High albumin production by multicellular spheroids of adult rat hepatocytes formed in the pores of polyurethane foam
✍ Scribed by Taku Matsushita; Hiroyuki Ijima; Norio Koide; Kazumori Funatsu
- Publisher
- Springer
- Year
- 1991
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 537 KB
- Volume
- 36
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1432-0614
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✦ Synopsis
Adult rat hepatocytes formed spherical multicellular aggregates (spheroids) when they were cultured in the pores of polyurethane foam (PUF). The diameter of the spheroids was within the range 100-200 microns. These spheroids partly attached and immobilized in the PUF pores for at least 2 weeks. The albumin production rate by the spheroids increased up to 17.0 micrograms/10(6) nuclei per day during the first 6 days and maintained at a high level for 2 weeks. In contrast, the albumin production rate by the monolayer markedly decreased after 3 days. The spheroid culture using PUF seems to be a convenient and simple method for maintaining some differentiated functions of hepatocytes and for making a bioreactor using the function of spheroids.