Enhanced oxygen delivery to primary hepatocytes within a multi-layer flat plate bioreactor via red blood cells

Objective As an effective means of liver function support for acute liver failure, bioartificial liver has seen great progress in recent years. However, the development of this type of device is currently hindered by limited oxygen transport to cultured hepatocytes. In this study we try to resolve this problem by supplementing the circulating medium of the bioreactor with red blood cells.Methods Freshly isolated primary porcine hepatocytes were inoculated into our newly designed bioreactor and were divided into two groups: RPMI1640 was circulated in the control group and porcine red blood cells were added into the culture medium in the experimental group. The culture media in both groups were oxygenated through extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation, and the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in the bioreactor was measured by a blood gas analyzer. Liver-specific functions and glucose consumption were also determined. Results The OCR of the experimental group was 1.5 fold that of the control group, and the glucose consumption rate was twice that of the control group. The liver-specific functions of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group in terrns of albumin secretion and urea synthesis. Conclusion Supplementing the circulating medium of the bioreactor with red blood cells can significantly improve the oxygen supply in the bioreactor, thereby enhancing the glucose consumption and liver-specific functions of hepatocytes. This method is convenient and effective, and is expected to be an effective means to resolve the problems of oxygen supply in the bioreactor. Key words: Bioartificial liver;  Oxygen supply;  Red blood cell;  Hepatocyte