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Proteomic and Functional Analysis of In Vitro Systems for Studies of Drug Disposition in the Human Small Intestine and Liver
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4502-8184
2019 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

To reach the bloodstream, an orally administered drug must be absorbed through the small intestine and avoid extensive clearance in the liver. Estimating these parameters in vitro is therefore important in drug discovery and development. This can be achieved with cellular models that simulate human organ function, such as Caco-2 cells and primary hepatocytes. No model fits every scenario, however, and this thesis aimed at using proteomic and functional analysis to better understand and increase the applicability of in vitro models based on Caco-2 cells and human hepatocytes.

First, the proteome of filter-grown Caco-2 cells was analyzed. This included near-complete coverage of enterocyte-related proteins, and over 300 ADME proteins. Further, by scaling uptake transport kinetics from Caco-2 cells to human jejunum, the importance of considering in vitro­-in vivo expression differences to correctly interpret in vitro transport studies was demonstrated.

Focus was then turned to hepatocytes, where proteomics was used as a basis for the successful development of an apoptosis inhibition protocol for restoration of attachment properties and functionality in suboptimal batches of cryopreserved human hepatocytes. As a spin-off project, image-based quantification of cell debris was developed into a novel apoptosis detection method.

Next, the in vivo heterogeneity of human hepatocytes was explored in an in vitro setting, where it was observed that human hepatocyte batches contain a wide range of cell sizes. By separating the cells into different size fractions, it was found that hepatocyte size corresponds to the microarchitectural zone of origin in the liver. Size separation can thus be used to study zonated liver functions in vitro.

Finally, the proteomes of the major types of non-parenchymal liver cells were analyzed, i.e. liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and hepatic stellate cells. The different cell types all had distinctly different proteomes, and the expression of certain important ADME proteins indicated that non-parenchymal cells participate in drug disposition.

In conclusion, this thesis has improved the phenotypic understanding and extended the applicability of Caco-2 cells and primary human hepatocytes, two of the most important in vitro models for studies of small intestinal and hepatic drug disposition.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2019. , p. 59
Series
Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Pharmacy, ISSN 1651-6192 ; 272
Keywords [en]
proteomics, drug disposition, ADMET, drug transport, drug metabolism, hepatotoxicity, small intestine, liver, caco-2, human hepatocytes, cryopreservation, apoptosis, liver zonation, non-parenchymal cells
National Category
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research subject
Pharmaceutical Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-382406ISBN: 978-91-513-0668-1 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-382406DiVA, id: diva2:1306810
Public defence
2019-06-14, Room B41, Biomedical center, Husargatan 3, Uppsala, 09:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2019-05-21 Created: 2019-04-24 Last updated: 2019-06-18
List of papers
1. The Proteome of Filter-Grown Caco-2 Cells With a Focus on Proteins Involved in Drug Disposition
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The Proteome of Filter-Grown Caco-2 Cells With a Focus on Proteins Involved in Drug Disposition
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2016 (English)In: Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ISSN 0022-3549, E-ISSN 1520-6017, Vol. 105, no 2, p. 817-827Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Caco-2 cells are widely used in studies of intestinal cell physiology and drug transport. Here, the global proteome of filter-grown Caco-2 cells was quantified using the total protein approach and compared with the human colon and jejunum proteomes. In total, 8096 proteins were identified. In-depth analysis of proteins defining enterocyte differentiation—including brush-border hydrolases, integrins, and adherens and tight junctions—gave near-complete coverage of the expected proteins. Three hundred twenty-seven absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion proteins were identified, including 112 solute carriers and 20 ATP-binding cassette transporters. OATP2B1 levels were 16-fold higher in Caco-2 cells than in jejunum. To investigate the impact of this difference on in vitro-in vivo extrapolations, we studied the uptake kinetics of the OATP2B1 substrate pitavastatin in Caco-2 monolayers, and found that the contribution of OATP2B1 was 60%-70% at clinically relevant intestinal concentrations. Pitavastatin kinetics was combined with transporter concentrations to model the contribution of active transport and membrane permeation in the jejunum. The lower OATP2B1 expression in jejunum led to a considerably lower transporter contribution (<5%), suggesting that transmembrane diffusion dominates pitavastatin absorption in vivo. In conclusion, we present the first in-depth quantification of the filter-grown Caco-2 proteome. We also demonstrate the crucial importance of considering transporter expression levels for correct interpretation of drug transport routes across the human intestine.

National Category
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-277281 (URN)10.1016/j.xphs.2015.10.030 (DOI)000381768500048 ()26869432 (PubMedID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2822Carl Tryggers foundation
Available from: 2016-02-18 Created: 2016-02-18 Last updated: 2019-04-24Bibliographically approved
2. A simple approach for restoration of differentiation and function in cryopreserved human hepatocytes
Open this publication in new window or tab >>A simple approach for restoration of differentiation and function in cryopreserved human hepatocytes
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2019 (English)In: Archives of Toxicology, ISSN 0340-5761, E-ISSN 1432-0738, Vol. 93, no 3, p. 819-829Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Primary human hepatocytes are used in all facets of liver research, from in vitro studies of xenobiotic disposition and toxicity to the clinical management of liver failure. Unfortunately, cellular stress during isolation and cryopreservation causes a highly unpredictable loss of the ability to attach and form cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. Reasoning that this problem could be mitigated at the post-thawing stage, we applied label-free quantitative global proteomics to analyze differences between attached and non-attached fractions of cryopreserved human hepatocyte batches. Hepatocytes that were unable to attach to a collagen matrix showed many signs of cellular stress, including a glycolytic phenotype and activation of the heat shock response, ultimately leading to apoptosis activation. Further analysis of the activated stress pathways revealed an increase in early apoptosis immediately post-thawing, which suggested the possibility of stress reversal. Therefore, we transiently treated the cells with compounds aimed at decreasing cellular stress via different mechanisms. Brief exposure to the pan-caspase apoptosis inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK restored attachment ability and promoted a differentiated morphology, as well as formation of 3D spheroids. Further, Z-VAD-FMK treatment restored metabolic and transport functions, with maintained sensitivity to hepatotoxic insults. Altogether, this study shows that differentiation and function of suboptimal human hepatocytes can be restored after cryopreservation, thus markedly increasing the availability of these precious cells.

Keywords
Apoptosis, Cellular stress, Cryopreservation, Hepatotoxicity, Human hepatocytes, Proteomics
National Category
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-372723 (URN)10.1007/s00204-018-2375-9 (DOI)000463730100019 ()30560367 (PubMedID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2822Swedish Research Council, 01951
Available from: 2019-01-08 Created: 2019-01-08 Last updated: 2021-06-23Bibliographically approved
3. Image-based quantification of cell debris as a measure of apoptosis
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Image-based quantification of cell debris as a measure of apoptosis
2019 (English)In: Analytical Chemistry, ISSN 0003-2700, E-ISSN 1520-6882, Vol. 91, no 9, p. 5548-5552Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Apoptosis is a controlled form of cell death that can be induced by various diseases and exogenous toxicants. Common apoptosis detection methods rely on fluorescent markers, which necessitates the use of costly reagents and time-consuming labeling procedures. Label-free methods avoid these problems, but often require specialized instruments instead. Here, we utilize apoptotic cell disintegration to develop a novel label-free detection method based on the quantification of subcellular debris particles in bright-field microscopy images. Debris counts show strong correlations with fluorescence-based annexin V staining, and can be used to study concentration-dependent and temporal apoptosis activation. The method is rapid, low-cost, and easy to apply, as the only experimental step comprises bright-field imaging of culture media samples, followed by automated image processing. The late-stage nature of the debris measurement means that the method can complement other, established apoptosis assays, and its accessibility will allow a wider community of researchers to study apoptotic cell death.

National Category
Pharmaceutical Sciences Analytical Chemistry
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-382403 (URN)10.1021/acs.analchem.9b01243 (DOI)000467642100015 ()31001971 (PubMedID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2822Swedish Research Council, 01951
Available from: 2019-04-24 Created: 2019-04-24 Last updated: 2021-06-23Bibliographically approved
4. Hepatocyte size fractionation allows dissection of human liver zonation
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Hepatocyte size fractionation allows dissection of human liver zonation
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2021 (English)In: Journal of Cellular Physiology, ISSN 0021-9541, E-ISSN 1097-4652, Vol. 236, no 8, p. 5885-5894Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Human hepatocytes show marked differences in cell size, gene expression, and function throughout the liver lobules, an arrangement termed liver zonation. However, it is not clear if these zonal size differences, and the associated phenotypic differences, are retained in isolated human hepatocytes, the “gold standard” for in vitro studies of human liver function. Here, we therefore explored size differences among isolated human hepatocytes and investigated whether separation by size can be used to study liver zonation in vitro. We used counterflow centrifugal elutriation to separate cells into different size fractions and analyzed them with label-free quantitative proteomics, which revealed an enrichment of 151 and 758 proteins (out of 5163) in small and large hepatocytes, respectively. Further analysis showed that protein abundances in different hepatocyte size fractions recapitulated the in vivo expression patterns of previously described zonal markers and biological processes. We also found that the expression of zone-specific cytochrome P450 enzymes correlated with their metabolic activity in the different fractions. In summary, our results show that differences in hepatocyte size matches zonal expression patterns, and that our size fractionation approach can be used to study zone-specific liver functions in vitro.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2021
National Category
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-382404 (URN)10.1002/jcp.30273 (DOI)000608176800001 ()
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2822, 01951
Available from: 2019-04-24 Created: 2019-04-24 Last updated: 2021-08-13Bibliographically approved
5. Proteomic analysis of major cell types in the human liver
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Proteomic analysis of major cell types in the human liver
2020 (English)In: Liver international, ISSN 1478-3223, E-ISSN 1478-3231, Vol. 40, no 7, p. 1770-1780Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background & Aims The human liver functions through a complex interplay between parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of intact tissue has provided an in-depth view of the human liver proteome. However, the predominance of parenchymal cells (hepatocytes) means that the total tissue proteome mainly reflects hepatocyte expression. Here we therefore set out to analyse the proteomes of the major parenchymal and non-parenchymal cell types in the human liver.

Methods We applied quantitative label-free proteomic analysis on the major cell types of the human liver: hepatocytes, liver endothelial cells, Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells.

Results We identified 9791 proteins, revealing distinct protein expression profiles across cell types, whose in vivo relevance was shown by the presence of cell-type-specific proteins. Analysis of proteins related to the immune system indicated that mechanisms of immune-mediated liver injury include the involvement of several cell types. Furthermore, in-depth investigation of proteins related to the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) of xenobiotics showed that ADMET-related tasks are not exclusively confined to hepatocytes, and that non-parenchymal cells may contribute to drug transport and metabolism.

Conclusions Overall, the data we provide constitute a unique resource for exploring the proteomes of the major types of human liver cells, which will facilitate an improved understanding of the human liver in health and disease.

National Category
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-382405 (URN)10.1111/liv.14452 (DOI)000527005200001 ()
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 01951
Available from: 2019-04-24 Created: 2019-04-24 Last updated: 2023-05-15Bibliographically approved

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