fig2

Figure 2. Immune microenvironment in the liver. Liver sinusoids are lined by a fenestrated monolayer of LSECs. HSCs reside in the space between hepatic cells and LSECs, called the Space of Disse. Blood flow in the Space of Disse goes toward the lymphatic vessels that run through the portal tracts to the draining lymph nodes. Blood from the hepatic artery and the portal vein goes through capillary-like vessels, called sinusoids, to the central vein. Dendritic cells are mainly located in the portal tracts. Large Kupffer cells, which have higher lysosomal enzyme activity, are located predominantly in the periportal region. Smaller Kupffer cells are located more close to the central vein. NK cells and T cells patrol the sinusoid. Hepatic NK cells are found in the sinusoidal space, while CD3 cells are mainly present in the periportal area. LSEC: liver sinusoidal endothelial cell; KC: Kupffer cell; HSC: hepatic stellate cell; DC: dendritic cell; NK: natural killer cell; T: T cell