The hepatic functions of the hepatocytes in multicellular spheroid (MCS) are lower than those in the liver. One of the causes is that conventional hepatic MCSs do not reproduce liver-specific microstructures such as hepatic cord. It is necessary to design the inner structure of hepatic MCSs mimicking a structural feature of hepatic cord to represent further hepatic functions. Here we introduce a unique method to engineer the microarchitectures in the MCSs by formation of void spaces or filling of extracellular matrices (ECMs).
Keywords: Alginate hydrogel bead; Extracellular matrix; Hepatocyte; Methylcellulose; Microstructure; Multicellular spheroid.