Human Hepatocyt: I. Model for the Study of Xenobiotic Metabolism and Toxicity

Overview

Isolated human hepatocytes have become one of the most attractive experimental approaches to thestudy of the specific metabolic functions of the human liver, interactions between liver cells andinfectious agents, and metabolism and pharmacotoxicity of drugs. Particularly the primary cellculture model provides an in vitro system for investigating specific mechanisms in a preciselycontrolled conditions. In the present paper the legislative and ethical problems concerning availa-bility of human liver samples, techniques developed for isolation, preservation and cultivation ofhepatocytes are discussed. In addition, a comparison of human and rat hepatocyte models in thestudy of the metabolism and cytotoxicity of taxol is reviewed.

Key words:
human hepatocyte – isolation – primary cultures – xenobiotics – metabolism