The Neonatal Liver: Normal Development and Response to Injury and Disease

The liver emerges from the ventral foregut endoderm around 3 weeks in human and 1 week in mice after fertilization. The fetal liver works as a hematopoietic organ and then develops functions required for performing various metabolic reactions in late fetal and neonatal periods. In parallel with functional differentiation, the liver establishes three dimensional tissue structures. In particular, establishment of the bile excretion system consisting of bile canaliculi of hepatocytes and bile ducts of cholangiocytes is critical to maintain healthy tissue status.
Source: Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine - Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Source Type: research