Cryopreservation of primary porcine liver cells in an organotypical sandwich model in a clinically relevant flat membrane bioreactor

Shibashish Giri (1) , Ute Weingartz (1) , Karen Nieber (2) , Ali Acikgöz (1) , Augustinus Bader (1)

1 Department of Cell Technologies and Applied Stem Cell Biology, Biomedical-Biotechnological Center (BBZ)
2 Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmacology for Natural Sciences

To overcome the logistical difficulties of continuously supplying freshly-isolated, primary porcine liver cells to bioartificial liver support bioreactors, we developed a cryopreservation method using an organotypical sandwich model in a flat membrane bioreactor (FMB). We measured albumin secretion rate, urea synthesis rate and 7-ethoxy coumarin (ECOD) in long-term cultures of cryopreserved cells (up to 14 days). The albumin secretion rate was 62% that of non-cryopreserved cells at days 11 and 14. The ECOD activity was 54% that of fresh, control cells initially and increased up to 79% by the 14th day. The urea synthesis rate was stable at 60% that of the control. This study showed that cryopreserved cells can recover liver-specific functions. This result has the potential to dramatically expand the clinical application of bioartificial liver supports.

Mots clés: Albumin; Bioartificial liver; Cryopreservation; Flat membrane bioreactor; Organotypical sandwich model; Porcine hepatocytes

Shibashish Giri, Ute Weingartz, Karen Nieber, Ali Acikgöz, Augustinus Bader. Cryopreservation of primary porcine liver cells in an organotypical sandwich model in a clinically relevant flat membrane bioreactor. Biotechnology Letters, 2010, 32 (6), pp.765-771. ⟨10.1007/s10529-010-0228-6⟩. ⟨hal-00574010⟩