Experimental evaluation and theoretical modeling of oxygen transfer rate for the newly developed hollow fiber bioreactor with three compartments

Bioartificial liver support provides a bridge to transplantation which is at present the only proven specific treatment for acute liver failure. In this paper, a novel multi-coaxial hollow fiber bioreactor so-called 'Fibre-in-Fibre FIF Bioartificial liver device' with three compartments is experimentally and mathematically studied. The mathematical model in this paper is an extension of Krogh cylinder model for hollow fibre devices by including one more zone for oxygen transfer, i.e. oxygenation compartment. Three simultaneous linear differential equations were derived for pressure in plasma and cell compartments and flow rate in cell compartment. To validate the model, Oxygen Transfer Rate and hydrostatic pressure experimental measurements for different flow rates, 17-400 ml/min, and different number of hollow fibres pairs are used. Several important parameters of the Michaelis-Menten was investigated, namely, constant V_max (the maximum oxygen consumption per unit volume of the cell mass), the oxygen partial pressure, the flow rate of the perfusate at device inlet. The results showed that the oxygenation compartment should easily secure Oxygen to the cells in compartment B.