We studied the effect of preoperative hepatocyte transplantation on the prevention of liver failure in cirrhotic rats after hepatic resection. Two groups of Lewis rats were rendered cirrhotic by i.p. injection of 1% dimethylnitrosamine and were subjected to 33% hepatectomy. Two days before the resection, 36 rats in group I received intrasplenic hepatocyte transplantation, and 25 rats in group II were given intrasplenic injection of normal saline as a control. By the end of the third postoperative day, the rats in group I had better survival and a better biochemical profile than those in group II. The liver growth rate and the labeling index of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA-LI) showed a steady rise in group I. Compared with group II, group I had a significantly lower transforming growth factor (TGF-beta1) level (p < 0.05). We conclude that preoperative intrasplenic hepatocyte transplantation improves survival and facilitates regeneration in cirrhotic rats after hepatic resection.