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Artificial liver: A forthcoming attraction
Author(s) -
Sussman Norman L.,
Kelly James H.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840170632
Subject(s) - hepatocyte , bioreactor , ultrastructure , bone canaliculus , bioartificial liver device , albumin , microbiology and biotechnology , glycogen , intracellular , biology , chemistry , biochemistry , biophysics , in vitro , anatomy , botany
We have developed a novel hepatocyte loaded hollow fiber bioreactor as a potential bioartificial liver. Freshly harvested rat hepatocytes were entrapped in a three‐dimensional gel matrix within hollow fibers in a perfused bioreactor. Gel entrapment allowed cells to be cultured at high density while maintaining tissuespecific function. Hepatocyte function was evaluated in 10 bioreactors, each containing approximately 5 x 10 7 cells. Oxygen consumption averaged 0.32 pmole/cell/hr, albumin appearance averaged 0.60 pg/cell/hr, and lidocaine clearance (a measure of the P‐450 activity) averaged 0.74 pg/cell/hr. Function persisted for the 7 days of the study. Electron microscopy at 7 days showed the distinctive ultrastructure of viable, differentiated hepatocytes: bile canaliculi, intercellular junctions, peroxisomes, abundant mitochondria, and glycogen granules. Maintenance of tissue specific function and ultrastructure suggests that this bioreactor configuration has potential as a device to support patients in liver failure, as well as to study hepatocytes in vitro.