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Conditions affecting primary cell cultures of functional adult rat hepatocytes

1. The effect of insulin

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Summary

The conditions for obtaining representative, primary adult rat hepatocyte cultures were explored. The methods applied included enzymatic liver perfusion which was nondestructive to hepatocytes, the prevention of aggregation of dissociated cells and the selective attachment of viable cells. These procedures yielded a recovery of 50% of the liver cells which gave rise to cultures representing 14% of the total liver cells. The cultures were composed of homogeneous epithelial-like cells cytologically similar to hepatocytes and possessed a number of liver-specific enzymes. There was virtually no cell division initially and most cells died between 24 and 48 hr. Insulin enhanced the attachment of the liver cells, altered their morphology, but did not prolong cell survival.

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Author notes

  1. Brian A. Laishes (Research Fellow of the National Cancer Institute of Canada)

    Present address: Department of Pathology, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, M5S 1A8, Toronto, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fels Research Institute and Department of Pathology, Temple University School of Medicine, 19140, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Brian A. Laishes (Research Fellow of the National Cancer Institute of Canada) & Gary M. Williams

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  1. Brian A. Laishes
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  2. Gary M. Williams
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This study was supported by grant no. BC 133 from the American Cancer Society.

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Laishes, B.A., Williams, G.M. Conditions affecting primary cell cultures of functional adult rat hepatocytes. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 12, 521–532 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02796495

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