Name: protocol for isolation of primary human hepatocytes and corresponding major populations of non-parenchymal liver cells
Uploaded: 2016-03-30T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Protocol for Isolation of Primary Human Hepatocytes and Corresponding Major Populations of Non-parenchymal Liver Cells at JoVE.com

We would like to thank Jia Li Liu for their support in creation of Figure 1. This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) project Virtual Liver: 0315741.

Note: All cells were isolated from resected non-tumorous human liver tissue, which remained after partial liver resection with primary or secondary liver tumors. Informed consent of the patients was obtained according to the ethical guidelines of the Charit&#233; - Universit&#228;tsmedizin Berlin.
1. Preparation of Materials and Solutions
<ol>
	<li>Sterilize all instruments and the materials in advance to avoid bacterial contamination during the isolation process.</li>
	<li>Prepare the solut...

<ol>
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The published protocol describes a technique to isolate pure PHH and NPC, namely KC, HSC and LEC, simultaneously in high quality and purity from the same sample of human liver tissue. The majority of publications dealing with liver cell isolations cover only one of those cell populations18-20 and isolation procedures performed with human tissue are rare (reviewed by Damm et al.)21. Adaption of methods established with animal tissue (e.g., rat liver) to human liver revealed several ...

Human liver tissue is highly complex and consists of two different cell entities, parenchymal cells and non-parenchymal cells (NPC). Parenchymal liver cells include hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. Hepatocytes represent 60 to 70% of total liver cells and account for most of the metabolic liver functions,&#160;e.g., bile acid and complement factor synthesis, biotransformation and energy metabolism2,3.
The smaller NPC fraction constitutes 30-40% of total liver cells. NPC include different cell populations, namely Kupffer cells (KC), liver endothelial cells (LEC) and the hepatic stellate cells (HSC). This heterogenic cell fraction plays a central role in physiological processes of the liver. Additionally, NPC participate in mediating acute liver damage,&#160;e.g., drug-induced liver injury (DILI) as well as in chronic liver injuries, such as cirrhosis4.
In recent years, human liver cells have become more and more essential in research and development of drug testing, drug development and identification of new biochemical pathways in liver diseases. For in vitro testing PHH monocultures are still considered as the &#34;gold standard&#34;5. The main limitation of current homotypic liver models is dedifferentiation and loss of function of the hepatocytes within a few days4. The establishment of 3-dimensional (3D) culture techniques has shown that these limitations can be compensated4,6. However, even modern 3D culture techniques are not able to display all hepatotoxic modes of actions7. Missing NPC populations in the existing in vitro models are discussed as a possible reason for this discrepancy to the in vivo situation. It has been shown that the cell-cell communication between the different liver cell populations plays a central role in physiological homeostasis but also in pathophysiologic processes8. Therefore the scientific attention focuses more and more on NPC and their cell-cell interactions. Their purposeful use in co-culture and tissue engineered systems could be a solution for the high demand of in vitro liver models8,9 which are as close to the in vivo situation as possible.
Currently the main challenge is the development of a standardized human liver co-culture model, which contains clearly defined portions of PHH and NPC. In consequence, isolation techniques for the very heterogenic liver cells are needed and those have to be optimized to gain pure cell populations. While standardized protocols for PHH isolation exist10, the standardized isolation of human NPC is still under development. Most published NPC isolation protocols are based on experiments with non-human cells11,12. Only a few publications describe the isolation process of human NPC and most cover only methods for the isolation of a single cell type11-16. The most important cell characteristics that have been harnessed for cell separation are size, density, attachment behavior, and the expression of surface proteins. On the basis of these characteristics we developed a simplified protocol to isolate PHH, KC, LEC and HSC, which was published previously in Experimental Biology and Medicine1. Because of the broad interest in this technique, the aim of this article was to provide a more detailed protocol for the liver cell isolation process including a video, which will allow reproducing the technique more easily. The protocol also includes quality control methods for evaluation of yield and viability as well as for identification and purity evaluation using specific immunostainings.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="886">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:268px;">General Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:147px;"></td>
			<td style="width:293px;"></td>
			<td style="width:179px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">PIPETBOY</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">pipettes</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">microscope</td>
			<td>Carl Zeiss</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">CO2-incubator</td>
			<td>Binder</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Lamin Air</td>
			<td>Heraeus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Centrifuge Varifuge 3.0R</td>
			<td>Heraeus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Urine Beaker</td>
			<td>Sarstedt</td>
			<td>2041101</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">perfusor syringe 50 ml</td>
			<td>B.Braun</td>
			<td>12F0482022</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Bottle Top Filter</td>
			<td>Nalgene</td>
			<td>1058787</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Falcon 50 ml Polypropylene Conical Tube</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>352070</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Falcon 15 ml Polypropylene Conical Tube</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>352096</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Tissue Culture plate</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>533047</td>
			<td>24 well</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">serological pipettes</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>357525, 357551, 357543</td>
			<td>25 ml, 10 ml, 5 ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">pipette tips</td>
			<td>SARSTEDT</td>
			<td>0220/2278014, 0005/2242011, 0817/2222011</td>
			<td>100 &#181;l, 200 &#181;l, 1000 &#181;l</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Isolation Equipment</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">water bath</td>
			<td>Lauda</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">peristaltic pump</td>
			<td>Carl Roth</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">circulation thermostat</td>
			<td>Lauda</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">pH meter</td>
			<td>Schott</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">fine scales</td>
			<td>Sartorius</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">stand</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">B&#252;chner funnel</td>
			<td>Haldenwanger</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">plastic funnel</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">silicone tube</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">cannulae with olive tips</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">glass dish</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">forceps</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">scalpel</td>
			<td>Feather</td>
			<td>12068760</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Neubauer counting chamber</td>
			<td>Optic Labor</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">cell lifter</td>
			<td>Costar</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Surgical Drape</td>
			<td>Charit&#233; Universit&#228;tsmedizin Berlin</td>
			<td>A2013027</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">compress</td>
			<td>Fuhrmann</td>
			<td>40013331</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">sterile surgical gloves</td>
			<td>Gammex PF</td>
			<td>1203441104</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Tissue glue</td>
			<td>B. Braun</td>
			<td>1050052</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">glass bottle</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Collagenase P</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>13349524</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Percoll Separating Solution</td>
			<td>Biochrom</td>
			<td>L6145</td>
			<td>Density 1.124 g/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Hank&#8217;s BSS</td>
			<td>PAA</td>
			<td>H00911-3938</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Dulbecco&#8217;s PBS</td>
			<td>PAA</td>
			<td>H15 - 002</td>
			<td>without Mg/Ca</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Ampuwa</td>
			<td>Plastipur&#160;</td>
			<td>13CKP151&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Albumin</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A7906</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">NaCl</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>1,064,041,000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">KCl</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>49,361,000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Hepes Pufferan&#160;</td>
			<td>Roth</td>
			<td>133196836</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">EDTA</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>E-5134</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Media Equipment&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">DMEM</td>
			<td>PAA</td>
			<td>E15-005</td>
			<td>Low Glucose (1 g/l) (without L-Glutamine)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">HEPES Buffer Solution 1M</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>1135546</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">L-Glutamine</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>25030-024</td>
			<td>200 mM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">MEM NEAA</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>11140-035</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">penicillin/streptomycin</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">RPMI 1640</td>
			<td>PAA</td>
			<td>E15 - 039</td>
			<td>without L-Glutamine</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Sodium Pyruvate</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>1137663</td>
			<td>100 mM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Trypan Blue Solution</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T8154</td>
			<td>0.4%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">William&#8217;s E&#160;&#160;</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>32551-020</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">with GlutaMAX&#8482;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">EGTA</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>03780-50G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fortecortin</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>49367</td>
			<td>8 mg/2 ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Human-Insulin</td>
			<td>Lilly</td>
			<td>HI0210</td>
			<td>100 I.E./ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">N-Acetyl cysteine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A9165-5G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Fetal calf serum (FCS)</td>
			<td>PAA</td>
			<td>A15-101</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Equipment for Immunostainings</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">CD 68</td>
			<td>R&#38;D Systems, USA</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>monoclonal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">CK 19</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>D2309</td>
			<td>polyclonal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">CK18</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>K2105</td>
			<td>monoclonal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Vimentin</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>monoclonal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">GFAP</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>monoclonal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Triton X-100</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>23.472-9</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Goat anti-Mouse IgG1-PE</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>C0712</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Goat anti-rabbit IgG-FITC</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>L0412</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Methanol</td>
			<td>J.T.Baker</td>
			<td>1104509006</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Formaldehyde 4%</td>
			<td>Herbeta Arzneimittel</td>
			<td>200-001-8</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Bovine serum albumin (BSA)</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>A7906-100G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

protocol for isolation of primary human hepatocytes and corresponding major populations of non-parenchymal liver cells

Beside parenchymal hepatocytes, the liver consists of non-parenchymal cells (NPC) namely Kupffer cells (KC), liver endothelial cells (LEC) and hepatic Stellate cells (HSC). Two-dimensional (2D) culture of primary human hepatocyte (PHH) is still considered as the &#34;gold standard&#34; for in vitro testing of drug metabolism and hepatotoxicity. It is well-known that the 2D monoculture of PHH suffers from dedifferentiation and loss of function. Recently it was shown that hepatic NPC play a central role in liver (patho-) physiology and the maintenance of PHH functions. Current research focuses on the reconstruction of in vivo tissue architecture by 3D- and co-culture models to overcome the limitations of 2D monocultures. Previously we published a method to isolate human liver cells and investigated the suitability of these cells for their use in cell cultures in Experimental Biology and Medicine1. Based on the broad interest in this technique the aim of this article was to provide a more detailed protocol for the liver cell isolation process including a video, which will allow an easy reproduction of this technique.
Human liver cells were isolated from human liver tissue samples of surgical interventions by a two-step EGTA/collagenase P perfusion technique. PHH were separated from the NPC by an initial centrifugation at 50 x g. Density gradient centrifugation steps were used for removal of dead cells. Individual liver cell populations were isolated from the enriched NPC fraction using specific cell properties and cell sorting procedures. Beside the PHH isolation we were able to separate KC, LEC and HSC for further cultivation.
Taken together, the presented protocol allows the isolation of PHH and NPC in high quality and quantity from one donor tissue sample. The access to purified liver cell populations could allow the creation of in vivo like human liver models.

The separation into a parenchymal and non-parenchymal fraction, using density gradient centrifugation as a clean-up procedure combined with the use of adherence properties and MACS leads to successful PHH and NPC isolation. PHH and NPC can be isolated in high quality and quantity. Figure 1 shows the representative setup of the equipment for liver perfusion and digestion. 10% FCS was added to the collagenase P containing Perfusion - Solution II to reduce proteolytic activi...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Protocol for Isolation of Primary Human Hepatocytes and Corresponding Major Populations of Non-parenchymal Liver Cells at JoVE.com

Protocol for Isolation of Primary Human Hepatocytes and Corresponding Major Populations of Non-parenchymal Liver Cells

A technique to isolate human hepatocytes and non-parenchymal liver cells from the same donor is described. The different liver cell types build the basis for functional liver models and tissue engineering. This new method aims to isolate liver cells in a high yield and viability.

Beside parenchymal hepatocytes, the liver consists of non-parenchymal cells (NPC) namely Kupffer cells (KC), liver endothelial cells (LEC) and hepatic ...

This method can help to answer key questions in the field of hepatology and toxicology and offer us the opportunity for development of new in vitro co-culture and tissue engineered liver models. The advantage of this new technique is to isolate all liver cell populations from the same donor and the same small piece of liver tissue. To begin this procedure, weigh the freshly dissected liver tissue under stile conditions and place the liver tissue sample in the laminar airflow hood.Then clean the blood away from the surface of the tissue sample. Next, flush the cannulas using 1X perfusion solution one. Use the tissue glue to fix the olives of the cannulas in the larger blood vessels.Then, test the perfusion and check for leakages of the cannulas. Subsequently, close all blood vessels leaking clear 1X perfusion solution one with tissue glue. After that, place the cannulated liver tissue sample into the Buchner funnel.Then, set the flow rate of the peristaltic pump between 7.5 and 14.6 milliters per minute, depending on the number of cannulas used and the resistance of the liver tissue. Perfuse the tissue until the whole blood is flushed out for at least 20 minutes and for a maximum of 30 minutes. In some cases, it may be necessary to clamp one of the cannulas with plastic clamps or to increase the inner pressure of an area by pressing softly against the liver capsule with a spatula in order to optimize the perfusion.A complete color change from brownish red to light brown or light yellow indicates a good perfusion. Afterward, change the perfusion fluid to digestion solution containing collagenase P.Then, rearrange the setup for the digestion step. Subsequently, perform a circular flow of digestion solution for up to 15 minutes.Periodically stop the perfusion and check the degree of digestion. It is essential that the perfusion with digestion solution is stopped immediately when the liver tissue sample is digested sufficiently. Take the liver out of the device when ready and put it in a glass dish.Rinse the outside of the tissue sample with ice cold Stop Solution. Remove the cannulas from the liver tissue sample. Then, use a scalpel to open the liver tissue sample by incising the middle of the area where the cannulas were attached and be sure the Glisson's capsule stays intact.Rinse the inside of the tissue sample and then cover the whole tissue sample with Stop Solution. Next, shake the tissue gently in order to release the cells out of it. Then, collect the cell suspension and filter it through a gauze funnel into 10 50-milliliter plastic tubes.Add more Stop Solution to the liver tissue sample until a final volume of 500 milliliters is consumed. Afterward, centrifuge the cell suspension, collect the supernatant for NPC isolation later, and pool the cell pellets into 250-milliliters plastic tubes. Subsequently, wash the cell pellets with PBS.For that, centrifuge the cell suspension. Collect the supernatant, pool the pellets, and resuspend the pellet in hepatocyte incubation medium. Then, determine the cell number and viability in the resulting cell suspension using Trypan blue staining.To isolate the non-parenchymal liver cells, centrifuge the collected supernatant to eliminate the remaining erythrocytes and hepatocytes. Collect the supernatants and centrifuge them twice to gain the cell pellets for the sedimentation of HCS, LEC, partly KC, and the remaining KC.Next, re-suspend the pellets in HBSS. Then, prepare a 25%and a 50%density gradient by mixing the density-gradient solution and PBS for density-gradient centrifugation.Place the 25%density gradient solution carefully on top of the 50%density gradient solution layer. Subsequently, put the NPC suspension carefully and slowly on top of the 25%density gradient solution layer to achieve a clear separation of both layers. Centrifuge the cell suspension on the density gradient without break.The NPC are located in the interphase between the 25%and 50%density gradient layers. Aspirate the dead cells and cell debris from the uppermost layer and collect the interphase carefully. After dual centrifugation, perform a cell count for the KC and the MPC fraction.Then, centrifuge the NPC fraction with the previously described dual centrifugation step and resuspend the NPC in Kupffer Cell seeding medium. Seed the KC-containing fraction on the plastic cell culture vessels at a density of five times 10 to the 5th KC per square centimeter. Incubate the KC cultures for 20 minutes in a humidified incubator at 37 degrees Celsius 5%carbon dioxide.Primary KC should adhere on the cell culture plastics within a short period of time. Then, collect the supernatant containing the non-adhered NPC consisting mainly of LEC and HSC. To separate LEC from HSC, start with a centrifugation of the supernatant.Then, wash the pellet with PBS. After the second centrifugation, re-suspend the cells in stellate cell endothelial cell separation medium and perform a cell count for all remaining cells. Next, re-suspend 10 million cells in one milliliter of stellate cell endothelial cell separation medium.Then, add 20 microliters of blocking solution from the MAX kit and 20 microliters of the CD31 microbeads for immuno-labeling and incubate the resulting suspension for 15 minutes at four degrees Celsius temperature. Subsequently, separate LEC from HSC as described in the manufacturer's protocol for the magnetically activated cell sorting system max and collect the HSC fraction. Elute the magnetically retained CD31 positive LEC and suspend them in stellate cell endothelial cell culture medium.Here, these images show the different isolate liver cell populations directly after the isolation process in phase contrast microscopy view. This set of images presents the isolated and cultivated cells after 24 hours of cultivation. The immunofluorescence-based characterization of different cell fractions is shown here.PHH showed positive signals for the hepatocyte marker CK18 24 hours after isolation, KC were positive for the marker CD68 24 hours after isolation, LEC showed positive signals for vimentin 72 hours after isolation, and HSC were positive for GFAP 72 hours after isolation. While attempting this procedure, it's important to remember that a successful isolation depends on optimal digestion of the liver tissue sample. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to control the digestion and how to perform the density gradient separation, which are the critical steps of this procedure.After its development, this technique paved the way for researchers in the field of medical research to explore hepatic functions and diseases in newly-created in vitro cell cultures and tissue engineered liver models.

protocol-for-isolation-primary-human-hepatocytes-corresponding-major

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Robust Generation of Hepatocyte-like Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cell Populations

Despite progress in modelling human drug toxicity, many compounds fail during clinical trials due to unpredicted side effects. The cost of clinical studies are substantial, therefore it is essential that more predictive toxicology screens are developed and deployed early on in drug development (Greenhough et al 2010). Human hepatocytes represent the current gold standard model for evaluating drug toxicity, but are a limited resource that exhibit variable function. Therefore, the use of immortalised cell lines and animal tissue models are routinely employed due to their abundance. While both sources are informative, they are limited by poor function, species variability and/or instability in culture (Dalgetty et al 2009). Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are an attractive alternative source of human hepatocyte like cells (HLCs) (Medine et al 2010). PSCs are capable of self renewal and differentiation to all somatic cell types found in the adult and thereby represent a potentially inexhaustible source of differentiated cells. We have developed a procedure that is simple, highly efficient, amenable to automation and yields functional human HLCs (Hay et al 2008 ; Fletcher et al 2008 ; Hannoun et al 2010 ; Payne et al 2011 and Hay et al 2011). We believe our technology will lead to the scalable production of HLCs for drug discovery, disease modeling, the construction of extra-corporeal devices and possibly cell based transplantation therapies.

This article will focus on the generation of human hepatic endoderm from human embryonic stem cell populations.

Despite progress in modelling human drug toxicity, many compounds fail during clinical trials due to unpredicted side effects. The cost of clinical ...

Isolation of CD133+ Liver Stem Cells for Clonal Expansion

Liver stem cell, or oval cells, proliferate during chronic liver injury, and are proposed to differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. In addition, liver stem cells are hypothesized to be the precursors for a subset of liver cancer, Hepatocellular carcinoma. One of the primary challenges to stem cell work in any solid organ like the liver is the isolation of a rare population of cells for detailed analysis. For example, the vast majority of cells in the liver are hepatocytes (parenchymal fraction), which are significantly larger than non-parenchymal cells. By enriching the specific cellular compartments of the liver (i.e. parenchymal and non-parenchymal fractions), and selecting for CD45 negative cells, we are able to enrich the starting population of stem cells by over 600-fold.The proceduresdetailed in this report allow for a relatively rare population of cells from a solid organ to be sorted efficiently. This process can be utilized to isolateliver stem cells from normal murine liver as well as chronic liver injury models, which demonstrate increased liver stem cell proliferation. This method has clear advantages over standard immunohistochemistry of frozen or formalin fixed liver as functional studies using live cells can be performed after initial co-localization experiments. To accomplish the procedure outlined in this report, a working relationship with a research based flow-cytometry core is strongly encouraged as the details of FACS isolation are highly dependent on specialized instrumentation and a strong working knowledge of basic flow-cytometry procedures. The specific goal of this process is to isolate a population of liver stem cells that can be clonally expanded in vitro.

Here we describe the isolation of CD133 expressing liver stem cells and cancer stem cells from whole murine liver, a process that requires tissue digestion, cell enrichment, and flow cytometry isolation. We include methods for advanced single cell isolation and clonal expansion.

Liver stem cell, or oval cells, proliferate during chronic liver injury, and are proposed to differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. In ...

Isolation and Primary Culture of Rat Hepatic Cells

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology and other related subjects. The method based on two-step collagenase perfusion for isolation of intact hepatocytes was first introduced by Berry and Friend in 1969 1 and, since then, has undergone many modifications. The most commonly used technique was described by Seglenin 1976 2. Essentially, hepatocytes are dissociated from anesthetized adult rats by a non-recirculating collagenase perfusion through the portal vein. The isolated cells are then filtered through a 100 &mu;m pore size mesh nylon filter, and cultured onto plates. After 4-hour culture, the medium is replaced with serum-containing or serum-free medium, e.g. HepatoZYME-SFM, for additional time to culture. These procedures require surgical and sterile culture steps that can be better demonstrated by video than by text. Here, we document the detailed steps for these procedures by both video and written protocol, which allow consistently in the generation of viable hepatocytes in large numbers.

Primary hepatocytes provide a valuable tool to evaluate biochemical, molecular, and metabolic functions in a physiologically relevant experimental system. We describe a reliable protocol for rat in situ liver perfusion, which consistently generates viable hepatocytes up to 1.0 &times; 108 cells per preparation with cell viability between 88 ~ 96%.

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology ...

Isolation of Immune Cells from Primary Tumors

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various chemokines and growth factors 1,2. However, once in the TME, these cells lose the ability to promote anti-tumor immunity and begin to support tumor growth and down-regulate anti-tumor immune responses 3-4. Studies on tumor-associated leukocytes have mainly focused on cells isolated from tumor-draining lymph nodes or spleen due to the inherent difficulties in obtaining sufficient cell numbers and purity from the primary tumor. While identifying the mechanisms of cell activation and trafficking through the lymphatic system of tumor bearing mice is important and may give insight to the kinetics of immune responses to cancer, in our experience, many leukocytes, including dendritic cells (DCs), in tumor-draining lymph nodes have a different phenotype than those that infiltrate tumors 5,6 . Furthermore, we have previously demonstrated that adoptively-transferred T cells isolated from the tumor-draining lymph nodes are not tolerized and are capable of responding to secondary stimulation in vitro unlike T cells isolated from the TME, which are tolerized and incapable of proliferation or cytokine production 7,8. Interestingly, we have shown that changing the tumor microenvironment, such as providing CD4+ T helper cells via adoptive transfer, promotes CD8+ T cells to maintain pro-inflammatory effector functions 5. The results from each of the previously mentioned studies demonstrate the importance of measuring cellular responses from TME-infiltrating immune cells as opposed to cells that remain in the periphery. To study the function of immune cells which infiltrate tumors using the Miltenyi Biotech isolation system9, we have modified and optimized this antibody-based isolation procedure to obtain highly enriched populations of antigen presenting cells and tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The protocol includes a detailed dissection of murine prostate tissue from a spontaneous prostate tumor model (TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate -TRAMP) 10 and a subcutaneous melanoma (B16) tumor model followed by subsequent purification of various leukocyte populations.

In this report, we describe a protocol for isolating highly purified populations of leukocytes that infiltrate tumors. This protocol is adapted from the Miltenyi Biotech protocol to enhance yield and purity for isolating cells from complex tumor tissue.

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various ...

Na&iuml;ve Adult Stem Cells Isolation from Primary Human Fibroblast Cultures

Over the last decade, several adult stem cell populations have been identified in human skin 1-4. The isolation of multipotent adult dermal precursors was first reported by Miller F. D laboratory 5, 6. These early studies described a multipotent precursor cell population from adult mammalian dermis 5. These cells--termed SKPs, for skin-derived precursors-- were isolated and expanded from rodent and human skin and differentiated into both neural and mesodermal progeny, including cell types never found in skin, such as neurons 5. Immunocytochemical studies on cultured SKPs revealed that cells expressed vimentin and nestin, an intermediate filament protein expressed in neural and skeletal muscle precursors, in addition to fibronectin and multipotent stem cell markers 6. Until now, the adult stem cells population SKPs have been isolated from freshly collected mammalian skin biopsies.
Recently, we have established and reported that a population of skin derived precursor cells could remain present in primary fibroblast cultures established from skin biopsies 7. The assumption that a few somatic stem cells might reside in primary fibroblast cultures at early population doublings was based upon the following observations: (1) SKPs and primary fibroblast cultures are derived from the dermis, and therefore a small number of SKP cells could remain present in primary dermal fibroblast cultures and (2) primary fibroblast cultures grown from frozen aliquots that have been subjected to unfavorable temperature during storage or transfer contained a small number of cells that remained viable 7. These rare cells were able to expand and could be passaged several times. This observation suggested that a small number of cells with high proliferation potency and resistance to stress were present in human fibroblast cultures 7.
We took advantage of these findings to establish a protocol for rapid isolation of adult stem cells from primary fibroblast cultures that are readily available from tissue banks around the world (Figure 1). This method has important significance as it allows the isolation of precursor cells when skin samples are not accessible while fibroblast cultures may be available from tissue banks, thus, opening new opportunities to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying rare genetic diseases as well as modeling diseases in a dish.

Na&#239;ve Adult Stem Cells Isolation from Primary Human Fibroblast Cultures

We report a method to isolate na&#239;ve multipotent skin-derived precursor (SKP) cells from primary human fibroblast cultures. We show that these SKPs derived from fibroblast cultures share similar stem cell properties to the ones derived directly from human skin biopsies. These cells express the neural crest marker, nestin, in addition to the multipotent markers such as OCT4 and Nanog.

Over the last decade, several adult stem cell  populations have been identified in human skin 1-4.  The isolation of multipotent adult dermal precursors ...

Isolation of Human Hepatocytes by a Two-step Collagenase Perfusion Procedure

The liver, an organ with an exceptional regeneration capacity, carries out a wide range of functions, such as detoxification, metabolism and homeostasis. As such, hepatocytes are an important model for a large variety of research questions. In particular, the use of human hepatocytes is especially important in the fields of pharmacokinetics, toxicology, liver regeneration and translational research. Thus, this method presents a modified version of a two-step collagenase perfusion procedure to isolate hepatocytes as described by Seglen 1.
Previously, hepatocytes have been isolated by mechanical methods. However, enzymatic methods have been shown to be superior as hepatocytes retain their structural integrity and function after isolation. This method presented here adapts the method designed previously for rat livers to human liver pieces and results in a large yield of hepatocytes with a viability of 77&plusmn;10%. The main difference in this procedure is the process of cannulization of the blood vessels. Further, the method described here can also be applied to livers from other species with comparable liver or blood vessel sizes.

A modified two-step collagenase perfusion procedure for isolation of human hepatocytes is described. This method can also be applied to other mammalian livers. The isolated hepatocytes are available in high yield and viability, making them a suitable model for scientific research in areas such as liver regeneration, pharmacokinetics and toxicology.

The liver, an organ with an exceptional regeneration capacity, carries out a wide range of functions, such as detoxification, metabolism and homeostasis. ...

Isolation and Primary Culture of Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cells

The vascular endothelium is essential to normal vascular homeostasis. Its dysfunction participates in various cardiovascular disorders. The mouse is an important model for cardiovascular disease research. This study demonstrates a simple method to isolate and culture endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without any special equipment. To isolate endothelial cells, the thoracic aorta is quickly removed from the mouse body, and the attached adipose tissue and connective tissue are removed from the aorta. The aorta is cut into 1 mm rings. Each aortic ring is opened and seeded onto a growth factor reduced matrix with the endothelium facing down. The segments are cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for about 4 days. The endothelial sprouting starts as early as day 2. The segments are then removed and the cells are cultured continually until they reach confluence. The endothelial cells are harvested using neutral proteinase and cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for another two passages before being used for experiments. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that after the second passage the majority of cells were double positive for Dil-ac-LDL uptake, Lectin binding, and CD31 staining, the typical characteristics of endothelial cells. It is suggested that cells at the second to third passages are suitable for in vitro and in vivo experiments to study the endothelial biology. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying specific cellular and molecular mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

The vascular endothelial cells play a significant role in many important cardiovascular disorders. This article describes a simple method to isolate and expand endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without using any special equipment. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

The vascular endothelium is essential to normal vascular homeostasis. Its dysfunction participates in various cardiovascular disorders. The mouse is an ...

Determination of Fatty Acid Oxidation and Lipogenesis in Mouse Primary Hepatocytes

Lipid metabolism in liver is complex. In addition to importing and exporting lipid via lipoproteins, hepatocytes can oxidize lipid via fatty acid oxidation, or alternatively, synthesize new lipid via de novo lipogenesis. The net sum of these pathways is dictated by a number of factors, which in certain disease states leads to fatty liver disease. Excess hepatic lipid accumulation is associated with whole body insulin resistance and coronary heart disease. Tools to study lipid metabolism in hepatocytes are useful to understand the role of hepatic lipid metabolism in certain metabolic disorders.
In the liver, hepatocytes regulate the breakdown and synthesis of fatty acids via &#946;-fatty oxidation and de novo lipogenesis, respectively. Quantifying metabolism in these pathways provides insight into hepatic lipid handling. Unlike in vitro quantification, using primary hepatocytes, making measurements in vivo is technically challenging and resource intensive. Hence, quantifying &#946;-fatty acid oxidation and de novo lipogenesis in cultured mouse hepatocytes provides a straight forward method to assess hepatocyte lipid handling. 
Here we describe a method for the isolation of primary mouse hepatocytes, and we demonstrate quantification of &#946;-fatty acid oxidation and de novo lipogenesis, using radiolabeled substrates.

De novo lipogenesis and &#946;-fatty acid oxidation constitute key metabolic pathways in hepatocyte, pathways that are perturbed in several metabolic disorders, including fatty liver disease. Here we demonstrate isolation of mouse primary hepatocytes and describe quantification of &#946;-fatty acid oxidation and lipogenesis.

Lipid metabolism in liver is complex. In addition to importing and exporting lipid via lipoproteins, hepatocytes can oxidize lipid via fatty acid ...

An Improved Time- and Labor- Efficient Protocol for Mouse Primary Hepatocyte Isolation

Primary hepatocytes are used extensively in liver in vitro research, especially in glucose metabolism studies. A base technique has been adapted based on different needs, like time, labor, cost, and primary hepatocyte usage, resulting in various primary hepatocyte isolation protocols. However, the numerous steps and time-consuming reagent preparations in primary hepatocyte isolation are major drawbacks for efficiency. After comparing different protocols for their pros and cons, the advantages of each were combined, and a rapid and efficient primary hepatocyte isolation protocol was formulated. Within only ~35 min, this protocol could yield as much, if not more, healthy primary hepatocytes as other protocols. Further, glucose metabolism experiments performed using the isolated primary hepatocytes validated the usefulness of this protocol in in vitro liver metabolism studies. We also extensively reviewed and analyzed the significance and purpose of each step in this study so that future researchers can further optimize this protocol based on needs.

Primary hepatocytes are a valuable tool to study liver response and metabolism in vitro. Utilizing commercially available reagents, an improved time- and labor-efficient protocol for mouse primary hepatocyte isolation was developed.

Primary hepatocytes are used extensively in liver in vitro research, especially in glucose metabolism studies. A base technique has been adapted based on ...

Isolation of Primary Rat Hepatocytes with Multiparameter Perfusion Control

Primary hepatocytes are widely used in basic research on liver diseases and for toxicity testing in vitro. The two-step collagenase perfusion procedure for primary hepatocyte isolation is technically challenging, especially in portal vein cannulation. The procedure is also prone to occasional contamination and variations in perfusion conditions due to difficulties in the assembly, optimization, or maintenance of the perfusion setup. Here, a detailed protocol for an improved two-step collagenase perfusion procedure with multiparameter perfusion control is presented. Primary rat hepatocytes were successfully and reliably isolated by taking the necessary technical precautions at critical steps of the procedure, and by reducing the operational difficulty and mitigating the variability of perfusion parameters through the adoption of a special intravenous catheter, standardized sterile disposable tubing, temperature control, and real-time monitoring and alarm system. The isolated primary rat hepatocytes consistently exhibit high cell viability (85%-95%), yield (2-5 x 108 cells per 200-300 g rat) and functionality (albumin, urea and CYP activity). The procedure was complemented by an integrated perfusion system, which is compact enough to be set up in the laminar flow hood to ensure aseptic operation.

This protocol details the use of a special intravenous catheter, standardized sterile disposable tubing, temperature control complemented by real-time monitoring, and an alarm system for two-step collagenase perfusion procedure to improve the consistency in the viability, yield, and functionality of isolated primary rat hepatocytes.

Primary hepatocytes are widely used in basic research on liver diseases and for toxicity testing in vitro. The two-step collagenase perfusion procedure ...