In vitro studies on a bioreactor module containing encapsulated goat hepatocytes for the development of bioartificial liver.
BACKGROUND
A bioartificial liver may act as a temporary metabolic bridge in patients with acute liver failure. We devised a bioreactor module containing encapsulated goat hepatocytes and studied its efficiency in detoxifying ammonia.


METHODS
A hollow-glass bioreactor module was designed and fabricated locally. The module was inoculated with alginate poly-L-lysine microcapsules with entrapped goat hepatocytes. Metabolism of ammonia and glucose was assessed. Antibody-mediated cell cytotoxicity was also assessed.


RESULTS
The optimum encapsulated goat hepatocyte concentration was 12-18 billion at a perfusate flow rate of 30 mL/min under oxygenated condition. The optimum ammonium chloride concentration for detoxification was 2.5-5.0 mM. There was little or no cytolysis of encapsulated hepatocytes on exposure to complement-inactivated human AB serum.


CONCLUSIONS
Encapsulated goat hepatocytes efficiently detoxified ammonia to urea. Cells were metabolically active up to 48 hours, indicating their feasibility for use in a bioreactor module. Encapsulation protected the hepatocytes from antibody-mediated cell lysis.
Khan
Aleem A
AA
Center for Liver Diseases, Owaisi Hospital and Research Center, Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Kanchanbagh, Santoshnagar, Hyderabad. aleem_a_khan@rediffmail.com
Capoor
Adarsh K
AK
Parveen
N
N
Naseem
Shakeel
S
Venkatesan
Vijayalakshmi
V
Habibullah
Chitoor M
CM
D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D019149:Bioreactors; D006041:Goats; D022781:Hepatocytes; D006801:Humans; D019164:Liver, Artificial; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism
D000641:Ammonia; D014508:Urea