title: Porcine hepatocytes from slaughterhouse organs. An unlimited resource for bioartificial liver devices.
abstract: Most recent strategies for the development of hybrid artificial liver devices focus on the use of parenchymal liver cells (hepatocytes). For clinical application of these devices, a sufficient cell supply is mandatory. Because human liver tissue is rarely available, isolated porcine hepatocytes from laboratory animals have been suggested for use in bioartificial livers. The authors introduce a modified isolation protocol to yield large scale numbers of viable porcine hepatocytes from slaughterhouse organs. Perfusion and enzymatic digestion of the left medial liver lobe (n = 74) resulted in 1.0 +/- 0.3 x 10(7) viable hepatocytes per gram of tissue, and an overall yield of 1.92 +/- 0.5 x 10(9) viable cells per isolation (viability: 93 +/- 2%). Collagen gel immobilization maintained morphologic integrity and functional activity of hepatocyte cultures over long-term periods. Cell morphology, as assessed by light microscopic evaluation, was maintained for 2 weeks. Stable DNA content (51 +/- 5 micrograms) and low values of alanine aminotransferase release (8 microU/hr/micrograms DNA) indicated structural stability of cultures after a short period of post isolational adaptation. Albumin secretion (4.5 micrograms/hr/micrograms DNA) and persistent Cytochrome P450 IA1 dependent deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin (4.5 nmol/hr/micrograms DNA) indicated long-term metabolic activity of cultured hepatocytes. Hepatocytes from livers of slaughtered pigs represent an unlimited resource of viable material for cell culture, and their usefulness as functional units of bioartificial liver support devices should be tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Klinikum Grosshadern, L.M. University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Koebe
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Pahernik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sproede
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Thasler
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Schildberg
mesh_terms: D015660:7-Alkoxycoumarin O-Dealkylase / Q000378:metabolism; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005470:Fluorometry; D006822:Hybrid Cells; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D015660:7-Alkoxycoumarin O-Dealkylase; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; D000410:Alanine Transaminase