Abnormal hepatic copper accumulation of spheroid composed of liver cells from LEC rats in vitro.
The LEC rat is a mutant strain displaying hereditary hepatitis, and shows abnormal accumulation of copper (Cu) similar to that occurring in Wilson's disease. We prepared a multicellular spheroid composed of LEC rat liver cells to investigate the mechanism for abnormal accumulation of Cu. These multicellular spheroids were prepared by detaching the monolayer on the collagen-conjugated thermo-responsive polymer coated culture dish at a temperature below the critical solution temperature and culturing on the non-adhesive substratum. Long-term cultured spheroids of LEC rat liver cells as well as SD rat liver cells were attempted. Non-parenchymal cells obtained by collagenase perfusion from the LEC liver were fewer than those from the SD liver. Cells from the LEC rat, over 11 weeks of age, did not form a cell sheet; however, a mixture of parenchymal cells from LEC rats over aged 11 weeks and non-parenchymal cells from SD rats of any age yielded intact spheroids. We examined the toxicity, the accumulation and distribution of Cu in spheroids. The accumulation of Cu in LEC spheroids was higher than that in SD spheroids. Results suggest that spheroids consisting of LEC liver cells are useful as an alternative model to in vivo tests to investigate the mechanism for abnormal accumulation of Cu in liver.
Ueno
K
K
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan.
Yoshizawa
M
M
Satoh
T
T
Yoneda
S
S
Ohmichi
M
M
Yamazaki
M
M
Mori
Y
Y
Suzuki
K T
KT
D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006527:Hepatolenticular Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular; D015032:Zinc / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein; D015032:Zinc; C029892:cupric chloride