Preparation and characterization of chitosan porous microcarriers for hepatocyte culture

BACKGROUND: The bioartificial liver (BAL) is considered a possible alternative method for treating liver failure. The core of the BAL system is culturing liver cells in vitro with high density and activity. Microcarrier culture is a mode of high-density culture. We set out to prepare a novel porous microcarrier to improve the activity of liver cells in vitro. METHODS: Chitosan was used to prepare a novel porous spherical microcarrier with interconnected structure. The chitosan porous microcarriers (CPMs) were modified with gelatin to improve their biocompatibility. CPMs were co-cultured with liver cells, HL-7702 (L-02), to evaluate their effect on cell culture. RESULTS: The average size of the CPMs was about 400 μm in diameter and their apertures were less than 30 μm. The pores of the microcarrier were interconnected. After fixation by sodium tripolyphosphate, the structure of the first freeze-dried CPMs was stable. To further improve the biocompatibility, the surface of CPMs was modified with gelatin through chemical crosslinking (GM-CPMs). Comparing the proliferation curves of L-02 cells cultured on simple CPMs, GM-CPMs and tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS, a mode of planar cell culture), the proliferation rates were similar in the first 5 days and the cells proliferated until day 8 in culture with microcarriers. The OD value of liver cells cultured on GM-CPMs was 1.97-fold higher than that on TCPS culture at day 8. Levels of urea and albumin in supernatants of cells cultured on GM-CPMs increased steadily for 8 days, and were clearly higher than those of cells cultured on TCPS (P<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: The novel CPMs were promising microcarriers for hepatocyte culture and the GM-CPM seemed better. Porous microcarrier culture was beneficial for hepatocyte function and activity.

Increased production of recombinant prourokinase with porous microcarrier cell culture by periodic pressure oscillation in a stirred tank reactor

An rCHO cell line expressing recombinant human prourokinase （pro-UK） at the level of 5μg/ 10^6cells/d was cultivated on Cytopore cellulose porous microcarriers in a 7.5L Biostat CT stirred tank reactor. A periodic pressure oscillation of 0.04 MPa and 0.04 Hz was adopted to introduce a physical stimulus on the rCHO cells and to improve mass transfer characteristic between cells and medium in the process of porous microcarrier CHO cell culture. Compared to constant pressure culture, the oscillation culture didn＇t influence specific cell growth rate significantly, but could enhance the pro-UK specific production by 10% - 40%, and reduce production of lactate by 10% - 30%. In the perfusion culture of recombinant CHO cell with serum-free medium for 67 days, cell density could reach 2.64×10^7/ml, the maximal prourokinase concentration in harvested supernatant was about 118mg/L, a total of 21.1 grams of prourokinase was produced in 313 liters of supernatant. In conclusion, the perfusion cell culture with periodic pressure oscillation can enhance the production of recombinant protein and increase the reactor specific productivity.

Porous Chitosan Microcarriers for Large Scale Cultivation of Cells for Tissue Engineering: Fabrication and Evaluation

Porous chitosan microspheres with diameters ranging from 180μm to 280 μm were successfully prepared, using an anti-phase suspension method combined with temperature controlled freeze-extraction. The mean pore diameter could be regulated from 5 μm to 60μm by varying the freezing temperature through the cooling rate. Results with in vitro chondrocyte cultures showed that cells could attach, proliferate and spread on these porous microspheres as well as inside the microcarriers. The materials and cell cocultures were characterized using both optical and scanning electron microscopy. These results show that the porous chitosan microspheres are promising candidates for tissue culture for use as an injectable tissue engineering scaffold.

Porous polyetheretherketone microcarriers fabricated via hydroxylation together with cellderived mineralized extracellular matrix coatings promote cell expansion and bone regeneration

Porous microcarriers have aroused increasing attention recently by facilitating oxygen and nutrient transfer,supporting cell attachment and growth with sufficient cell seeding density.In this study,porous polyetheretherketone(PEEK)microcarriers coated with mineralized extracellular matrix(mECM),known for their chemical,mechanical and biological superiority,were developed for orthopedic applications.Porous PEEK microcarriers were derived from smooth microcarriers using a simple wet-chemistry strategy involving the reduction of carbonyl groups.This treatment simultaneously modified surface topology and chemical composition.Furthermore,the microstructure,protein absorption,cytotoxicity and bioactivity of the obtained porous microcarriers were investigated.The deposition of mECM through repeated recellularization and decellularization on the surface of porous MCs further promoted cell proliferation and osteogenic activity.Additionally,the mECM coated porous microcarriers exhibited excellent bone regeneration in a rat calvarial defect repair model in vivo,suggesting huge potential applications in bone tissue engineering.