Hepatic Cell Lines CultureD on Different Scaffolds and in Different Stages for Bioartificial Liver Systems

Abstract

Because of a lack of livers being donated for transplantation, the use of bioartificial livers (BALs) using hepatic cells is a valid alternative. There are two major problems: one is the source of potent hepatic cells for BALs and the other is that BAL’s working period is still too short because of apoptosis of the hepatic cells. In order to prolong the working period of BALs, we previously generated an anti-apoptosis hepatic cell line, Hep-bcl2, which maintained cell viability and improved albumin productivity for longer periods. In this study we tested the effect of collagen on the proliferation and liver function, albumin synthesis, of the anti-apoptosis hepatic cell line Hep-bcl2 to improve the culture. Hep-bcl2 cultured on collagen showed increased proliferation, while albumin productivity was decreased. This result implies that a two-step culture condition should be developed: First, to expand the pre-culture population, Hep-bcl2 should be cultured on collagen-coated dishes because of the rapid proliferation. Second, for BAL culture, Hep-bcl2 should be cultured without collagen because of higher liver function and slow proliferation, which would avoid cell death due to over-growth.