Complex bile duct network formation within liver decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogels

56Citations
Citations of this article
115Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The biliary tree is an essential component of transplantable human liver tissue. Despite recent advances in liver tissue engineering, attempts at re-creating the intrahepatic biliary tree have not progressed significantly. The finer branches of the biliary tree are structurally and functionally complex and heterogeneous and require harnessing innate developmental processes for their regrowth. Here we demonstrate the ability of decellularized liver extracellular matrix (dECM) hydrogels to induce the in vitro formation of complex biliary networks using encapsulated immortalized mouse small biliary epithelial cells (cholangiocytes). This phenomenon is not observed using immortalized mouse large cholangiocytes, or with purified collagen 1 gels or Matrigel. We also show phenotypic stability via immunostaining for specific cholangiocyte markers. Moreover, tight junction formation and maturation was observed to occur between cholangiocytes, exhibiting polarization and transporter activity. To better define the mechanism of duct formation, we utilized three fluorescently labeled, but otherwise identical populations of cholangiocytes. The cells, in a proximity dependent manner, either branch out clonally, radiating from a single nucleation point, or assemble into multi-colored structures arising from separate populations. These findings present liver dECM as a promising biomaterial for intrahepatic bile duct tissue engineering and as a tool to study duct remodeling in vitro.

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Lewis, P. L., Su, J., Yan, M., Meng, F., Glaser, S. S., Alpini, G. D., … Shah, R. N. (2018). Complex bile duct network formation within liver decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogels. Scientific Reports, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30433-6

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 44

68%

Researcher 15

23%

Professor / Associate Prof. 4

6%

Lecturer / Post doc 2

3%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Bi... 21

34%

Medicine and Dentistry 16

26%

Engineering 15

24%

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 10

16%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free