Establishment and application of experimental model of human fetal hepatocytes: protective effects of silybin and polyporus umbellalus polysac-charides on human fetal hepatocytes

摘要

AIM To establish a new experimental model system with human fetal hepatocytes to study the mechanisms of protective effect of silybin and polyporus umbellalus polysaccharides (PSP) on the ultrastructure of human fetal hepatocytes. METHODS The hepatocytes were obtained from the liver of human fetus from induced labor with written consent. The primarily cultured hepatocytes were pre-treated with silybin and PSP and exposed to CCl_4 for 4 hours. The ultrastructural changes of hepatocytes were observed under scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM) and transmission electronmicroscope (TEM). Transam-inase and SOD were also assayed at the end of culture. RESULT The levels of ALT and AST were significantly decreased and the SOD level elevated in two pretreated groups as compared with that in the control group. The cellular integrity and ultrastructure of hepatocytes were well preserved in the two drugs pretreated groups while they were seriously damaged in the control group. CONCLUSION The experimental model system with human fetal hepatocytes pretreated with CCl_4 could act as an effective method for studying the protective effect of drugs on human hepatocytes, and could be used for screening the medicines for treatment of hepatitis.