[Effect of human uremic serum on the survival of fetal rat hepatocytes].

Children suffering from chronic renal insufficiency frequently show a liver cell damage. It is not clarified, whether this damage is caused immediately by chronic renal insufficiency. In the model of fetal rat hepatocytes, which were isolated by trypsin digestion, we have investigated the influence of normal and uremic serum on the lactate dehydrogenase release and the staining with trypan blue, respectively. Fetal rat hepatocytes under incubation conditions seems to be a useful model in the investigation of the influence of uremic metabolism on the liver cell. In our liver cell model the uremic serum did not influence the membrane permeability of hepatocytes for macromolecules. However, the viability of hepatocytes was impaired by 23% compared with normal serum. The vitality-reducing factor of the uremic serum is not dialysable.