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Semipermeable Hollow Fiber Membranes in Hepatocyte Bioreactors: A Prerequisite for a Successful Bioartificial Liver?
Author(s) -
Flendrig Leonard M.,
Velde Anje A. te,
Chamuleau Robert A.F.M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
artificial organs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.684
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1525-1594
pISSN - 0160-564X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1525-1594.1997.tb00471.x
Subject(s) - bioartificial liver device , bioreactor , membrane , hepatocyte , hollow fiber membrane , biomedical engineering , perfusion , semipermeable membrane , fiber , oxygenator , chemistry , materials science , medicine , biochemistry , in vitro , anesthesia , cardiopulmonary bypass , organic chemistry
Recent studies have shown that liver support systems based on viable hepatocytes can prolong life in animal models of acute liver failure. Now the time has come to elucidate the design characteristics that are essential to construct an efficient bioreactor. The gold standard remains the intact liver. Despite the very high cell density in this organ, individual cell perfusion is guaranteed resulting in low diffusional gradients which are essential for optimal mass transfer. These conditions are not met in bioreactors based on hollow fiber membranes. Moreover, the semipermeable membranes can foul and act as a diffusional barrier between the hepatocytes and the blood or plasma of the recipient. We devised a novel bioreactor for use as a bioartificial liver that does not include hollow fiber membranes for blood or plasma perfusion. The device is based on an integral oxygenator and a nonwoven polyester matrix material for hepatocyte culture as small aggregates. The efficacy of this original design was tested in rats with liver ischemia. Preliminary results show statistically significantly improved survival; life was prolonged 100% compared to the control experiments.