The shortage of donor organs for transplantation has prompted the development of alternative implantable human liver tissues; however, the need for a clinically viable liver tissue that can be fabricated using physiologically-relevant primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) is unmet. Purified silk proteins provide desirable features for generating implantable tissues, such as sustainable sourcing from insects/arachnids, biocompatibility, tunable mechanical properties and degradation rates, and low immunogenicity upon implantation; however, the utility of such scaffolds to generate human liver tissues using PHHs remains unclear. Here, we show that the incorporation of type I collagen during the fabrication and/or autoclaving of silk scaffolds was necessary to enable robust PHH attachment/function. Scaffolds with small pores (73 +/-25 µm) promoted higher PHH functions than large pores (235 +/-84 µm). Further incorporation of growth-arrested 3T3-J2 fibroblasts into scaffolds enhanced PHH functions up to 5-fold for 5 months in culture, an unprecedented longevity, and functions were better retained than 2D configurations. Lastly, encapsulating PHHs within Matrigel TM while housed in the silk/collagen scaffold led to higher functions than Matrigel or silk/collagen alone. In conclusion, porous silk scaffolds are useful for generating long-term PHH +/-fibroblast tissues which may ultimately find applications in regenerative medicine and drug development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.