Evaluation of Drug Biliary Excretion Using Sandwich-Cultured Human Hepatocytes

Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2019 Feb;44(1):13-30. doi: 10.1007/s13318-018-0502-x.

Abstract

Evaluation of hepatobiliary transport of drugs is an important challenge, notably during the development of new molecular identities. In this context, sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes (SCHH) have been proposed as an interesting and integrated tool for predicting in vitro biliary excretion of drugs. The present review was therefore designed to summarize key findings about SCHH, including their establishment, their main functional features and their use for the determination of canalicular transport and the prediction of in vivo biliary clearance and hepatobiliary excretion-related drug-drug interactions. Reviewed data highlight the fact that SCHH represent an original and probably unique holistic in vitro approach to predict biliary clearance in humans, through taking into account sinusoidal drug uptake, passive drug diffusion, drug metabolism and sinusoidal and canalicular drug efflux. Limits and proposed refinements for SCHH-based analysis of drug biliary excretion, as well as putative human alternative in vitro models to SCHH are also discussed.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Culture Techniques / methods*
  • Cell Line, Transformed
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / methods
  • Hepatobiliary Elimination / drug effects
  • Hepatobiliary Elimination / physiology*
  • Hepatocytes / drug effects
  • Hepatocytes / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations / administration & dosage
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations / metabolism*

Substances

  • Pharmaceutical Preparations