BASIC STUDY ON A HYBRID ARTIFICIALLIVER

INFLUENCE OF WARM ISCHEMIA OF THE SURGICAL LIVER SPECIMEN ON HEPATOCYTE ISOLATION ANDHEPATIC FUNCTIONS OF CULTURED HUMAN HEPATOCYTES

Abstract

Human hepatocyte procurement from thirteen surgical liver specimens and functions in primary culture were evaluated for the future appication on a hybrid artificial liver. The warm ischemia time of the surgical liver specimens (mean weight of 27.3g) ranged 0-180 minutes. The viability and yield of isolated hepatocytes were the mean values of 88.6% and 10.9×10⁶ cells/g liver, respectively. The gluconeogenesis and ureogenesis of the cultured hepatocytes were maintained for ten days with values of 26.2-45.5 and 2.7-3.8 ng/μg DNA/min, resppctively. Those hepatic functions did not show statistic correlation against the warm ischemia time of the liver specimens. It was concluded that high yield of viable human hepatocytes was effectively isolated from warm ischemia liver up to 180 minutes and isolated human hepatocytes in the primary culture revealed high level of hepatic metabolic functions. Use of cultured hepatocyte obtained from warm ischemia liver was considered to be promising as a metabolic component of a hybrid artificial liver.KEYWORD: human hepatocytes, liver warm ischemia, primary culture, hybrid artificial liver