title: Formation of multicellular spheroids composed of rat hepatocytes.
abstract: A novel method for the preparation of spheroids containing two types of cells (hetero-spheroid) has been successfully developed by using a collagen-conjugated thermo-responsive polymer, poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide, as a cell substratum. The hetero-spheroid was prepared by detaching the confluent monolayer composed of parenchymal and non-parenchymal rat liver cells at a temperature below lower critical solution temperature and culturing it on the non-adhesive substratum. The hetero-spheroid had activity in albumin secretion and PNPA hydrolase activity over a period of 60 days in dishes. These findings suggest that this spheroid formation system is a useful model of an alternative to animal tests of hepatotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology & Bio-Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Endoh
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takezawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satoh
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000418:Albumins; D003470:Culture Media; C052970:poly-N-isopropylacrylamide; C021872:4-nitrophenyl acetate hydrolase; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases