Department of Infectious Disease, Southwest Hospital Affiliated to Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2012 Jun;17(2):182-95. doi: 10.2478/s11658-012-0004-9.
Preservation of hepatocyte functions in vitro will undoubtedly help the management of acute liver failure. The coculture system may be able to prevent functional decline of hepatocytes. It has already been shown that hepatocytes, when cocultured with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, could undergo long-term culture in vitro without loss of functions. In this study, human orbital fat-derived stem cells were isolated and cocultured with rat hepatocytes. When treated with serum from an acute liver failure patient, rat hepatocyte monoculture showed reduction of cell viability and loss of liver-specific functions. However, rat hepatocytes in the coculture system were still able to secret albumin and synthesize urea. IL-6 was significantly elevated in the coculture of rat hepatocyte with orbital fat-derived stem cells, and it might be the key immunoregulator which protects rat hepatocytes against inflammation. Our data confirmed that orbital fat-derived stem cells, or other adipose tissue-derived stem cells, are an ideal candidate to support rat hepatocyte functions in vitro.
体外保存肝细胞功能无疑有助于急性肝功能衰竭的治疗。共培养系统可能能够防止肝细胞功能下降。已经表明，当肝细胞与骨髓间充质干细胞共培养时，可以在体外进行长期培养而不会丧失功能。在这项研究中，分离了人眼眶脂肪来源的干细胞并与大鼠肝细胞共培养。当用急性肝功能衰竭患者的血清处理时，大鼠肝细胞的单培养显示细胞活力降低和肝脏特异性功能丧失。然而，共培养系统中的大鼠肝细胞仍能够分泌白蛋白和合成尿素。共培养的大鼠肝细胞与眼眶脂肪来源的干细胞中白细胞介素 6 显著升高，它可能是保护大鼠肝细胞免受炎症的关键免疫调节剂。我们的数据证实，眼眶脂肪来源的干细胞或其他脂肪组织来源的干细胞是体外支持大鼠肝细胞功能的理想候选物。
