hepatocyte
Hepatocytes are cells that make up about 60% of the liver and perform various functions, such as protein synthesis and metabolization of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and drugs (detoxification). Since the liver has the ability to regenerate, its function is recovered and homeostasis is maintained even after liver damage or resection. Cultured hepatocytes are useful systems for studying the liver and investigating drug metabolism.
Cultured hepatocytes derived form the human liver are used in fields such physiology and pathology for various applications. In particular, since hepatocytes can detoxify drugs and contain cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes with high activity levels, they are expected to become useful tools for cytotoxicity screening in the early stages of drug development. However, there are still many issues, including difficulties sourcing cells, limitations on cell growth and proliferation ability, and lot-to-lot variations in cell function. Therefore, methods utilizing hepatocytes differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have attracted increasing research attention in recent years.
When pluripotent stem cells are induced to differentiate into hepatocytes, they gradually change to take on a more polygonal shape featuring a distinct round nucleus.
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