Human Hepatocytes

Overview

Human Hepatocytes is a cell model used for research applications where physiologically relevant identity and donor background support interpretation of experimental readouts. Human Hepatocytes derived from Liver within the Digestive system.

The liver is a vital organ in mammals, and hepatocytes, the major cell type in liver, play critical roles in protein synthesis, detoxification of various metabolites, transformation of carbohydrates, and the production of biochemical necessary for digestion [1]. Primary hepatocyte culture is an important model for in vitro studies in drug development, including hepatotoxicity, drug transport, hepatitis virus infection, hepatic drug metabolism and hepatobiliary excretion [2]. iXCells Biotechnologies provides high quality human primary hepatocytes isolated from whole liver of human organ donors and cryopreserved on the day of isolation with ≥5 million viable cells in each vial. iXCells offers human hepatocytes in plateable & suspension categories and includes cells from both healthy and diseased tissue. Our cryoplateable primary human hepatocytes (CPHH) reach and maintain a confluent monolayer (>90% confluency) for 5-7 days (Fig 1), express general hepatocyte marker albumin, and show accumulation of lipid droplets (Fig 2). Each lot of human hepatocytes is QC tested & validated including key Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) enzyme activity and gene expression induction. They are negative for HIV-1/2, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Figure 1. Phase contrast images of CPHH. CPHH were plated in a 6-well culture dish precoated with Collagen type I and cultured for 5 days following iXCells protocol. CPHH reached and maintained monolayer with >90% confluency. Hepatocytes exhibited hexagonal shape with single or double nuclei and characteristic “chicken wire” like bile canaliculus formation between hepatocytes.

Key elements and design rationale

• Cell identity: Hepatocytes (Primary Cells)
• Source context: Liver; Digestive
• Biosafety level: BSL-2 (follow your institution’s biosafety program and local regulations)
• Growth properties: Suspension, Adherent

Product-specific elements (such as tissue source, donor background, and cell classification) help frame how results should be interpreted across assays and experimental conditions.

Biological background

Hepatic cell models support studies of metabolism, detoxification pathways, inflammatory signaling, and responses to xenobiotics that can influence tissue function and injury.

Across primary and specialty cell models, experimental outcomes can be influenced by donor heterogeneity, passage history, confluence, and media composition. For interpretation, it is common to validate key markers or functional phenotypes in the user’s assay context and to document culture variables consistently.

Research relevance and current trends

• Increasing use of primary and specialty cells to improve translational relevance for target biology and phenotypic screening.
• Adoption of 3D culture formats and co-culture systems to better capture tissue microenvironments and cell–cell interactions.
• Integration of functional readouts with single-cell and multi-omics profiling to connect phenotype with molecular state.

Common research applications

• Profile identity markers by flow cytometry or immunostaining in cultured cells
• Quantify functional responses to defined stimuli relevant to the model system
• Compare baseline phenotype across donors/conditions using gene expression profiling
• Model inflammatory or metabolic stress responses relevant to gastrointestinal tissues
• Screen compounds or genetic perturbations for phenotype modulation using viability or imaging endpoints

Interpretation typically focuses on how a perturbation (e.g., cytokine exposure, metabolic stress, genetic manipulation, or compound treatment) shifts marker profiles or functional readouts relative to an appropriate control matched for donor and culture variables.

Notes for experimental interpretation

• Donor-to-donor heterogeneity can influence baseline phenotype and treatment response; include biological replicates when feasible.
• Passage number, confluence, and media composition can shift gene expression and functional readouts; track and report these variables consistently.
• Contamination control (including routine mycoplasma monitoring) supports reproducibility in downstream assays.
• Use appropriate negative/positive controls for the readout (e.g., unstimulated controls, pathway agonists/antagonists) to contextualize observed changes.

SKU:BHC18500274

Customization & Add-ons: Can't find the cell line you need—or require a custom cell-based solution for your project? We can help you source the best match or support custom cell line services for diverse research needs, including cell line sourcing and selection (species, tissue, and disease model matching), stable cell line engineering (overexpression, knockdown, or knockout via CRISPR/Cas9, shRNA, or sgRNA), reporter gene integration (GFP, RFP, luciferase, and other fluorescent or bioluminescent constructs), genome editing and knockin (point mutations, tagged endogenous proteins, conditional alleles), inducible expression systems (Tet-On/Off and other regulatable constructs), drug resistance marker selection (puromycin, G418, hygromycin, and others), custom growth and media optimisation for specific assay requirements, scale-up production for high-throughput screening campaigns, and authentication and QC services (STR profiling, mycoplasma testing, viability assessment). Click Talk to a Scientist to submit a request, email us at support@biohippo.com, or explore our Research Services for additional support—our team will follow up with feasibility details and next steps.