title: Small Subcompartmentalized Microreactors as Support for Hepatocytes.
abstract: Mimicking specific structural or functional aspects of cells is considered a promising approach to substitute for missing or lost cellular functions. However, the interaction of such artificial assemblies with their biological counterparts including the exploitation of the activity of the synthetic partner remains thus-far a rather unexplored avenue. Herein, the assembly of active microreactors with similar size to hepatocytes is reported. These microreactors are successfully cocultured with hepatocytes into bionic tissue for up to 10 d. Further, microreactors loaded with the liver enzyme catalase are effective in alleviating external pressure, induced by the addition of hydrogen peroxide, from such bionic tissue in an attempt to mimic the detoxification ability of hepatocytes. Taken together, the findings open up a different route in combining synthetic and biological entities for tissue engineering by using the former partner not only as structural support, but also to induce beneficial activity.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baekgaard-Laursen
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Städler
mesh_terms: D061249:Batch Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D019149:Bioreactors; D002214:Capsules / Q000737:chemistry*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019164:Liver, Artificial; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002214:Capsules
keywords: hepatocytes; liposomes; microreactors; polymers