title: Establishment and application of an experimental model of human fetal hepatocytes for investigation of the protective effects of silybin and polyporus umbellalus polysaccharides.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish a new experimental model system of human fetal hepatocytes to study the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of silybin and polyporus umbellalus polysaccharides (PSP) on the cellular ultrastructure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Human fetal hepatocytes were obtained from the liver of a human fetus that resulted from a medically necessary induced labor; the mother provided informed consent for sampling, experimental use and publication of findings. The hepatocytes were cultured and then pretreated with silybin or PSP or without either (control), after which the treated cells were exposed to CCl4 for 4 h. Changes in cellular ultrastructure were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and changes in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assayed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of ALT and AST were significantly decreased, and level of SOD was elevated in the two pretreatment groups following CCl4 exposure, as compared to the control group. The cellular integrity and ultrastructure were well preserved in the two pretreatment groups but were seriously damaged in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CCl4-induced hepatotoxic cell model system of human fetal hepatocytes is an effective tool for studying the hepatoprotective effect of drugs and may be applicable for studies to screen medicines for treatment of hepatitis.
authors.affiliation: Mao-Rong Wang, Mei-Zhao Le, Jia-Zhang Xu, Chang-Lun He, Institute of Liver Diseases, 81 Hospital, PLA, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Mao-Rong Wang, Mei-Zhao Le, Jia-Zhang Xu, Chang-Lun He, Institute of Liver Diseases, 81 Hospital, PLA, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: Mao-Rong Wang, Mei-Zhao Le, Jia-Zhang Xu, Chang-Lun He, Institute of Liver Diseases, 81 Hospital, PLA, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Mao-Rong Wang, Mei-Zhao Le, Jia-Zhang Xu, Chang-Lun He, Institute of Liver Diseases, 81 Hospital, PLA, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: He
keywords: Experimental model; Fetal hepatocytes; Polyporus umbellalus polysaccharides; Silybin