A challenge to construct human mini liver using temperature sensitive immortalized human liver cells

在本研究中，我们利用两个永生化基因导入的方法成功地培育了新型的人永生化肝窦内皮细胞(HiLSEC)。细胞表现出较高的增殖能力和细胞分化特性。此外，我们还获得了一种新的简单有效的肝细胞分化培养方法。因此，利用hLSEC与用新方法培养的肝细胞相结合，可以建立新的体外人肝模型，可以预见，这种新的体外人肝模型将代表着体外肝脏模型科学的一个重大而有用的进步。我们希望这个新的模型将促进药代动力学/毒性研究以及那些旨在阐明肝脏分化机制和探索治疗肝脏疾病(如肝纤维化)的新药物靶点的研究。

In the present study, we have successfully developed novel human immortalized liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (hiLSEC) using a two immortalization gene introduction method. The cells show high proliferation ability as well as cell differentiation characteristics. In addition, we have obtained a new easy and effective culture method for use in hepatic-cell differentiation. Therefore, a new in vitro human liver model can be developed using hiLSEC in conjunction with hepatic cells cultured using the new method, and it can be predicted that the novel in vitro human liver model will represent a significant and useful advancement in the science of in vitro liver modeling. We hope that this new model will facilitate studies of pharmacokinetics/toxicity research as well as those aimed at clarifying hepatic differentiation mechanisms and exploring new drug targets for liver diseases, such as liver fibrosis.