are not the same producing collagen during repair. The extracellular matrix is composed of a variety of macromolecules which include collagens, noncollagenous glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and proteoglycans. Water, electrolytes, and export proteins are flow-through elements and could be present in trace amounts.
