Generation of Hepatic Organoids with Biliary Structures

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering
• Hepatology

Background:

• Developing functional engineered liver tissue is crucial for regenerative medicine.
• Incorporating a bile drainage system into engineered liver constructs remains a significant challenge.
• Previous work demonstrated the potential of co-culturing cells to form hepatic structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a detailed protocol for isolating specific primary cells.
• To outline the method for generating hepatic spheroids with integrated bile ductular structures.
• To advance the creation of engineered liver tissue with functional bile drainage.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of fetal liver cells (FLCs) from fetal livers.
• Isolation of adult rat biliary epithelial cells (BECs).
• Three-dimensional (3D) co-culture of FLCs and BECs to form hepatic spheroids.

Main Results:

• Successful isolation of both FLCs and BECs.
• Generation of hepatic spheroids through 3D co-culture.
• Reconstruction of spheroids possessing functional bile ductular structures.

Conclusions:

• The described protocol enables the generation of hepatic spheroids with a bile drainage system.
• This method provides a foundation for creating more complex and functional engineered liver tissues.
• The approach holds promise for applications in liver regenerative medicine and drug testing.