• KSBB Journal
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.58-66
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• 2014

Demand for in vitro pharmacological evaluation and toxicity test using human hepatocytes has been increasing. In USA and Europe, human hepatocytes obtained from donated whole liver unsuitable for transplantation were distributed to researchers and deposited in cell bank facility as cryopreserved vial. In Korea, however, incidence of transplantation- inappropriate whole liver has been quite low and the whole livers almost have so severe liver disease such as fatty or fibrotic liver that cannot meet the demand. In this study we aimed to isolate human hepatocytes from liver resection surgery-originated partial liver, and assure the isolated human hepatocytes and its cryopreserved hepatocytes to be qualified for the in vitro pharmacological evaluation and drug toxicity tests. We compared those with commercially available human hepatocyte, BD $GenTest^{TM}$ by cell morphology, hepatic gene expression, urea synthesis, albumin secretion, ammonia removal, and cytochrome P450 induction activities. Changes in hepatotoxic gene expression after cryopreservation are evaluated with a typical hepatotoxic drug, acetaminophen. Consequently, the fresh hepatocytes from the partial liver and its cryopreserved hepatocytes expressed their intrinsic hepatic functions well and showed equal hepatotoxicity gene expression trend regardless to cryopreservation. Therefore, liver resection surgery-originated partial liver can be used as a useful source of human hepatocytes for various pharmacological and hepatotoxicity test.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.125-131
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• 2000

The ethanol extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS), the Korean Lacquer tree, was subsequentely isolated and fractioned into two portions using distilled water (SED) and 99% ethanol (SEE) as elution buffers through silica gel column (4x28 em, 22 $\AA$. 28~200 mesh). To know the antioxidative effect of the RVS extracts, primary hepatocytes were exposed to hydroxyl radical generated by 20 mU/$m\ell$ glucose oxidase with SED or SEE for 4 hr. The addition of 100$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ SED in culture medium showed good protection from glucose oxidase (GO)-mediated cytotoxicity of hepatocytes, showing approximately equivalent to control. When the hepatocytes were incubated with 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ SED or SEE only for 4 hr. the activities of cell-associated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were elevated up to 1.22 fold and 1.4 fold, respectively, compared to control. Further increase, 1.88fold in SOD activity or 1.64fold in catalase activity, was also observed when the hepatocytes were incubated with 100 units/$m\ell$ of commercial SOD or catalase for 4 hr. Moreover. the glucose oxidase-mediated cytotoxicity in cultured hepatocytes was generally reduced upon addition of lysate obtained from SED or SEE-stimulated hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner. From these results, we suggest that, in cultured hepatocytes, RVS ethanol extract can efficiently reduce cytotoxicity induced by glucose oxidase and may increase the activity of cell-associated SOD and/or catalase, thereby preventing and/or scavenging superoxides and hydroxyl radicals in this experiment.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.70-75
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• 2003

The objective of the present study was to investigate the uptake process of 4-Phenylazobenzoxycarbonyl-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-D-Arg (Pz-peptide), a hydrophilic and collagenase-labile pentapeptide, by isolated hepatocytes. For comparison, the uptake of Pz-peptide by Caco-2 cells and colonic cells, two known paracellular routes of Pz-peptide, was also evaluated. A simple and sensitive reversed-phase HPLC assay method using UV detection has been developed. The coefficient of variation for all the criteria of validation were less than 15%. The method was, therefore, considered to be sutable for measuring the concentration of Pz-peptide in the biological cells. Pz-peptide was extensively uptaked into hepatocytes. The initial velocity of Pz-peptide uptake assessed from the initial slope of the curve was plotted as Eadie-Hofstee plots. The maximum velocity ($V_{max}$) and the Michaelis constant ($K_m$) were 0.190$\pm$0.020 $nmol/min/10^6$ cells and 12.1$\pm$3.23 $\mu$M, respectively. The permeability-surface area product ($PS{influx}$) was calculated to be 0.0157 ml/min/10^6$ cells. $V_{max}$ and $K_m$ values for Caco-2 cells were calculated to be 6.22$\pm$0.930 pmol/min/10^6$ cells and 82.8$\pm$8.37 $\mu$M, respectively, being comparable with those of colonocytes (6.04$\pm$1.03 pmol/min/10^6$ cells and 87.8$\pm$13.2 $\mu$M, respectively). $PS_{influx}$ values for Caco-2 cells and colonocytes were calculated to be 0.0751 $\mu$l/min/10^6$ cells and 0.0688 $\mu$l/min/10^6$ cells, respectively. The more pronounced uptake of Pz-peptide by hepatocytes, when compared with Caco-2 cells and colonocytes, is probably due to its specific transporter. In conclusion, Pz-peptide, a paracellularly transported pentapeptide in the intestine and ocular epithelia, was uptaked into hepatocytes extensively. Although Pz-peptide is able to be uptaked into the Caco-2 cells and colonocytes, it is less pronounced when compared with hepatocytes. $PS_{influx}$ values of Caco-2 cells and colonocytes for unbound Pz-peptide under linear conditions were less than 0.4% when compared with that of hepatocytes.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물공학회 2003년도 생물공학의 동향(XIII)
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• pp.305-306
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• 2003

To treat fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) patients, various extracorporeal bioartificial liver (BAL) systems have been developed. Several requirements should be met for the development of BAL systems: hepatocytes should be cultured in a sufficiently high density; their metabolic functions should be of a sufficiently high level and duration; and the BAL systems module should permit scaling-up and aseptic handling. Several investigators have found that freshly isolated primary hepatocytes can be cultured into three dimensional, tightly packed, freely suspended, multicellular aggregates, or spheroids. These specialized cell structures exhibited enhanced liver specific functions and a prolonged differentiated state compared to cells maintained in a monolayer culture. Cells in spheroids appear to mimic the morphology and ultrastructure of the in vivo liver lobule. The ability of hepatocytes to organize into three-dimensional structures was hypothesized to contribute to their enhanced liver-specific activities. In this study, the ammonia removal rate and urea secretion rate of pig hepatocytes spheroids encapsulated in Ca-alginate bead were determined. A packed-bed bioreactor with encapsulated pig hepatocytes was devised as BAL support system. The efficacy of the system was evaluated in vitro.

• 한국응용약물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국응용약물학회 1994년도 제2회 추계심포지움
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• pp.135-140
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• 1994

Over past decades, numerous in vitro model has been developed to investigate drug metabolism. In the order of complexity we found the isolated perfused liver, hepatocytes in co-culture with epithelial cells, hepatocytes in suspension and in primary culture and subcellular hepatic microsomal fractions. Because they can be easily prepared from both animals (pharmacological and toxicological species) and humans (whole livers as well as biopsies obtained during surgery) hepatocytes in primary culture provide the most powerful model to better elucidate drug behavior at an early stage of preclinical development such as : 1. the characterization of main biotransformation reactions. 2. the identification of phase I and phase II isozymes involved in such reactions 3. the evaluation of interspecies differences allowing the selection of a second toxicological animal species more closely related to man on the basis of metabolic profiles 4. the detection of the inducing and/or inhibitory effects of a drug on metabolic enzymes, the prediction of drug interactions 5. the estimation of inter-individual variability in biotransformation reactions. The use of hepatocytes, and in particular those obstained from humans, at an early stage of drug development allows the obtention of more predictive preclinical data and a better knowledge of drug behavior in humans before the first administration of the drug in healthy volunteers.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.45-52
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• 2006

The methanol extracts of the roots, root bark and stem of Berberis tinctoria, were investigated for their hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride $(CCl_4)$ induced toxicity in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes, HEp-G2 cells and animal models. The methanol extracts were able to significantly normalise the levels of aspartate amino transferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, total proteins, albumin, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin, which were altered due to $CCl_4$ intoxication in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes and also in animal models. The anti-hepatotoxic effect of the methanol extracts in vitro were observed at $600\;-\;1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ concentrations. A dose dependent increase in the percentage viability was observed when $CCl_4$ exposed HEp-G2 cells were treated with different concentrations of the methanol extracts. The highest percentage viability of HEp-G2 was observed at a concentration of $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. The results from the present investigations also indicate good correlation between the in vivo and in vitro studies.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물공학회 2001년도 추계학술발표대회
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• pp.468-470
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• 2001

Chitosan-alginate capsules were formed by the electrostatic interactions and had appropriate mechanical strength, permeability to albumin and stability to hepatocyte. Pig hepatocytes were isolated and immobilized in chitosan-alginate capsules. Encapsulation in 3 minutes and spheroid formation period of 24 hours were optimum condition for the high liver function. Pig hepatocytes density of $90.{\times}10^6$ cells/mL in capsules was suitable for the application to bioartificial liver support system.

• 약학회지
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.182-186
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• 1993

$\alpha$-Linolenic acid ethylester, $C_{19}$ spiroketalenolether polyyne, herniarin and steroid were isolated from the leaves of Artemisia selengensis (Compositae). The structures of the compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Liver protective effects of these constituents were studied using galactosamine and CCI$_{4}$-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultured rat hepatocytes.

• 대한약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한약학회 2002년도 Proceedings of the Convention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea Vol.2
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• pp.271.2-271.2
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• 2002

To analyze vasopressin-induced Ca$\sub$2＋/ influx in liver cells, rat hepatocytes were isolated and attached to collagen-coated cover slips. Using fura-2, a Ca$\sub$2＋/-sensing dye, changes in intracellular Ca$\sub$2＋/ concentration by vasopressin were monitored. Results in this communication suggested that vasopressin-induced Ca$\sub$2＋/ influx consists of two distinguishable components. One was present for a short time and the other was for a long time until it happened. (omitted)

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.397-415
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• 2002

This paper deals with a crucial mechanism for interaction of basic drugs and cardiac glycosides at the hepatic uptake level. Available literature data is provided and new material is presented to picture the differential transport inhibition of bulky (type2) cationic drugs by a number of cardiac glycosides in rat liver. It is shown that the so called organic anion transporting peptide 2 (oatp2) is the likely interaction site: differential inhibition patterns as observed in oocytes expressing oatp2, could be clearly identified also in isolated rat hepatocytes, isolated perfused rat liver and the rat in vivo. The anticipation of transport interactions at the hepatic clearance level should be based on data on the relative affinities of interacting substrates for the transport systems involved along with knowledge on the pharmacokinetics of these agents as well as the chosen dose regimen in the studied species. This review highlights the importance of multispecific tranporter systems such as OATP, accommodating a broad spectrum of organic compounds of various charge, implying potential transport interactions that can affect body distribution and organ clearance.