Viability and histological changes of encapsulated rat hepatocyte after transplantation / 中华器官移植杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective　To study the viability and histological change of encapsulated rat hepatocytes after being transplanted into abdominal cavity of rat. Methods　The two-step collagenase perfusing method was used to separate hepatocytes from Wistar rat liver. The separated hepatocytes were purified with Percoll density gradient centrifugation and encapsulated by the alginate-barium method. Then the purified hepatocytes were transplanted into abdominal cavity of SD rats (group 1) and the encapsulated hepatocytes were transplanted into abdominal cavity of SD rats (group 2) and Wistar rats (group 3). At different time points post-transplantation, trypan blue stain exclusion was used to determine the viability of recovered hepatocytes. The histological changes of transplanted microencapsulated hepatocytes was examined using HE stain. Results　Twenty-four h after transplantation, the viability of hepatocytes between group 1 and group 2 showed significant difference (P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between group 2 and group 3 (P>0.05). At day 4 and day 7 after transplantation, the viability of hepatocytes showed significant difference between group 1 and group 2, and group 2 and group 3 (P<0.01). At day 14 after transplantation, no significant difference was found in the viability of hepatocytes between group 2 and group 3 (P>0.05). From day 4 post-transplantation, fibrosis overgrowth was found around some microencapsules, and it was more obvious in group 2 than in group 3. Conclusions　 Microencapsulation can provide protection to transplanted hepatocytes from host immunorejection, and thus increase the viability of hepatocytes post transplantation. The existence of inadequately encapsulated microencapsule cause the fibrosis overgrowth around these capsules, resulting in ischemia and subsequent necrosis of the hepatocytes and decreasing hepatocyte viability.