Characterization of a hollow fiber bioartificial liver device.
A three-compartment bioartificial liver (BAL) has been developed for potential treatment of fulminant hepatic failure. It has been shown previously that viability and liver-specific functions were maintained in laboratory-scale bioreactors of such design. In this study, the performance of hepatocytes in a clinical-scale bioartificial liver was verified by sustained specific production rates of albumin and urea, along with oxygen consumption rates for up to 56 h and liver-specific gene expression for up to 72 h. In addition, transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus and other type C retroviral particles across the hollow fibers was not detected under both normal and extreme operating fluxes. These results demonstrate that the clinical-scale BAL performs at a level similar to the laboratory scale and that it offers a viral barrier against porcine retroviruses.
Abu-Absi
Susan Fugett
SF
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0132, U.S.A.
Seth
Gargi
G
Narayanan
Ramanathan A
RA
Groehler
Kristine
K
Lai
Pamela
P
Anderson
Mary L
ML
Sielaff
Timothy
T
Hu
Wei-Shou
WS
D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015870:Gene Expression; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000628:therapy; D019164:Liver, Artificial / Q000592:standards*; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013552:Swine; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism
D000418:Albumins; D012313:RNA; D014508:Urea