title: Improvement of metabolic performance of hepatocytes cultured in vitro in a packed-bed reactor for use as a bioartificial liver.
abstract: A packed-bed reactor using reticulated polyvinyl formal (PVF) resin as a support material is a useful configuration to achieve high density culture of hepatocytes for use as a bioartificial liver. The authors investigated the effects of oxygen concentrations of the culture medium on the metabolic performance of hepatocytes cultured in the reactor. A packed-bed reactor loaded with 250 PVF resin cubes (2 x 2 x 2 mm) was used. Hepatocytes obtained from male Wistar rats were inoculated into the reactor. Culture medium was perfused from the reservoir into the reactor through an oxygenator using a roller pump. Concentration of the dissolved oxygen in the medium was controlled by changing the gas mixture ratio supplied to the oxygenator. Hepatocytes cultured in the packed-bed reactor (cell density: 8.6 x 10(6) cells/cm3 PVF) under conditions of high dissolved oxygen concentrations ranging from 260 to 460 micromol/L showed 30% higher ammonium metabolic activity and 85% higher albumin secretion activity compared with those from the monolayer culture in the earlier culture stage (up to 2 days). However, low oxygen concentrations in the medium (<100 micromol/L) impaired activities of cultured hepatocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba Science City, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanagi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohshima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019164:Liver, Artificial; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011145:Polyvinyls; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D011145:Polyvinyls; D010100:Oxygen