Isolation and culture of liver cells and their use in the biochemical research of xenobiotics.

Isolated liver cells are currently used in research on hepatic function and metabolism, e.g., in studies on the synthesis of plasma proteins, control of gluconeogenesis and metabolism of glycogen. In addition they are becoming an important tool in investigating the metabolism and action of xenobiotics, where they are used for studying basic metabolic processes as well as adverse effects such as toxicity and carcinogenicity. Liver cells are isolated by a perfusion technique, where collagenase breaks the intercellular bonds, and they are often used in suspension right after isolation. In addition both primary and long-term cultures have been obtained, but in the latter the cells soon become dedifferentiated, and are not considered representative of true hepatocytes. Even in the former type of culture the liver cells lose some of their drug-metabolizing enzymes though preserving other liver-specific functions. This review focuses on the use of liver cells in the study of xenobiotics. Despite some shortcomings such as a limited time for the investigations with one preparation and the lack of long-term cultures they are potentially a valuable in vitro model for many aspects of the metabolism of xenobiotics and their toxic and carcinogenic actions. For instance, patterns of formed metabolites, enzyme induction and carcinogenic action can be studied. In addition liver cells in culture offer a system which can be developed into a valuable tool in the short-term screening of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals.