title: Differentiation effects by the combination of spheroid formation and sodium butyrate treatment in human hepatoblastoma cell line (Hep G2): a possible cell source for hybrid artificial liver.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of human hepatoblastoma cell line (Hep G2), which differentiates by spheroid formation, and treatment with sodium butyrate (SB) as a cell source for hybrid artificial liver (HAL). Hep G2 spontaneously formed spheroids in polyurethane foam (PUF) within 3 days of culture and restored weak ammonia removal activity. Treatment with SB, which is a histone deacetylase inhibitor, further increased the ammonia removal activity of Hep G2 spheroids in a concentration-dependent manner. The activation of ornithine transcarbamylase--a urea cycle enzyme--was significantly related to the upregulation of ammonia removal by spheroid formation, but scarcely contributed to the further upregulation following SB treatment. In contrast with ammonia removal, treatment with SB reduced the albumin secretion of Hep G2 spheroids in a concentration-dependent manner. In the PUF-HAL module in a circulation culture, the ammonia removal rate and albumin secretion rate (per unit volume of the module) of Hep G2 spheroids treated with 5 mM SB were almost the same as those of primary porcine hepatocyte spheroids. These results suggest that simultaneous use of spheroid formation and SB treatment in Hep G2 is beneficial in enhancing the functions of human hepatocytes with potential applications in regenerative medicine and drug screening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizumoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ijima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Funatsu
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002087:Butyrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018197:Hepatoblastoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019164:Liver, Artificial; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011140:Polyurethanes; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D002087:Butyrates; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D011140:Polyurethanes; D019344:Lactic Acid; D000641:Ammonia; D005340:Fibrinogen; C028279:polyurethane foam; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase