Abstract
AIM: To establish a stable method for the isolation, culture and cryopreservation of adult primary hepatocytes to provide a potential hepatocyte resource for the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases using hepatocyte transplantation and bioartificial liver support systems, and for the use of hepatocytes as an in vitro model of the liver.
METHODS: Adult hepatocytes were isolated from 20 separate donors using a two-step extracorporeal collagenase perfusion technique. The hepatocytes were preincubated in HepatoZYME-SFM medium for 2, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 or 72 h, transferred to HepatoZYME-SFM medium containing 10% FBS and 10% DMSO, immediately put into an isopropanol progressive freezing container at -80 ℃ overnight, and immersed in liquid nitrogen the next day. During the post-thaw culture period, cell viability, plating efficiency, albumin secretion and urea synthesis were analyzed.
RESULTS: The viability and plating efficiency of hepatocytes isolated using the two-step extracorporeal collagenase perfusion technique were 75.0% ± 4.6% and 72.0% ± 6.0%, respectively. Preincubation at 4 ℃ for 12 or 24 hours proved to be optimal for albumin secretion. Compared to the immediate cryopreservation group, significant improvement was observed in viability (61.4% ± 4.8%, 62.0% ± 5.6% vs 53.4% ± 4.2%, both P < 0.05), plating efficiency (63.2% ± 5.8%, 62.6% ± 3.6% vs 55.2% ± 4.6%, both P < 0.05), albumin secretion and urea synthesis (P < 0.05) in cells preincubated at 4 ℃ for 12 and 24 hours.
CONCLUSION: The two-step extracorporeal collagenase perfusion technique provides a novel, simple, and reliable method for hepatocyte isolation. Preincubation of human hepatocytes at 4 ℃ for 12 to 24 hours prior to cryopreservation allows to obtain hepatocytes ideal for use in pharmacotoxicology, bioartificial liver and cell therapy.
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