Reconstruction of Hepatic Tissue Structures Using Interstitial Flow in a Microfluidic Device

Abstract

Construction of three-dimensional (3D) hepatic tissue structures is important for in vitro tissue engineering of the liver, because 3D culture of hepatocytes is critical for the maintenance of liver-specific functions. Although conventional 3D culture methods are useful for constructing 3D hepatic tissue structures, the precise control of culture microenvironments is required to construct more physiological tissues in vitro. Recent advances in microfluidics technologies have allowed us to utilize microfluidic devices for hepatic cell culture, which opened the door for creating more physiological 3D culture models of the liver. Here, we describe the method for the construction of hepatic tissue structures using a microfluidic device which has a 3D gel region with adjacent microchannels. Primary rat hepatocytes are seeded into a microchannel in a microfluidic device. The cells are then cultured in interstitial flow conditions, which leads to the construction of 3D tissue structures.