title: Biliary epithelial cells proliferate during oxygenatedex situliver culture.
abstract: Biliary complications remain a major source of morbidity in liver transplant patients. Among these complications, nonanastomotic biliary strictures (NAS) are especially common and they are frequently therapy resistant in part because biliary epithelial cells are more sensitive to warm ischemic injury than hepatocytes. It has been a challenge to maintain the physiological function of biliary epithelial cells during liver transplantation. In this work, we have examined the effect of oxygen on proliferation of biliary epithelial cells in the rat livers obtained from donation after circulatory death (DCD). Twelve rat livers from DCD were divided into two groups. Livers in the control group were isolated following a standard procedure without oxygen supply. Livers in the experimental group were isolated with a constant supply of oxygen. All livers were then connected to anex situliver culture system in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine analogue and a marker for cell proliferation. After 6 hours of normothermicex situliver culture, morphology and DNA replication in hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells were assessed and compared between the two groups. We found that about 4.5% of the biliary epithelial cells in the experimental group proliferated compared with only 0.4% of cells in the control based on BrdU staining. No significant change in cell morphology was observed in those cells between the two groups. Thus, our results indicate that oxygen supply is required for maintenance of the physiological function of biliary epithelial cells during liver transplant and suggest that a constant oxygen supply during liver isolation along withex situliver organ culture can enhance the repair of biliary epithelial cell injury during liver transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chirurgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University 218 Jixi Road, Hefei 230022, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Congwen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital of Anhui Province 39 Eastern Wangjiang Road, Hefei 230002, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yiqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Chirurgery, Third Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University 390 Huaihe Road, Hefei 230009, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Chirurgery, Third Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University 390 Huaihe Road, Hefei 230009, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Saint James School of Medicine Saint Vincent and The Grenadines.
authors.forename: Sujin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hefang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Medical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology 139 Tunxi Road, Hefei 230009, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jianjian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chirurgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University 218 Jixi Road, Hefei 230022, Anhui, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qiru
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, P. R. China; Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center760 Parkside Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11226, USA.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: 3D culture; BrdU histology analysis; BrdU proliferation assay; Ex situ liver culture; biliary epithelial cell regeneration in vitro; organ growing; oxygen carrier free; warm ischemia; without erythrocytes