Full Paper
Human Hepatocyte Morphology and Functionsin a Multibore Fiber Bioreactor
Loredana De Bartolo,* Sabrina Morelli, Maria Rende, Carla Campana,Simona Salerno, Nino Quintiero, Enrico Drioli
The viability and liver specific functions of human hepatocytes in a multibore fiber bioreactorare reported. Human hepatocytes were cultured in the intraluminal compartment of thebioreactor. Human hepatocytes on themembranes maintained their round shape and showedfocal adhesions as sites of interaction with themembrane surface. Cells in the bioreactor expressedliver specific functions, including synthetic anddetoxification activity up to 14 d of culture. Theresults demonstrate that human hepatocytes cul-tured in the multibore fiber bioreactor are able tosustain the same in vivo liver functions in vitro.
Introduction
The engineering of human tissue analogues gives a
significant advantage to applied research as differentiated
human tissue ismade accessible for e.g. drug testing, study
of disease and pathology and therapeutics molecules. On
L. De Bartolo, S. Morelli, M. Rende, C. Campana, S. Salerno,N. Quintiero, E. DrioliInstitute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council ofItaly, ITM-CNR, c/o University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, cubo 17/C,Rende (CS), ItalyFax: þ39 09 8440 2103; E-mail: [email protected]. Rende, E. DrioliDepartment of Chemical Engineering andMaterials, University ofCalabria, Via P. Bucci, cubo 45, Rende (CS), Italy
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the contrary to cell lines and conventional culture systems
that frequently induce qualitative changes in the cells,
miniaturized human in vitro tissue analogues provide the
chance to improve human predictability. The development
of both biomaterial and culture technique able tomaintain
liver specific functions could help to realize a systemwhich
comprehensively reproduces human liver functions. Iso-
lated hepatocytes are able to continue the full range of
known in vivo liver specific functions for only a short time
when they are maintained under standard in vitro cell
culture conditions.[1]
Various culture methods have been developed to foster
retention of hepatocyte functions including coculture with
nonparenchymal cells,[2] culture in a sandwich collagen
gel,[3] in three-dimensional systems in spheroids[4] or a
variety of dynamic systems such as bioreactors.[5–12]
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672
Differently from static culture methods, the bioreactors
allow the culture of cells under tissue specific mechanical
forces such as pressure, shear stress and interstitial flow.
Furthermore, in this system a constant turnover of tissue
culture medium augments the gas and nutrient exchange,
which together with the complete fluid dynamics control
ensures the long-term maintenance of cell viability and
functions.[13]
One of the most-used bioreactors for mammalian tissue
growth is the hollow fiber membrane bioreactor. This
bioreactor meets the main requirements for cell culture:
wide area for cell adhesion, oxygen and nutrient transfer,
removal of catabolites and protection from shear
stress.[14,15] Hollow fiber membranes may serve as scaff-
olding material in several ways: 1) initiate tissue
formation, 2) guide the microarchitecture of the develop-
ing tissue by providing histo-appropriate mechanical
forces, 3) confer mechanical strength. The multibore
membrane of modified poly(ethersulfone) (PESM) is
completely new, combining the advantage of having
7 compartments represented by 7 capillaries arranged in
one single fiber so the risk of membrane rupture can be
minimized by using this multibore membrane. Moreover
the 7-hole arrangement enables a high stability to the
foamy support structure that is located in-between the
capillaries and shows a permeability that is higher than
those of other membranes with similar pore size. An
additional advantage of the multibore membrane is the
high chemical andmechanical resistance. This type of fiber
could be useful in the culture and co-culture of cells in
Figure 1. Scheme of the multibore fiber bioreactor and the perfusion system.
several intraluminal compart-
ments and therefore in the
reconstruction of tissue envir-
onment in vitro. We used this
membrane in a bioreactor for
the first time for the culture of
human hepatocytes. Since an
efficient transport of meta-
bolites and nutrients is
required for in vitro mainte-
nance of hepatocyte viability
and functions, we evaluated
the hydraulic permeance and
the mass transfer of metabo-
lites through the membranes.
We investigated the morpho-
logical behavior of cells in the
multibore fiber bioreactor by
confocal laser scanningmicro-
scopy (CLSM) and scanning
electron microscopy (SEM).
The liver specific functions of
human hepatocytes in the
membrane bioreactor have
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been explored with time. In order to investigate the
biotransformation functions of human hepatocytes in
the multibore fiber bioreactor Hypericum perforatum
(St. John’s wort) extract and paracetamol were used.
H. perforatum is a herbal remedy widely used for the
treatment of depression.[16] Among its constituents
hyperforin is one of the major constituents responsible
for antidepressant activity and is biotransformed through
the cytochrome P450 enzyme system. Acetaminophen,
paracetamol or N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP), is an
over-the-counter drug commonly used for its analgesic
and antipyretic properties that is metabolized by hepato-
cytes through glucuronidation and sulfonation reac-
tions.[17] Both components were used to assess the
performance of the human hepatocyte multibore fiber
bioreactor.
Experimental Part
Multibore Fiber Bioreactor
The multibore fiber membrane bioreactor consists of 3 multibore
membranes1 of PESM (Inge AG, Greifenberg, Germany) in order to
increase hydrophilicity and strength of membrane. One single
multibore fiber contains 7 compartments in which cells are seeded.
Thefibers are located in parallelwithin a glasshousing andpotted at
each end in order to establish two separate compartments: an
intraluminal compartment within the fiber, and an extraluminal
compartment or shell outside of the fibers. The two compartments
communicate through the pores in the fiber wall. The total inner
surface area of the multibore membranes used is 1.2 cm2.
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Human Hepatocyte Morphology and Functions in a Multibore Fiber Bioreactor
The bioreactor (volume: 18 mL) was connected to the perfusion
system consisting of a glass medium reservoir, tubing, oxy-
genator, a micro-peristaltic pump and a glass medium waste
(Figure 1).
The medium enters from the reservoir before the oxygenator
where it is heated and oxygenated, then the medium flows into
the membrane bioreactor. The oxygenated medium was con-
tinuously fed to the cells adhered on the membrane in the
bioreactor with a flow rate Q of 0.64 mL �min�1 that was set on
the basis of average retention time. The stream Qout leaving the
bioreactor was monitored and recycled to ensure the continuous
mixing of the medium. Media samples were collected daily from
the outlet stream to evaluate the product formation and the
substrate clearance. Fresh medium was perfused in single-pass
and the stream leaving the bioreactor Qout was collected as waste
until approaching the steady state. When the system reached the
steady state, the stream leaving the bioreactor was recycled (Qr) in
order to obtain the accumulation of products. The fluid dynamics
were characterized without the cells by tracer experiments using
William’s medium. The bioreactor was challenged by changing
the tracer concentration stepwise in the feed stream (Cin) and
the outlet concentration (Cout) was continuously monitored by
on-line spectrophotometer (UV Cord Pharmacia, Uppsala,
Sweden). The bioreactor fluid dynamics were characterized in
terms of the cumulative residence time distribution (RTD) to a step
inputs:
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FðtÞ ¼ Cout=Cin (1)
where t is the actual time.[18]
The experimental mean residence time was calculated as a
mean value of the E curve:
F ¼Z t
0E dt (2)
The theoretical mean residence time was calculated as:
t ¼ V=Q (3)
where Q is the perfusion flow rate and V is the volume of the
bioreactor.[18]
Characterization of Morphological and
Physico-Chemical Properties of the Membrane
Dried multibore membranes were cut in cross-sections, mounted
with double-faced conductive adhesive tape, and sputter-coated
with gold. Treated membranes were analyzed by scanning
electron microscope (SEM, ESEM FEG QUANTA 200, FEI Company,
Oregon, USA). Representative images were acquired to obtain
information about cross-sectional structure and thickness, intra-
and extra-lumen morphology and diameters, and the shape and
size of membrane pores.
The hydrophobic/hydrophilic character of the investigated
membranes was estimated by contact angle technique. Water
contact angles were measured using the sessile drop method
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at ambient temperature by CAM 200 contact angle meter
(KSV Instruments LTD, Helsinki, Finland), depositing the liquid
on the membrane surface using an automatic microsyringe.
Transport Characterization
The mass transport of metabolites through the membranes was
evaluated by a characterization apparatus. The multibore fiber
membranes were potted with an epoxy compound inside glass
modules (length: 20 cm, inner diameter: 1.5 cm) that allowed
access to both the intraluminal and extraluminal compartments.
A peristaltic pump (ISMATEC, General Control, Milan, Italy) circu-
lated themetabolite solution by pumping the fluid (feed) from the
reservoir into the inlet port of the module at flow rates of 0.48–
0.64 mL �min�1. Pressures were monitored at inlet and outlet
of the module by online manometers (Allemano, accuracy:
�0.98 mbar). Inlet pressures were varied in order to obtain
transmembrane pressures (DPTM) from 4 to 70 mbar. The extralu-
minal flow (permeate) was measured continuously, and the
concentration of the metabolite permeating through the mem-
branes was monitored by an online UV-spectrophotometer (LKB
Uvicord SII, Pharmacia, Italy) and/or by assay with phenol in the
case of dextran. Metabolites include albumin (molecular weight
66 kD), immunoglobulin (IgG) (molecular weight 155 kD) and
dextran (molecular weight 473 kD), all purchased from Sigma,
Milan, Italy. Test solutions were prepared by dissolving separately
0.5 mg �mL�1 for albumin, 0.05 mg �mL�1 for IgG and 0.1 mg �mL�1 for dextran in phosphate buffer at pH¼ 7.4.
The multibore fiber module was initially fed with water to
evaluate hydraulic permeance, then it was filled with metabolite
solutions for solute permeation measurements. For each type of
metabolite a new module was used. In order to ensure a high
reproducibility of permeance data, tests were carried out on four
modules and the average hydraulic permeance was reported.
Human Hepatocytes Culture
Primary human hepatocytes (Cambrex Bio Science, Milan, Italy)
isolated from the non-transplantable tissue of young single
donors were used for cell culture experiments. The purity of
isolated hepatocytes is 95% and non-parenchimal cells are present
in a very low percentage (5%). Cryopreserved human hepatocytes
were quickly thawed in a 37 8C water bath with gentle shaking.
Then, the cell suspension was transferred slowly into a tube
containing 25 mL of cold hepatocyte culture medium (HCMTM,
Cambrex Bio Science, Milan, Italy), and centrifuged at 50 g at 4 8Cfor 3 min. The HCMTM is constituted of hepatocyte basal medium
(HBMTM) together with all the components provided in HCMTM
bulletkit1 (Cambrex Bio Science, Milan, Italy): epidermal growth
factors, insulin, ascorbic acid, transferrin, hydrocortisone 21-
hemosuccinate, bovine serum albumin-fat acid free 2% (BSA-FAF)
and gentamicin sulfate 50 mg �mL�1, amphotericin B 50 ng �mL�1.
The cell pellet was suspended in HCMTM and tested for the cell
viability by trypan blue exclusion, as reported elsewhere.[19]
Human hepatocytes were seeded in the lumen of themultibore
fiber bioreactor, previously conditioned with HCMTM containing
BSA, to give a concentration of 1.3� 105 cells � cm�2 and incubated
for the first 24 h at 37 8C in a 5 vol.-% CO2/20 vol.-% O2 atmosphere
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674
with 95% relative humidity in HCMTM containing 2% BSA.
Thereafter, the culture was continued under serum-free condi-
tions for the whole culture time up to 14 d.
The functions of the human hepatocytes cultured in the
bioreactor were investigated in terms of urea synthesis, secretion
of total proteins and biotransformation functions. In particular,
the biotransformation functions were investigated by adding
to culture medium paracetamol (0.3�10�3M) and hyperforin
(1.8 mg �mL�1).
Biochemical Assays
Samples of the culturemediumwere collected from the bioreactor
in pre-chilled tubes and stored at �20 8C until assayed. The urea
concentration was assayed by the enzymatic urease method
(Sentinel, Milan, Italy).
The protein content in the samples was determined by protein
assay using bicinchoninic acid solution (Sigma, Milan, Italy) by
spectrophotometer analysis.
The statistical significance of the experimental results was
established according to the Unpaired Statistical Student’s t-test
and ANOVA test (p< 0.05).
HPLC Analysis of Paracetamol and Metabolites
The samples were HPLC analyzed using LiChrosorb RP-18 column
(5 mm), 250� 4 mm (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany). The mobile
phase consisted of a potassium phosphate buffer (0.5 M) at pH¼6.5 and methanol (95:5 v/v). The flow rate of eluent was
1 mL �min�1 with an analysis time of 30 min at a UV wavelength
of 242 nm. A polymeric column (Strata X, Chemtek Analytica,
Bologna, Italy) was used to treat the samples before injection
into the HPLC system. After conditioning with ethanol and water
Figure 2. Representative scanning electron micrographs of cross-section of multiborePESM membrane.
(1:1, v/v), the samples were acidified with
2% H3PO4 and diluted with potassium
phosphate buffer at pH¼ 6 (1:1, v/v).[20]
The recovery of paracetamol and its meta-
bolites was performed by using two dif-
ferent conditions: the first with 1 mL of
water with 5% of methanol and the second
with 1 mL of methanol. The recovered
fraction was dried under a gentle stream
of nitrogen and it was re-dissolved in 0.2 ml
of water before injecting into the HPLC
system.
HPLC Analysis of Hyperforin
The hyperforin was analyzed using a
LiChrosorb RP-18 column (5 mm), 250�4 mm at a UV wavelength of 270 nm.
Mobile phase A (acetonitrile) and mobile
phase B (2% H3PO4 in water) were used in a
step gradient program at 1 mL �min�1: from
0 min to 10 min a linear change from 15% A
and 85% B to 20% A and 80% B; from 10 min
to 20 min , a linear change from 20% A and
80% B to 75% A and 25% B, and from 20 min
to 25 min a linear change from 75% A and
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25% B to 80% A and 20% B. The samples were diluted with
acetonitrile (1:1, v/v) and after acidification with 0.1 mL of H3PO4,
vortexing for 1 min and then centrifuged at 6 000g for 10 min.[21]
Cell Morphology
Sample Preparation for SEM
Specimens of cell cultures were prepared for SEM by fixation in
2.5% glutaraldehyde, pH¼ 7.4 phosphate buffer, followed by
post-fixation in 1% osmium tetroxide and by progressive
dehydration in ethanol. The specimens were examined by SEM
after plating with gold under vacuum.
Hepatocyte Staining for LCSM
Themorphological behavior of human hepatocytes cultured in the
membrane bioreactor was investigated after 48 h of culture by
LCSM. Hepatocytes cultured in the multibore PESM membranes
were washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), fixed for
15 min in 3% para-formaldehyde in PBS at room temperature,
permeabilized for 5 min with 0.5 % Triton-X100 and saturated for
15 min with 2% normal goat serum (NGS). To visualize vinculin, a
specific monoclonal anti-vinculin antibody (Sigma, Milan, Italy),
diluted 1:50 in 1% NGS, was incubated for 30 min at room
temperature.[22] Then samples were washed twice in PBS and
incubated for 30 min with goat anti-mouse IgG tetramethylrho-
damine isothiocyanate (TRICT) conjugated (Sigma, Milan, Italy),
diluted 1:100 in PBS. To visualize the actin, the samples were
incubated in phalloidin conjugated with fluorescein isothiocya-
nate (FITC) (50 mg �mL�1) (Fluka, Milan, Italy) in PBS. Then samples
were washed twice in PBS and incubated for 20 min with
diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) (Sigma, Milan, Italy) to visualize
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Human Hepatocyte Morphology and Functions in a Multibore Fiber Bioreactor
nucleic acid. Finally, the samples were washed, mounted and
viewed with Laser Confocal Scanning Biological Microscope
(Fluoview FV300, Olympus, Milan, Italy).
Results and Discussion
Properties of the PESM Multibore Membranes
Themorphology ofmultiboremembrane fibers is shown in
Figure 2. One fiber (diameter: 4.1 mm) consists of 7
capillaries with diameters of 960 mm and an inner layer
that is a very thin selective surface. The capillaries are
surrounded by a porous support structure that gives good
stability and mechanical resistance to the fiber. The PESM
membrane has a good surface wettability as the water
contact angle and water sorption measurements demon-
strated (Figure 3). The capillaries have a wettable surface,
in fact the water contact angle measured on this
membrane was 69.5� 2.48 at t¼ 0 s, and the increase of
water sorptionwas about 14% after 10 s. It has been shown
that the surface wettability of the membrane favors
interactions with the cells.[23]
These properties together with hydraulic permeance are
not only important for the attachment of cells but also as
routes for the delivery ofmetabolites towards the cellmass
and the selective removal of secreted products in the
membrane bioreactor.
In this work, experiments aimed at evaluating the
hydraulic permeance of the membranes and the transport
of metabolites like BSA, IgG and dextran, under pressure
gradients, through PESMmembranes were carried out. The
observed steady-state hydraulic permeance of multibore
membranes, calculated as the slope of the flux (J)
versus transmembrane pressure (DPTM) straight line,
Figure 3. Time-related water contact angle (�) and water sorp-tion (&) on multibore PESM membrane surface. The reportedvalues are the mean of 30 measurements of different droplets ondifferent surface regions of each sample � standard deviation.
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was 1.067 L �m�2 �h �mbar, with an R2 value of 0.95
(Figure 4a). The structural characteristics of PESM mem-
branes were responsible for the high water permeance.
The foamy support structure in-between capillaries shows
a permeability that is 1 000 times higher than the filtration
surface so that an equal distribution throughout thewhole
cross section of the fiber is ensured.
Permeation measurements of metabolite solutions
through multibore membranes are reported in Figure 4b.
The convective permeance calculated were: 0.845
L �m�2 �h �mbar (R2¼ 0.997) for albumin solutions, 0.724
L �m�2 �h �mbar (R2¼ 0.993) for IgG solutions and 0.382
L �m�2 �h �mbar (R2¼ 0.93) for dextran solutions. The
average value of the transmembrane fluxes for the
investigated metabolites decreased with increasing
the MW of metabolites. As a result, the flux for BSA
solutions was significantly greater than that for IgG and
dextran.
Concentration profiles of metabolites permeating
through multibore PESM membrane, as monitored in
the extrafiber space and normalized on the feed solution
Figure 4. a) Hydraulic permeation measurements of multiborePESMmembranes. Experimental values (symbols) were averagedon 10 measurements. The interpolation of experimental data isreported as solid line. Slope: 1.067 L �m�2 �h �mbar. b) Convectivepermeation measurements of metabolite solutions through mul-tibore PESM membranes: (~) BSA, (&) IgG, (*) dextran atdifferent transmembrane pressures (DP). Experimental values(symbols) were averaged on 10measurements. The interpolationsof experimental data are reported as solid line. Slopes: 0.845L �m�2 �h �mbar for albumin, 0.724 L �m�2 �h �mbar for IgG and0.382 L �m�2 �h �mbar for dextran.
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L. De Bartolo et al.
Figure 5. Concentration profile appearance of IgG (~) and albu-min (&) in the extrafiber side of multibore membrane module atconstant transmembrane pressure (15 mbar).
676
concentration, increased with time and reached a plateau;
this behavior is exemplified in Figure 5. The same trend
was observed at different transmembrane pressure
differences. This characterization provided metabolite
and transport information specific to the membranes,
which should guarantee a sufficient level of mass transfer
for the survival of hepatocytes.
Fluid Dynamics of the Bioreactor
An important characteristic of the membrane bioreactor is
the fluid dynamics characterization under operating
conditions. The bioreactor was connected to a peristaltic
pump that allowed the feeding of nutrients and metabo-
lites and the continuous mixing of the medium inside the
bioreactor. Tracer experiments were performed at an
increasing perfusion flow rate Qin in order to investigate
the bioreactor fluid dynamics. As is shown in Figure 6, for
medium challenge, after a relatively short transience, the
medium concentration in the stream leaving the biore-
actor attained a steady state, then remained constant
Figure 6. Cumulative RTD of the bioreactor following a stepchange of William’s medium concentration in the perfusionmedium. Approach to a steady state of the fractional exit con-centration for Q¼0.48 mL �min�1 (&), Q¼0.64 mL �min�1 (^);(- - - -) tracer concentration stepwise.
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throughout the duration of the experiment and in a time
closely depending on the flow rate Qin. Specifically,
the time needed to attain steady state decreased with
the increasing of the flow rate in the inlet stream. Diffusive
resistances in the intraluminal compartment of fiber
were observed at low flow rate (0.48 mL �min�1), in which
the fractional exit concentration values evidenced a
different concentration between the shell and intralum-
inal compartments. Increasing the flow rate to a value of
0.64 mL �min�1 allowed having the same tracer concen-
tration in both compartments. In order to obtain the same
molecule distribution in the shell and lumen compartment
and an appreciable cell metabolic conversion, a perfusion
flow rate Qin of 0.64 mL �min�1 was chosen. Under these
operating conditions the metabolite concentration in the
intraluminal compartment is uniform and equal to that in
the shell compartment of the bioreactor. By plotting the
RTD according to Equation (2) the mean residence time
was calculated corresponding to a value of 27.5 min. This
value is in agreement with that theoretically predicted
according Equation (3).
Cell Culture in the Multibore Fiber Bioreactor
In the membrane bioreactor we cultured human hepato-
cytes inside the multibore membranes, which is an
experimental system by which human-specific metabolic
information can be studied.
After 48 h of culture the cells on the membranes were
observed by confocal laser microscopy and appeared to be
reorganized in small aggregates. Actin (green staining)was
organized in the cytoskeleton ensuring a round shape to
the cells (Figure 7a–c). A peripheral distribution of vinculin
(red staining) of the hepatocytes evidences the localization
of focal adhesion (white arrows) and a central position of
nucleic acid (blue). The actin is more condensed and
exhibited a circumferential organization which reflects
balanced cell-membrane interactions and cell-cell con-
tacts.[24,25] No stress fibers were developed by the cells. As
the vinculin staining shows, cells developed focal adhesion
contacts, which are the sites of cell attachment to the
substratum that occurs through the link between the
extracellular matrix (ECM) and the molecules of actin
cytoskeleton. The focal adhesions consist of clustered
integrins that are employed, during the steps of cell
adhesion, in physical anchoring processes as well as in
signal transduction through the cell membrane that
influence the maintenance of liver specific functions.[24,25]
A sufficient number of focal adhesions are visible
indicating the sites of interactions with the membrane
surface in different bores of the fiber (Figure 7a–c).
Hepatocytes maintained their morphology with time.
After 14 d of culture they appeared at the SEM analysis
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Figure 7. Confocal images of human hepatocytes in multiborefiber bioreactor after 48 h of culture by actin staining withFITC-phalloidin (green) and vinculin staining with primary anti-vinculin and secondary TRICT antibody conjugated (red) and bynucleic acid stainingwith DAPI (blue). White arrows indicate focaladhesions. (a), (b) and (c) Human hepatocytes in different bores ofthe fibers.
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(Figure 8a, b) to be mostly round in shape and surrounded
by an ECM-like structure. The cells attached onto the
membrane established cell-cell contacts (Figure 8b). The
maintenance of this morphology is important for
the expression of the hepatocyte differentiated functions.
As demonstrated by other studies on hepatocytes cultured
in other hollow fiber membrane bioreactors, limitation
to mass transport of oxygen and nutrients affect
the distribution and viability of cells.[13] Interesting
approaches undertaken by some authors developing
mixing hollow fiber bioreactor with different fibers or
coaxial hollow fiber membrane reactors confirmed the
Figure 8. SEM images of human hepatocytes after 14 d of culturein the lumen of multibore PESM membrane at different magni-fications: (a) distribution of cells inside the fiber lumen; (b) tightjunctions.
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L. De Bartolo et al.
Figure 9. Urea synthesis of human hepatocytes cultured in the multiborefiber bioreactor for 14 d. The values are the mean of six experiments �standard deviation.
678
importance to enhancemass transfer.[6,26] In themultibore
fiber bioreactor, the high permeability of the fiber support
structure and the optimized fluid dynamics conditions
ensure an adequate mass transport throughout the whole
cross section of the fiber with the maintenance of cell
viability.
Functions of Human Hepatocytes in the MultiboreFiber Bioreactor
One of the primary goals of this work was to sustain the
cell-specific functions of the human hepatocytes cultured
in the multibore fiber bioreactor. Specific metabolic
functions in terms of urea synthesis as well as secretion
of proteins were sustained for the investigated culture
time, demonstrating the maintenance of viability of the
hepatocytes cultured in themembrane bioreactor. Figure 9
shows the concentration profile of urea in the shell of the
bioreactor. The urea was produced by cells in the
bioreactor at high levels maintaining their specific activity
for 14 d of culture. The protein secretion by hepatocytes
Figure 10. Protein secretion of human hepatocytes cultured in the multibore fibermembrane bioreactor for 14 d. The values are the mean of six experiments �standard deviation.
was monitored by culturing cells in serum-
free medium (Figure 10). The concentration
of proteins in the shell was maintained for
most of the time at a value of around
150 mg �mL�1. These data take into account
all proteins secreted and released by cells in
the culture medium including the extra-
cellular matrix proteins.
The liver is the most important organ
concerning biotransformation of xenobio-
tics that occurs through the cytochrome
P450s, which is a class of constitutive and
inducible hemoprotein enzymes that meta-
bolize many endogenous substrates as well
as numerous xenobiotics and therapeutic
agents. CYP3A4 is the isoform present in
the highest quantity and is considered to
catalyze the transformation of a large
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number of xenobiotics. The biotransformation
functions of human hepatocytes in the bioreactor
were investigated by using the H. perforatum
extract and paracetamol.
In particular the elimination of hyperforin that is
one of the most abundant lipophilic compounds
and an important active component of St. John’s
wort was evaluated. Human hepatocytes cultured
in the membrane bioreactor were able to biotrans-
form the hyperforin contained in the H. perforatum
present in the medium maintaining a good
metabolic activity for most of the culture time
(Figure 11). The hyperforin biotransformation
occurs via a hydroxylation pathway catalyzed by
CYP3A isoforms. This component contributes also
to the CYP3A4 inducing effect of the H. perforatum
extract. The hyperforin is a potent ligand for the pregnane
X receptor, an orphan nuclear receptor that regulates the
expression of the cytochrome P450 3A4 monooxy-
genase.[27] Treatment of human hepatocytes with hyper-
icum extract results in an induction of CYP3A4 expression,
which is involved in the oxidative metabolism of more
than 50% of all drugs including paracetamol.
Hepatocytes are also able to biotransform acetamino-
phen through the formation of the main metabolite
paracetamidophenyl-b-glucuronide, which is the product
of a glucuronidation reaction (Figure 12). The APAP is
primarily metabolized in the liver by the phase II routes,
sulfation and glucuronidation. In vivo the majority of the
paracetamol is metabolized by glucuronidation which
yields a relatively non-toxic metabolite. A small amount
(approximately 10% of paracetamol dose) of the drug
is metabolized by isoenzyme CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 into
N-acetylbenzoquinoneimine, which is extremely toxic
to liver tissue and it is immediately inactivated by
conjugationwith glutathione.[28] In the human hepatocyte
DOI: 10.1002/mabi.200600281
Human Hepatocyte Morphology and Functions in a Multibore Fiber Bioreactor
Figure 11. Hyperforin concentration in the inlet medium (&) and in outlet medium from bioreactor loaded with cells (&) in presence ofH. perforatum (1.8 mg �mL�1) added to the culture medium.
bioreactor we detected paracetamidophenyl-b-glucuronide
as a product of the glucuronidation of the drug. These results
demonstrated that hepatocytes maintain their biotransfor-
mation functions, which involve the activity of enzymes
catalyzing the conjugation reactions and the CYP1A2,
CYP2E1 and CYP3A, the most active isoforms involved in
the metabolism of hyperforin and acetaminophen.
Conclusion
In summary we report a new membrane bioreactor confi-
guration for the maintenance of human hepatocyte
specific functions. In contrast to the conventional fiber
the PESM multibore membranes have the arrangement
of seven capillaries in one fiber. The multibore fiber bio-
reactor ensures a sufficient oxygenation process, nutrient
feeding, end-product removal and distribution of fluid
molecules inside the cell environment. Human hepato-
Figure 12. Time course of paracetamidophenyl-b-glucuronide for-mation by human hepatocytes cultured in multibore fiber bio-reactor for 14 d in the presence of paracetamol (0.3� 10�3 M).
Macromol. Biosci. 2007, 7, 671–680
� 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
cytes maintained their round shape and showed focal
adhesions as sites of interaction with the membrane
surface. Cells expressed liver specific functions, including
synthetic and detoxification activity for the investigated
culture time as demonstrated by the urea synthesis,
secretion of proteins, the elimination of hyperforin and the
formation of a paracetamol metabolite. These results
demonstrated the feasibility of the multibore fiber
membrane bioreactor that can be used as in vitro liver
tissue model for the evaluation of hepatic metabolic
transformation of compounds and therapeutic molecules
in a well controlled microenvironment.
Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge the financialsupport of the Italian Ministry of University and Research, MIUR,for the grant to the FIRB research project RBNE012B2K and thefinancial support of the European Commission for the grant to theLivebiomat project STREP NMP3-CT-2005-013653.
Received: December 10, 2006; Revised: January 26, 2007;Accepted: January 31, 2007; DOI: 10.1002/mabi.200600281
Keywords: drug biotransformation; human hepatocytes; mem-brane bioreactor; morphology; synthetic functions
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