Results evidenced that mimicking the in vivo sinusoidal environment within our biosystem, primary human and rat hepatocytes cocultured with functional LSEC maintained morphology and showed high albumin and urea production, enhanced cytochrome P450 family 3 subfamily A member 4 (CYP3A4) activity, and maintained expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (hnf4α) and transporters, showing delayed hepatocyte dedifferentiation.
Secretion of albumin and that of lectin-reactive isoform of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) were measured as markers of differentiation and dedifferentiation of the cells, respectively.