Hepatocytes enhance neurite regeneration and survival from transected nerve terminals.

The culture of hepatocytes dissociated from adult mice by the collagenase perfusion method enables neurons or neuronal tissues to be cultured with hepatocytes or in hepatocyte-conditioned media. Co-culture with hepatocytes or hepatocyte-conditioned media enhances neurite regeneration and their survival from nerve-transected terminals of dorsal root ganglia with nerve fibers dissected from adult and aged mice. Hepatocytes secrete a factor which enhances not only neurite regeneration but also neurite survival. Activities of other known neurotrophic factors were not as crucial as those of the hepatocyte-conditioned medium, suggesting that this factor may differ from other trophic ones.