Immunocytochemical evidence for the maintenance of cytochrome P-450 isozymes, NADPH cytochrome C reductase, and epoxide hydrolase in pure and mixed primary cultures of adult human hepatocytes.

Specific polyclonal antibodies were used to investigate the distribution of two cytochrome P-450 isozymes (5 and 8), NADPH cytochrome c reductase, and epoxide hydrolase in adult human hepatocytes cultured alone or co-cultured with rat liver epithelial cells. The enzymes were localized by the indirect immunoperoxidase technique following fixation with a paraformaldehyde-glutaraldehyde mixture and membrane permeabilization with saponin. The pattern of distribution of the four enzymes after 24 hr in culture was similar to that found in vivo. Virtually all the hepatocytes exhibited nearly homogeneous positive staining for cytochrome P-450-8, whereas only 60-80% were positive for cytochrome P-450-5. Nearly homogeneous staining was also observed in all hepatocytes for NADPH cytochrome c reductase and epoxide hydrolase. During the first 12 days in pure culture, the intensity of staining, as well as the number of positively stained cells, decreased slightly except for epoxide hydrolase, which did not show any obvious change. In contrast, even after 15 days in co-culture the extent of staining for all the enzymes decreased less than in pure culture. These results indicate that adult human hepatocytes continue to express specific drug-metabolizing enzymes for several days in culture and provide further evidence that those cells are more stable than rodent hepatocytes in primary culture.