Objective:To evaluate the treatment effect of transplantation of  frozen hepatocytes on cirrhosis and acute hepatic failure of rats.
Methods:The isolated  hepatocytes were harvested by in situ perfusion and frozen by programme freezing. A cirrhosis and acute hepatic failure (HF) model of rats was established, then the rats were divided into three groups: group I (control group);  group II (cirrhosis group) and group III (HF group), the latter 2 group were subdivided into two groups (group IIa,IIb, and group IIIa, IIIb) according to without or with transplantation of frozen hepatocyte into portal vein. Portal venous pressure, liver function and pathology results were observed before and after the hepatocyte transplantation, and data were analyzed by statistical methods.
Results:The recovery of frozen hepatocyte was 50 to 70 percent. In the cirrhosis group, 7 days after the transplantation (group IIa), portal venous pressure, liver function and pathology results showed no significant changes comparing with group IIa. Compared with non-transplantation group (group IIIa),  in group IIIb (hepatocyte transplantation for acute hepatic failure) after 7 days of transplantion, the  ALT level was lower, while the total protein and albumin were significantly improved(P＜0.05).
Conclusions:Frozen hepatocyte transplantation is conducive to the recovery of liver function in rats with acute hepatic failure, while it has no significant effect in the rats with cirrhosis.