Cultivation of fetal liver cells in a three-dimensional poly-L-lactic acid scaffold in the presence of oncostatin M.

To investigate the feasibility of fetal liver cells for liver tissue engineering, the supporting function of poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) for fetal liver cells and the effects of oncostatin M (OSM) on hepatic differentiation were studied. After preparing three-dimensional biodegradable PLLA scaffold having a well-developed open-pore structure by a gas-forming method with ammonium chloride particles as a porogen and a gas-forming reagent, fetal liver cells separated from E14.5-C57BL/6CrSlc murine embryos were inoculated in the PLLA scaffolds. Cells were cultured in Williams' E medium with or without OSM (10 ng/ml) for 30 days with a medium change every 2 days. Results showed that there were significant increases in the number of cells and in albumin secretion in PLLA culture compared with in monolayer culture on day 15. In addition, a significant increase in albumin secretion was observed in OSM-added PLLA culture compared with OSM-free culture, and there was only a slightly enhanced albumin secretion in mono...