Biofabricated 3D in vitro model of fibrosis-induced abnormal hepatoblast/biliary progenitors' expansion of the developing liver.

ABSTRACT: Congenital disorders of the biliary tract are the primary reason for pediatric liver failure and ultimately for pediatric liver transplant needs. Not all causes of these disorders are well understood, but it is known that liver fibrosis occurs in many of those afflicted. The goal of this study is to develop a simple yet robust model that recapitulates physico-mechanical and cellular aspects of fibrosis mediated via hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and their effects on biliary progenitor cells. Liver organoids were fabricated by embedding various HSCs, with distinctive abilities to generate mild to severe fibrotic environments, together with undifferentiated liver progenitor cell line, HepaRG, within a collagen I hydrogel. The fibrotic state of each organoid was characterized by examination of

SUBMITTER: Brovold M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8459590 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature