Animal hepatocytes are used as a predictive model system for how a drug candidate may behave inside the liver when administered to human patients. Fresh and cryopreserved hepatocytes are used in many preclinical in vitro drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies to identify major enzymes involved in a drug’s metabolism in the liver.
Cryopreserved Animal Hepatocytes for In Vitro Studies
In drug development, hepatocytes are best suited for metabolism/MetID, clearance, uptake, hepatotoxicity, induction assays, and drug-drug interaction (DDI) assays. They are a highly effective model for prediction in human patients because, in the context of biotransformation, homologous drug metabolizing-enzymes are also abundantly found in human hepatocytes in liver, a primary site of drug metabolism. Animal hepatocytes can present a cost-effective alternative to human hepatocytes, generating insight into how a drug is metabolized or may affect the disposition of co-administered drugs.
Cryopreserved animal hepatocytes therefore serve as a convenient and cost-effective alternative to in vivo testing, and we offer an extensive inventory of lots available in various formats, created specifically with your needs and priorities in mind.
Plateable
Plateable animal hepatocytes are the closest alternative to fresh hepatocytes and are used most often in confluent monocultures and overlayed with a thin layer of extracellular matrix, to best replicate in vivo cellular functions/conditions. We offer International Genetic Standard (IGS) Sprague Dawley, Wistar and Wistar Han rat, CD-1 mouse, Beagle dog and Cynomolgus monkey plateable hepatocytes as standard products or can prepare custom test systems to meet needs related to other species.
Suspension
Animal hepatocytes for suspension are used primarily for compound stability, metabolite formation, extended incubations using the relay method, inhibition studies, uptake, and gene expression studies. Suspension lots are best suited for short-term studies (4-6 hours) due to decreases in viability and metabolic activity over time.
Fresh
XenoTech products are now available for purchase at BioIVT.com! Fresh animal hepatocytes can be prepared for suspension or plated on collagen-coated plates as an alternative to in vivo testing. Contact BioIVT’s animal perfusion specialists today to discuss species options and schedule the preparation of your fresh animal hepatocytes.
Thawing & Plating Cryopreserved Hepatocytes
Download our protocol or watch the demos below to get the best results from your cryopreserved hepatocytes:
Using Hepatocytes in Your Assays:
Not sure which assays call for which test system? We’ve got you covered with a how-to guide for matching your in vitro assay test system with the right media & reagents to ensure success and reliable data
Ensure your assays’ success with the right media
If you already know which media you need for your test system, go straight to media options. Each of our media products is specially formulated to maximize results when paired with XenoTech cells or cell fractions
