Formation of hepatocyte micro-aggregates in agarose microwells.

(A) Aggregate formation over time for both HepG2 cells and primary hepatocytes. (B) E-cadherin gene expression in primary hepatocytes during aggregate formation (C–D) Correlation between number of cells, aggregate diameter (squares) and volume (triangles) for the formation of HepG2 cell aggregates in 200 (C) and 400 µm (D) microwells, n = 3. (E) Correlation between number of primary cells, aggregate diameter (solid line) and volume (dotted line) for the formation of primary hepatocyte aggregates in 200 (white squares) and 400 µm (black squares) microwells, n = 3. (F) circularity of aggregates during culture for HepG2 cells (squares) and primary hepatocytes (triangles), n = 3.