HuH7 Cells

HuH-7 cells are a type of epithelial-like, tumorigenic cell line initially taken from a liver tumor in a 57-year-old Japanese male in 1982. The human hepatoma-derived HuH-7 cell line and its derivatives have been widely used in research as a convenient experimental substitute for primary hepatocytes. In particular, they have been instrumental in hepatitis C research and used as host cells for propagating the virus in vitro. HuH-7 cells have played a crucial role in hepatitis C research, especially when it comes to drug development. Prior to 2005, researchers were unable to cultivate the hepatitis C virus in the laboratory, making it difficult to test potential drug candidates against it. The introduction of the HuH-7 cell line changed that. These cells are highly permissive to the replication of the hepatitis C virus, making them ideal for in vitro testing. By using the HuH-7 cells, researchers were able to screen drug candidates against laboratory-grown hepatitis C, which paved the way for the development of new drugs to fight the virus. Unlike other established human hepatoma cell lines, HuH-7 cells can be propagated in a chemically defined medium containing trace amounts of selenium in place of serum. This allows for systematic studies of the in vitro effects of various compounds on their growth and metabolism. Most HuH-7 cells have a chromosome number between 55 and 63 and typically grow as 2D monolayers. The growth medium for HuH-7 cells should be renewed 2-3 times a week or as needed according to the media pH, and cell confluency should be maintained between 30 to 90%. The doubling time of these cells is 24 to 50 hours. In comparison to HepG2 cells, which have been commonly used as a model for the study of synthesis and secretion of human apoB-100, Huh-7 cells were adopted as an alternative model with the assumption that they would be superior in some respects of lipoprotein metabolism, including VLDL secretion. However, it was found that Huh-7 cells did not offer any advantages over HepG2 cells as a general model of human apoB100-lipoprotein metabolism. Liver cancer cell lines, Liver, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Growth Conditions: Adherent, Biosafety level: BSL 1