Transfection of Rat Hepatocytes with a GFP-expression plasmid using the Cytofect™ Hepatocyte Transfection Kit.
Cytofect™ Hepatocyte Transfection Kit
The Cytofect™ Hepatocyte Transfection Kit is a specialized plasmid DNA delivery system engineered specifically for primary hepatocytes, including traditionally difficult-to-transfect primary liver cells.
Description
The Cytofect™ Hepatocyte Transfection Kit is a specialized plasmid DNA delivery system engineered specifically for primary hepatocytes, including traditionally difficult-to-transfect primary liver cells. Unlike transfection reagents optimized solely for immortalized cell lines, the Cytofect™ system combines cationic lipid delivery with an endosomolytic Viral Enhancer to achieve high delivery efficiency and cell viability in primary hepatocyte cultures. Under optimized protocols, the kit routinely yields transfection efficiencies of approximately 40% and cell viabilities between 70–95%.
Hepatocytes are the primary parenchymal cells of the liver, organized into metabolic units that interact directly with the hepatic sinusoidal blood supply. In vivo, blood flows through specialized fenestrated sinusoids, allowing hepatocytes to efficiently exchange nutrients, hormones, and metabolites with circulation.
Hepatocytes are highly polarized cells featuring distinct apical (bile canalicular) and basolateral (sinusoidal) membrane domains. This cell polarity is essential for directional transport, bile secretion, and systemic metabolic homeostasis. Primary hepatocytes perform critical physiological roles, including:
- Protein & Nitrogen Metabolism: Albumin synthesis, plasma protein secretion, and urea production via the urea cycle.
- Carbohydrate & Lipid Regulation: Glycogen synthesis, gluconeogenesis, lipogenesis, and lipoprotein secretion.
- Xenobiotic Metabolism & Detoxification: Phase I (CYP450 enzymes) and Phase II biotransformation and subsequent biliary or basolateral transport of drug metabolites.
The Cytofect™ Hepatocyte Transfection Kit provides a complete reagent system containing Cytofect-1, Viral Enhancer, transfection medium, and antibiotic-free growth medium. The Viral Enhancer is a replication-deficient, adenovirus-derived formulation that utilizes adenoviral surface interactions to escort the Cytofect-1/DNA complex into the cell, facilitating nuclear transport and preventing lysosomal degradation without replication-competent virus.
Plasmid DNA transfection enables transient overexpression, reporter construct expression, and promoter functional assays in primary hepatocytes. Key research applications include:
- Pharmacology & ADME/Tox: Screening phase I/II enzyme induction, drug clearance, metabolite profiling, and mechanisms of Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI).
- Disease & Signaling Mechanisms: Investigating transcription factors (e.g., PPARs, FXR, PXR), viral hepatitis interactions, hepatic steatosis, fibrosis signaling, and metabolic liver disease.
- 3D Culture & Liver Tissue Engineering: Integrating transfected primary hepatocytes into microfluidic liver-on-a-chip devices, 3D spheroids/organoids, or co-cultures with sinusoidal endothelial cells and non-parenchymal liver cells.
Transfection, the introduction of nucleic acid into mammalian cells, is a powerful technique used to study in vivo gene function and regulation. The Cytofect™ Hepatocyte Transfection kit is a plasmid DNA delivery system specifically optimized to deliver DNA into hepatocytes. This kit contains Cytofect-1, Viral Enhancer* and Media for transfection and culturing cells. Viral Enhancer complexes with DNA and Cytofect-1 and escorts the transfection complex to the nucleus. This results in high transfection efficiency and viability for these traditionally hard-to-transfect primary cells.
#Wells / Rxns
96 / 1000
24 / 200
12 / 100
The Kit contains all necessary reagents, media and optimized protocols to carry out successful transfection of primary Hepatocytes with high efficiency (40%) and viability (70%-95%).
Products are for research use only. They are not intended for human, animal, or diagnostic applications. Viral Enhancer (VE) is a replication-deficient, Adenovirus-derived formulation that does not contain replication competent virus. TR1 and VE are manufactured by Targeting Systems.
Details
| Kit Contents: | Cytofect -1 Viral Enhancer (VE) Antibiotics-Free Growth Medium Transfection Medium |
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Designed to improve transfection efficiency and cell viability, Cytofect is a plasmid DNA delivery system containing Cytofect-2, Enhancer and Media for transfecting and culturing cells. The Enhancer is an endosomolytic peptide that complexes with DNA and Cytofect-2, then escorts the transfection complex to the nucleus. The results are high transfection efficiency and viability for traditionally hard-to-transfect cells.
FAQs
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Cytofect™ Transfection Reagents: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)