title: Continued high albumin production by multicellular spheroids of adult rat hepatocytes formed in the presence of liver-derived proteoglycans.
abstract: Adult rat hepatocytes formed floating multicellular spheroids, when they were cultured with proteoglycan fraction isolated from rat liver reticulin fibers. Cells in the spheroid showed only low growth activity. Albumin production by the spheroids increased up to 1.5 micrograms/micrograms DNA/day (180 micrograms/mg Protein/day) during the first 6 days and remained constant thereafter. In contrast, the albumin production by the monolayer markedly decreased after 4 days. The spheroid culture appears to be more suitable than the monolayer in studying differentiated functions of adult hepatocytes.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Shikata-cho, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koide
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinji
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koide
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013535:Suspensions; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D011509:Proteoglycans; D013535:Suspensions; D013936:Thymidine