This review encompasses the most important advances in liver functions and hepatotoxicity
and analyzes which mechanisms can be studied in vitro. In a complex architecture of nested …

Adjacent cells share ions, second messengers and small metabotes through intercellular
channels which are present in gap junctions. This type of intercellular communication …

In an effort to reconstruct the cellular polarity normally found in the liver, adult rat
hepatocytes were sandwiched between two layers of hydrated rat tail tendon collagen …

In vitro liver preparations are increasingly used for the study of hepatotoxicity of chemicals.
In recent years their actual advantages and limitations have been better defined. The cell …

Primary hepatocytes and their cultures are a simple but versatile, well-controlled, and
relatively easy to handle in vitro system that is well-accepted for investigating xenobiotic …

The interaction of transforming growth factor β (TGF β) with extracellular matrix
macromolecules was examined by using radiolabeled TGF β and various matrix …

Recent studies have shown that extracellular matrix (ECM) substitutes can have a dramatic
impact on cell growth, differentiation and function. However, these ECMs are often applied …

The properties of astroglial gap junction channels and the protein that constitutes the
channels were characterized by immunocytochemical, molecular biological, and …

Identification, maintenance, and expansion of stem cells for subsequent transplantation has
become a new strategy for treating many diseases in most medical subspecialties. The stem …

Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are ubiquitous in the human population (> 90% of adults
are seropositive) but have never been implicated as the cause of any disease. They were …