How do you culture human hepatocytes?
One common technique to culture primary hepatocytes is to seed the cells on a single layer of collagen gel. Under these conditions, hepatocytes secrete albumin and urea, and show minimal cytochrome P450 (CYP450) activity.
What are human hepatocytes?
Hepatocytes are the chief functional cells of the liver and perform an astonishing number of metabolic, endocrine and secretory functions. Roughly 80% of the mass of the liver is contributed by hepatocytes. In three dimensions, hepatocytes are arranged in plates that anastomose with one another.
Where do hepatocytes come from?
Hepatocytes, along with biliary epithelial cells (BECs; also known as cholangyocytes) are derived from the embryonic endoderm, while the stromal cells, stellate cells, kuppfer cells and blood vessels, are of mesodermal origin (see Fig. 1).
What are primary human hepatocytes?
Hepatocytes directly isolated from liver tissue are called primary hepatocytes. Many other cell culture models have been used to simulate the liver environment for research and development. Some of these alternative hepatocyte models include tumor cell lines such as Huh-7 and HepG2 cells.
Do primary hepatocytes proliferate?
Although adult hepatocytes have a remarkable ability to proliferate in vivo, attempts to proliferate adult hepatocytes in vitro have been less successful. Primary adult hepatocytes have been known to have low mitotic activity in vitro.
How many liver hepatocytes does a human have?
A similar value for the number of hepatocytes per gram of liver of 116 (range 102ā139) Ć 106 cells gā1 has also been reported by Lipscomb et al. [3].
Are hepatocytes adherent cells?
We did compare those two different cell culture systems, and indeed hepatocytes cultured as adherent express a high level of differentiation markers such that Albumin, CYP3A4 or CYP3A7 (Fig. 2A-Adh).
What is the basic structural element of the liver?
Hepatocytes (parenchymal cells) are the basic structural component of the liver, representing 60% of the total cell number and 80% of the total liver volume. They are arranged radially within the lobule to form cellular plates, between which the liver capillaries and the sinusoids are located.
Can liver regrow itself?
The liver has a unique capacity among organs to regenerate itself after damage. A liver can regrow to a normal size even after up to 90% of it has been removed.