Ebook: The Hepatocyte Review

It is thirty years since the technique of high-yield preparation of isolated hepatocytes, by collagenase perfusion of the liver, was published. The original method described by Berry and Friend has undergone many minor modifications by other workers, and the two-step procedure introduced by Seglen in 1976 has become the most frequent way to prepare hepatocyte suspensions. An important development introduced by Bissell in 1973 was the use of the cells as the first step in monolayer culture. The availability of the isolated hepatocyte preparation as cells in suspension or culture has undoubtedly facilitated research on the liver. This was emphasised in our book, published (with Dr. Greg Barritt) in 1990, which described in detail methods of preparation and the properties of the isolated hepatocytes. It also discussed the usefulness of the preparation for the study of intermediary and xenobiotic metabolism, calcium ion transport, and the growth and differentiation of hepatocytes in culture. The book also touched briefly on a range of specialised techniques, including peri fusion, subcellular fractionation, transplantation, cryopreservation and measurement of intracellular pH. Although standard procedures for the manipulation of hepatocytes have not changed a great deal in ten years, they have undoubtedly been refined. This applies particularly to hepatocyte culture techniques, cryopreservation, and even to preparation of hepatocyte suspensions, where it is now feasible to use purified enzymes. There is also much more emphasis on the use and study of human hepatocytes, particularly in the field of pharmacology and therapeutics.

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The isolated hepatocyte preparation, employed in suspension or culture, is now firmly established as a major tool not only for the study of the liver but also for the investigation of a large number of aspects of biology common to many cell types. The Hepatocyte Review provides a comprehensive description of recent advances in methodology and biology pertaining to the isolated hepatocyte preparation, and offers a unique insight into the value of isolated hepatocytes for basic and applied studies. A particular feature is the series of major reviews on growth regulation by hormones and growth factors, cell cycle progression and active cell death. The book also assembles for the first time novel work on the use of hepatocytes for clinical applications in the fields of transplantation, gene therapy and the bioartificial liver. Another important feature is a compilation of methods for isolated hepatocyte preparation from animals other than the rat, and includes several accounts of the isolation of human hepatocytes, which is becoming an increasingly important technique. A number of specialised techniques for hepatocyte manipulation, and a detailed description of new advances in hepatocyte culture, are also included.
The Hepatocyte Review is essential reading for any scientist using, or contemplating using, the isolated hepatocyte technique and will also be of major interest to cell biologists in general.

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The isolated hepatocyte preparation, employed in suspension or culture, is now firmly established as a major tool not only for the study of the liver but also for the investigation of a large number of aspects of biology common to many cell types. The Hepatocyte Review provides a comprehensive description of recent advances in methodology and biology pertaining to the isolated hepatocyte preparation, and offers a unique insight into the value of isolated hepatocytes for basic and applied studies. A particular feature is the series of major reviews on growth regulation by hormones and growth factors, cell cycle progression and active cell death. The book also assembles for the first time novel work on the use of hepatocytes for clinical applications in the fields of transplantation, gene therapy and the bioartificial liver. Another important feature is a compilation of methods for isolated hepatocyte preparation from animals other than the rat, and includes several accounts of the isolation of human hepatocytes, which is becoming an increasingly important technique. A number of specialised techniques for hepatocyte manipulation, and a detailed description of new advances in hepatocyte culture, are also included.
The Hepatocyte Review is essential reading for any scientist using, or contemplating using, the isolated hepatocyte technique and will also be of major interest to cell biologists in general.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvi
Isolated hepatocytes: forty years on....Pages 1-9
Isolation and culture of human hepatocytes....Pages 11-15
Isolation and culture of porcine hepatocytes....Pages 17-26
Preparation and properties of isolated hepatocytes from sheep....Pages 27-36
Elasmobranch hepatocytes....Pages 37-47
Isolation and cultivation of teleost hepatocytes....Pages 49-71
Conditions for growth of hepatocytes in culture....Pages 73-96
Engineering of a miniature 3-D hepatic cell plate culture model....Pages 97-115
Freezing and hypothermic storage of porcine hepatocytes....Pages 117-123
Storage of isolated hepatocytes....Pages 125-145
Hepatocyte swelling: techniques and effects on metabolism....Pages 147-167
Permeabilisation of hepatocytes with ?-toxin....Pages 169-180
Perifused immobilized hepatocytes for metabolic studies....Pages 181-193
Small hepatocytes in primary cultures....Pages 195-208
Mechanisms of hepatocyte growth regulation by hormones and growth factors....Pages 209-246
Proliferative response and metabolic effects of growth factors in human hepatocytes....Pages 247-261
Growth control and cell cycle progression in cultured hepatocytes....Pages 263-280
Mechanisms of active cell death in isolated hepatocytes....Pages 281-300
The protective role of nitric oxide in hepatocytes during responses to inflammatory mediators and induction of apoptosis....Pages 301-315
Short-term regulation by insulin of glucose metabolism in isolated and cultured hepatocytes....Pages 317-341
Studies on mitochondrial-cytoplasmic interactions in isolated hepatocytes....Pages 343-363
The importance of hepatocytes in drug metabolism studies: an industrial perspective....Pages 365-389
Human hepatocytes as an experimental system for the evaluation of xenobiotics....Pages 391-410
Constitutive expression of cytochromes P450 in rat hepatocyte culture....Pages 411-420
Optimising conditions for induction of cytochrome P450 in primary hepatocyte cultures....Pages 421-432
The use of isolated hepatocytes to study the mechanisms of action of environmental contaminants....Pages 433-453
The use of isolated hepatocytes for the study of xenobiotic hepatotoxicity....Pages 455-474
Human hepatocyte transplantation: biology and therapy....Pages 475-501
A review of bioartificial liver development from an artificial organ engineering perspective....Pages 503-520
Development and testing of a bioartificial liver....Pages 521-541
The Berlin extracorporeal liver support system....Pages 543-559
The bioartificial liver of the Academic Medical Center at Amsterdam....Pages 561-573
Performance of a flat membrane bioreactor utilizing porcine hepatocytes cultured in an extracellular matrix....Pages 575-583
Back Matter....Pages 585-595
....Pages 597-605