Platelets prime hematopoietic–vascular niche to drive angiocrine-mediated liver regeneration

White blood cells produce pro-regenerative factors that help the liver recover from injury. A team led by Bi-Sen Ding from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, USA, studied how platelets contribute to tissue regeneration in two mouse models of liver injury — one in which the researchers injected a toxin into the liver and the other in which they surgically removed part of the liver. In both mouse models, they observed recruitment of platelets to the liver, where the cells secreted two kinds of growth factors. Mice genetically engineered to lack platelets showed impaired regenerative capacity, as did mice without working versions of the receptors for the platelet-produced growth factors. In contrast, treating mice with a hormone that enhances platelet production improved liver repair. A similar strategy could help people with liver disorders.