Acute liver failure: A progress report

Gene transfection for rat primary cultured hepatocytes

AIM: To study the efficient and stable gene transfection method of rat primary cultured hepatocytes by liposome.

METHODS: Rat hepatocytes were isolated by collegenase perfusion, and the pEGFP-N₃ plasmid containing GFP and Neo gene was transfected into rat primary hepatocyte with liposome. The expression of GFP and Neo was observed by fluorescence microscopy and in situ hybridization.

RESULTS: The rate of live hepatocytes obtained was 95%. Under fluorescence microscope, hepatocyte transfected with pEGFP-N₃ plasmid showed green fluorescence. By using in situ hybridization method, expression of Neo gene was observed in hetpatocyte transfected with pEGFP-N₃.

CONCLUSION: Rat hepatocyte can be transfected by pEGFP-N₃. pEGFP-N₃ expression vector and makes it easy to assess the expression of target gene in transfected hepatocyte, and it can be used for localization of transplantated hepatocyte.

Experimental research on TECA-I bioartificial liver support system to treat canines with acute liver failure

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the TECA-I bioartificial liver support system (BALSS) in treating canines with acute liver failure (ALF).

METHODS: Ten canines with ALF induced by 80% liver resection received BALSS treatment (BALSS group). Blood was perfused through a hollow fiber tube containing 1 × 10¹⁰ porcine hepatocytes. Four canines with ALF were treated with BALSS without porcine hepatocytes (control group), and five canines with ALF received drug treatment (drug group). Each treatment lasted 6 h.

RESULTS: BALSS treatment yielded beneficial effects for partial liver resection-induced ALF canines with survival and decreased plasma ammonia, ALT, AST and BIL. There was an obvious decrease in PT level and increase in PA level, and there were no changes in the count of lymphocytes, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG and IgM) and complement (C3 and C4) levels after BALSS treatment. In contrast, for the canines with ALF in non-hepatocyte BALSS group (control group) and drug group, there were no significant changes in ammonia, ALT, AST, BIL, PT and PA levels. ALF canines in BALSS group, control group and drug group lived respectively an average time of 108.0 h ± 12.0 h, 24.0 h ± 6.0 h and 20.4 h ± 6.4 h, and three canines with ALF survived in BALSS group.

CONCLUSION: TECA-I BALSS is efficacious and safe for ALF canines induced by parcial liver resection.