Beneficial Effects of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells on Porcine Hepatocyte Viability and Albumin Secretion

Porcine hepatocytes transplanted during acute liver failure might support metabolic functions until the diseased liver recovers its function. Here, we isolated high numbers of viable pig hepatocytes and evaluated hepatocyte functionality after encapsulation. We further investigated whether coculture...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Elisa Montanari, Joel Pimenta, Luca Szabó, François Noverraz, Solène Passemard, Raphael P. H. Meier, Jeremy Meyer, Jonathan Sidibe, Aurelien Thomas, Henk-Jan Schuurman, Sandrine Gerber-Lemaire, Carmen Gonelle-Gispert, Leo H. Buhler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Journal of Immunology Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1078547
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Porcine hepatocytes transplanted during acute liver failure might support metabolic functions until the diseased liver recovers its function. Here, we isolated high numbers of viable pig hepatocytes and evaluated hepatocyte functionality after encapsulation. We further investigated whether coculture and coencapsulation of hepatocytes with human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are beneficial on hepatocyte function. Livers from 10 kg pigs (n=9) were harvested, and hepatocytes were isolated from liver suspensions for microencapsulation using alginate and poly(ethylene-glycol)- (PEG-) grafted alginate hydrogels, either alone or in combination with MSC. Viability, albumin secretion, and diazepam catabolism of hepatocytes were measured for one week. 9.2 ± 3.6 × 109 hepatocytes with 95.2 ± 3.1% viability were obtained after isolation. At day 3, free hepatocytes displayed 99% viability, whereas microencapsulation in alginate and PEG-grafted alginate decreased viability to 62% and 48%, respectively. Albumin secretion and diazepam catabolism occurred in free and microencapsulated hepatocytes. Coencapsulation of hepatocytes with MSC significantly improved viability and albumin secretion at days 4 and 8 (p<0.05). Coculture with MSC significantly increased and prolonged albumin secretion. In conclusion, we established a protocol for isolation and microencapsulation of high numbers of viable pig hepatocytes and demonstrated that the presence of MSC is beneficial for the viability and function of porcine hepatocytes.
ISSN:2314-8861
2314-7156