A preliminary study of Alginate, Heparin-Chitosan-Alginate and Heparin microencapsulated hepatocytes system.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this work was to develop a new microcapsule and improve its physical properties, such as mechanical stability and permeability. Then we aimed to study its biological properties.


METHODS
Alginate, Heparin-Chitosan-Alginate, Heparin microcapsules (ALCAL) with good mechanical stability were made from the high voltage pulsing microcapsule shaping device with low-molecular-weight heparin sodium (LMWH), alginate (ALG) and chitosan (CS) by supramolecular lay-by-lay self-assembled technology. We tested their physical properties and microencapsulated hepatocytes by ALCAL to study their biological properties.


RESULTS
It was found that the microcapsules had the smooth surface and the porous structure with interconnected pores from microscopic observation. The permeability experiment of microcapsules using FITC-BSA and FITC-IgG showed that the microcapsule had the molecular mass cut-off of 68-150kDa. The hepatocytes encapsulated in ALCAL microcapsule rapidly aggregated on the core. The aggregated cells showed high albumin synthesis and glucose removal, which showed it had good metabolic function.


CONCLUSIONS
The current study revealed that ALCAL microcapsules might thus be a forefront for an alternative membrane to be investigated for cell encapsulation on the bioartifcial liver.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Songlin
S
Yu
Baosan
B
Han
Chenghong
C
Peng
D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006493:Heparin / Q000737:chemistry*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D019164:Liver, Artificial; D008297:Male; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010539:Permeability
D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006493:Heparin; D048271:Chitosan