Immobilization of cryopreserved primary rat hepatocytes for the development of a bioartificial liver system.

Primary rat hepatocytes were cryopreserved in hormonally-defined medium (HDM) containing 40% (v/v) fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 10% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in liquid N2 for 6 months. After thawing, the cells were immobilized using 2% (w/v) alginate and 0.5% (w/v) chitosan solutions. The capacities of ammonia removal and urea synthesis of the immobilized-thawed hepatocytes were similar to those of immobilized hepatocytes without cryopreservation. This result shows that immobilized hepatocytes after cryopreservation are useful for the development of a bioartificial liver system.