Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
Fall 1-31-2012
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering - (M.S.)
Department
Biomedical Engineering
First Advisor
Cheul H. Cho
Second Advisor
George Collins
Third Advisor
Treena Livingston Arinzeh
Abstract
The need for a an in vitro drug screening system that mimics the structural organization of natural liver for multi-functionality and maintenance of hepatocytes has become vital in the drug development process. The objective of this study was to engineer a three-dimensional (3-D) liver model using chitosan-based nanofiber scaffolds and co-culture system (adult rat hepatocytes and 3T3-J2 fibroblasts) to mimic the natural liver and to justify its application for in vitro drug screening. Chitosan nanofiber scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning technique. In order to promote cell adhesion on the chitosan scaffolds, the scaffolds were coated with a cell adhesion molecule, fibronectin, by adsorption. The effects of mono-culture and co-culture systems on the proliferation and functional activities of hepatocytes were investigated. Lastly, the utilization of the optimized 3-D model for drug screening was tested. The results showed that 3-D in vitro liver model in co-culture maintained hepatic morphology and shows suitable liver function such as albumin secretion for a prolonged period. The model showed acceptable cytochrome P450 enzyme activity which plays a key role in drug metabolism.
Recommended Citation
Rajendran, Divya, "Development of 3-d liver model for drug screening applications" (2012). Theses. 112.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/112
