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. 2013 Dec 18;8(12):e82312. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082312

Figure 2. Efficacy of HepG2-Fluidised-bed bioreactor treatment in pigs with ischaemic acute liver failure: biochemical response.

Figure 2

A) Bilirubin conjugation in pigs with ischaemic acute liver failure. Conjugated bilirubin concentrations (µmol/L) increased and unconjugated bilirubin concentrations decreased in Group 1 pigs, when attached to the cell-bead BAL; in contrast there was neither increase in conjugated bilirubin nor decrease in unconjugated bilirubin in Group 2 control animals, Group 1 n = 6; group-2 n = 5; p-value, unpaired 2-tailed t-test, mean±SEM. B). Change in acidosis in pigs with ischaemic acute liver failure, after BAL treatment. pH values dropped after ischaemic insult to a nadir in both groups. Blood pH was assessed in a blood gas analyser. Pigs in the Cell-bead BAL (Group 1 solid line) showed an increased pH towards normal at the end of BAL treatment whereas pigs treated with the control empty bead BAL (Group 2 -----) showed little improvement; inset shows group averages (n = 4, mean±SEM unpaired, one-tailed t-test). C) Blood ammonia levels in pigs 4 h after BAL treatment. values show a change in ammonia from 0.5 h after ischaemia (normalised to 100%) during BAL treatment. Concomitant with a decrease in ICP in Group 1, ammonia levels decreased (cell BAL) cf. group 2 (Control empty bead BAL); Group 1 n = 6, mean 120±8; Group 2 n = 7, mean 150±11. Statistics: two-tailed unpaired t-test, p = 0.035.