PHARMACOLOGY

Pharmacology



Pharmacology

For clarification, in this study, the hepatocytes separated from live cancer tissues were called HHCs, while HAs were those that were collected from adjacent non-cancerous liver tissues and HNs were those that were isolated from normal liver tissues. The isolated hepatocyte motility rate was similar in the three groups (95%±4%) using a four-step collagenase perfusion method; therefore, a cell motility rate >90% was chosen for further analysis. The total number of separated hepatocytes was 1.38±0.38×106 per gram of hepatic tissue, and the contamination rate of non-parenchymal cells in the HHC population was <2%, with a small cellular fraction as determined using microscopic analysis.

Waanders et al. reported that the proteomic analysis of single pancreatic islets was different from that of pancreatic tissue, suggesting that single-cell analysis is more readily accessible to proteomic measurements. Even the tumor epithelium and tumor-associated stroma have shown different methylation profiles, as GSTP1 and RARbeta2 were found to be hypermethylated in the tumor epithelium and less so in tumor-associated stroma . In the context of the liver, hepatocytes from HCC have shown reduced heterogeneity and contamination in tissue samples and present less protein spots than HCC tissue. Considering the difference between isolated hepatocytes and liver tissue, the gene expression and proteomic profiles of hepatocytes isolated from cirrhotic nodules , fetal livers , HCC lymphatic metastases and neoplasms have been studied. The analysis of these hepatocytes has revealed not only specific patterns that may reflect the prognosis and drug sensitivity of cancer cell , but also the identity of genes involved in malignant transformation, progression , and tumor metastasis . The homogeneity of isolated hepatocytes may allow the elucidation of the mechanism of tumorigenesis in HCC, with the global genome-wide methylation profile of HCC cells being of particular interest (Slaughter, 2003, 963).

The collagenase perfusion method is a ...