Isolation and co-culture of rat parenchymal and non-parenchymal liver cells to evaluate cellular interactions and response

The liver is a central organ in the human body and first line of defense between host and external environment. Liver response to any external perturbation is a collective reaction of resident liver cells. Most of the current in vitro liver models focus on hepatocytes, the primary metabolic component, omitting interactions and cues from surrounding environment and non-parenchymal cells (NPCs). Recent studies suggest that contributions of NPCs are vital, particularly in disease conditions and outcomes of drugs and their metabolites. Along with hepatocytes, NPCs–Kupffer (KC), sinusoidal endothelial (LSEC) and stellate cells (SC) are major cellular components of the liver. Incorporation of primary cells in in vitro liver platforms is essential to emulate the functions of the liver and its overall response. Herein, we isolate individual NPC cell fractions from rat livers and co-culture them in a transwell format incorporating primary rat hepatocytes with LSECs, SCs and KCs. Our results indicate that the presence and contributions of multiple cells within the co-culture capture the interactions between hepatocytes and NPC and modulates the responses to inflammatory stimulus such as LPS. The isolation and co-culture methods could provide a stable platform for creating in vitro liver models that provide defined functionality beyond hepatocytes alone.