Article

Hepatic differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells in a three-dimensional culture system using polyurethane foam.

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering (impact factor: 1.79). 05/2008; 105(4):350-4. DOI:10.1263/jbb.105.350 pp.350-4
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Embryonic stem (ES) cells are a type of pluripotent stem cell line isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts and characterized by an almost unlimited self-renewal capacity and differentiation potential in vitro into multiple cell lineages. Therefore the use of ES cells has recently received much attention as a novel cell source for various hybrid artificial organs. To use ES cells, it is necessary to be able to produce functional matured cells from ES cells in large quantities. In this study, we applied polyurethane foam (PUF)/spheroid culture, which enables spontaneous spheroid formation and mass cultivation of cultured cells, to mouse ES cells for hepatic differentiation. Mouse ES cells spontaneously formed spherical multicellular aggregates (spheroids) in the pores of the PUF within 1 d. To induce hepatic differentiation, specific growth factors were added to the culture medium. Mouse ES cells proliferated by day 20, and high cell density (about 1.0 x 10(8) cells/cm(3)-PUF) was achieved. Differentiating ES cells expressed endodermal-specific genes, such as alpha-fetoprotein, albumin and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase. The activity of ammonia removal of mouse ES cells per unit volume of the module was detected by day 21 and increased with culture time. Maximum expression levels were comparable to those of primary mouse hepatocytes. Mouse ES cells could express liver-specific functions at high level because of the high cell density culture and hepatic differentiation. These results suggest that the PUF/spheroid culture method could be useful to develop mass differentiation cultures.

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Keywords

cell density culture
 
culture time
 
enables spontaneous spheroid formation
 
endodermal-specific genes
 
hepatic differentiation
 
induce hepatic differentiation
 
inner cell mass
 
mass differentiation cultures
 
Maximum expression levels
 
mouse ES cells
 
Mouse ES cells proliferated
 
multiple cell lineages
 
novel cell source
 
polyurethane foam
 
primary mouse hepatocytes
 
PUF)/spheroid culture
 
PUF/spheroid culture method
 
spherical multicellular aggregates
 
tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase
 
use ES cells
 

Kinya Matsumoto