ATTACHMENT AND METABOLIC-ACTIVITY OF HEPATOCYTES CULTIVATED ON SELECTED POLYMERIC MEMBRANES

Plasma or hormones added to hepatocyte incubation media mask the funct ion of membranes as substrata per se for hepatocyte adhesion. This hyp othesis was verified with hepatocyte cultures on various membranes in serum and hormone free medium. Freshly isolated rat hepatocytes were s eeded on flat sheet membranes made of Cellulose Acetate (CA), aminated Cellulose Acetate (aCA), polysulfone (PSf) and sulfonated polysulfone (sPSf) and incubated in Hank's Balanced Salts Solutions (HBSS) as wel l as in William's E medium supplemented with newborn calf serum. It wa s found that PSf promoted hepatocyte adhesion most effectively. Good p roperties of PSf as a biomaterial for hepatocyte culture were confirme d in both media cultures. Urea synthesis and ammonia utilization measu red in hepatocytes cultured on PSf were higher compared with other mem brane cultures. PSf secured longer viability for a higher number of ce lls seeded on membrane compared with other investigated membranes, whi ch is the reason for higher metabolic activity in PSf culture.