Search

In order to develop a tissue engineered bioartificial liver (BAL), long-term three-dimensional (3-D) culture of fetal liver cells (FLCs) utilizing porous polymer as a scaffold was performed for up to 1 month. The effects of the basal medium and supplementation with oncostatin M (OSM) on the proliferation and differentiation of mouse FLCs were examined in both 3-D culture and conventional monolayer dish culture. Compared with monolayer culture, cell numbers and hepatic function of FLCs were better maintained by 3-D culture. When two kinds of basal media were tested in this study, Williams' medium E (WE) was superior to minimum essential medium alpha (aMEM) in expressing hepatic function of FLCs in both 3-D and monolayer cultures, although higher cell densities were obtained with aMEM. OSM potently stimulated both cell growth and metabolic activity, especially in 3-D culture. When WE supplemented with OSM was used for 3-D culture, albumin secretion by FLCs increased dramatically after day 5, and a high level of secretion was maintained until the end of culture. During a period of over 1 month, no decrease of albumin secretion was observed. In conclusion, this 3-D culture method was expected to be one of the realistic attempts to develop a tissue engineered BAL. 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spheroid array of fetal mouse liver cells, which comprise various immature cells, was constructed on a PEG-gel micropatterned surface and its hepatic activity and degree of differentiation induction were significantly upregulated by co-culture with nonparenchymal liver cells as feeder-cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]