0000000000275105

AUTHOR

Katja Biefang

Cryopreserved primary hepatocytes as a constantly available in vitro model for the evaluation of human and animal drug metabolism and enzyme induction.

The use of primary hepatocytes is now well established for both studies of drug metabolism and enzyme induction. Cryopreservation of primary hepatocytes decreases the need for fresh liver tissue. This is especially important for research with human hepatocytes because availability of human liver tissue is limited. In this review, we summarize our research on optimization and validation of cryopreservation techniques. The critical elements for successful cryopreservation of hepatocytes are (1) the freezing protocol, (2) the concentration of the cryoprotectant [10% dimethyl-sulfoxide (DMSO)], (3) slow addition and removal of DMSO, (4) carbogen equilibration during isolation of hepatocytes and…

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Cultures with cryopreserved hepatocytes: applicability for studies of enzyme induction

The use of hepatocyte cultures is well established for the study of drug-drug interactions. However, the major hindrance for the use of human hepatocyte cultures is that human hepatocytes are only occasionally available. This problem could be overcome by cryopreservation. Although cryopreserved hepatocytes have been recommended for short term applications in suspension, studies on induction of enzyme activity, requiring a more prolonged maintenance of cryopreserved hepatocytes in culture, represent a new field of research. In the present study, we established a technique that allows preparation of rat hepatocyte co-cultures, using cryopreserved hepatocytes. After incubation with phenobarbit…

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