title: Efficient proliferation and maturation of fetal liver cells in three-dimensional culture by stimulation of oncostatin M, epidermal growth factor, and dimethyl sulfoxide.
abstract: For the purpose of applying fetal liver cells (FLCs) as a cell source to tissue-engineered bioartificial livers, three-dimensional (3-D) cultures of FLCs using a porous polymer scaffold, as well as monolayer cultures as a control, were simultaneously performed. To achieve efficient growth and differentiation, the FLCs were cultured in the growth medium for the first 3 weeks and then cultured in the differentiation medium for 3 more weeks. In these cultures, stimulating factors (oncostatin M (OSM), epidermal growth factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) were added to the media, and their effects were examined. When the growth medium containing OSM and EGF was used, EGF stimulated the growth of FLCs synergistically with OSM. For the differentiation of FLCs into mature hepatocytes, DMSO added to the differentiation medium remarkably enhanced albumin secretion in the 3-D and monolayer cultures, although HGF was effective only in the monolayer culture. Microscopic observation proved that FLCs exhibited hepatocyte-like morphology only in the media containing DMSO. In conclusion, successive supply of the growth medium containing EGF and OSM and the differentiation medium containing DMSO efficiently induced the growth of the 3-D cultured FLCs and their differentiation into mature hepatocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Tomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ehashi
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D019164:Liver, Artificial; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053683:Oncostatin M / Q000494:pharmacology; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D003470:Culture Media; D053683:Oncostatin M; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide