ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1629228
In vitro and in vivo evaluation of Immortalized Hepatocyte Encapsulated Click-microbeads with RGD peptide for Treatment of Liver Failure in male rats
Provisionally accepted
Su Yee Win1
Pinunta Nittayacharn1
Jatupoom Ngernmark1
Chitinart Thedrattanawong1
Mongkol Chavalitsarot1
Khanit Sa-ngiamsuntorn2
Suradej Hongeng3
Norased Nasongkla1*- 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
- 2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- 3Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Cell encapsulation in biocompatible microbeads offers a promising strategy for cell-based therapy in acute liver failure (ALF). This study evaluates the use of immortalized hepatocyte cells (imHCs) encapsulated in click-arginyl glycyl aspartic acid (click-RGD)-modified alginate microbeads, focusing on their biocompatibility and therapeutic potential. In vitro assessments showed that click-RGD microbeads significantly enhanced cell viability on day 4, spatial distribution, and hepatocyte function, evidenced by increased albumin on day 14 and alphafetoprotein (AFP) secretion compared to unmodified alginate microbeads. For in vivo testing, ALF was induced in Sprague-Dawley male rats using D-galactosamine (D-gal), followed by intraperitoneal administration of imHCs-loaded click-RGD microbeads in the treated group and CMRL medium injection in the control group. Treated rats exhibited faster reductions in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, higher albumin production, and improved liver histology, characterized by reduced necrosis and the absence of inflammation, on day 14 after treatment. No adverse host responses were observed, confirming the biocompatibility of the microbeads. These findings support the potential of click-RGD microbeads as a therapeutic platform for ALF, warranting further studies on long-term implantation, immune response, and co-encapsulation strategies.
Keywords: cell encapsulation, immortalized hepatocytes, click-RGD microbeads, acute liver failure, in vivo
Received: 15 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Win, Nittayacharn, Ngernmark, Thedrattanawong, Chavalitsarot, Sa-ngiamsuntorn, Hongeng and Nasongkla. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Norased Nasongkla, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.