Differences of HepG2 and Primary Hepatocytes to morphological changes in electrospun PCL scaffolds

Response differences of HepG2 and Primary Mouse Hepatocytes to morphological changes in electrospun PCL scaffolds

Liver disease cases are rapidly expanding across the globe and the only effective cure for the end-stage disease is a transplant. Transplant procedures are costly and the current supply of donor's livers does not satisfy demand. Potential drug treatments and regenerative therapies that are being developed to tackle these pressing issues require effective in-vitro culture platforms. Electrospun scaffolds provide bio-mimetic structures upon which cells are cultured to regulate function in-vitro. This study aims to shed light on the effects of electrospun PCL morphology on the culture of an immortalized hepatic cell line and mouse primary hepatocytes. Each cell type was cultured on large 4–5 µm fibers and small 1–2 µm fibers with random, aligned, and highly porous cryogenically spun configurations. Cell attachment, proliferation, morphology, and functional protein and gene expression were analyzed. Results show that fiber morphology has a measurable influence on cellular morphology and function, with the alteration of key functional markers such as CYP1A2 expression1.

Diagram depicting the electrospinning process for random, aligned and cryogenic fbres (top to bottom, respectively

DAPI and Phalloidin fuorescence images showing cellular morphology upon scafolds at 48 h (A) Hepg2, (B) MPHs. Images taken with ×40 magnifcation objective

Picogreen dsDNA measurements for (A) hepg2 over 14 days and (B) MPHs over 3 days. N = 5, Error bars = SD and *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001.

1. Bate, T.S.R., Gadd, V.L., Forbes, S.J. et al. Response differences of HepG2 and Primary Mouse Hepatocytes to morphological changes in electrospun PCL scaffolds. Sci Rep11, 3059 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81761-z