Gene expression of human hepatocytes isolated from chimeric mice with humanized liver

Chimeric mice with humanized livers are considered a useful animal model for predicting human drug metabolism and toxicity. In this study, the characteristics of fresh h-hepatocytes (cFHHs, PXB-cells®) isolated from chimeric mice (PXB-mice®) were evaluated in vitro to confirm their utility for drug development. The cFHHs cultured at high density (2.13 × 10^5 cells/cm2) displayed stable production of human albumin and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A activities for at least 21 days. The mRNA expression levels of 10 of 13 CYPs, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGP), and transporters were maintained at >10% of the levels of freshly isolated cFHHs after 21 days. From 7-days cultured cFHHs at high density, many bile canaliculi were observed between cFHHs, and the accumulation of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP2) and bile salt export pump (BSEP) substrates in these bile canaliculi was clearly inhibited by cyclosporin A.

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Yamasaki C, Ishida Y, Yanagi A, Yoshizane Y, Kojima Y, Ogawa Y, Kageyama Y, Iwasaki Y, Ishida S, Chayama K, Tateno C