Protocol to generate human liver spheroids to study liver fibrosis induced by metabolic stress
Hyun Young Kim, Wonseok Lee, Xiao Liu, Haeum Jang, Sadatsugu Sakane, Raquel Carvalho‐Gontijo Weber, Karin Diggle, Samuel A. Kerk, Christian M. Metallo, Tatiana Kisseleva, David A. Brenner
Abstract
Currently, there is no effective treatment for obesity and alcohol-associated liver diseases, partially due to the lack of translational human models. Here, we present a protocol to generate 3D human liver spheroids that contain all the liver cell types and mimic "livers in a dish." We describe strategies to induce metabolic and alcohol-associated hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. We outline potential applications, including using human liver spheroids for experimental and translational research and drug screening to identify potential anti-fibrotic therapies.