An Efficient Method for the Differentiation of Human iPSC-Derived Endoderm toward Enterocytes and Hepatocytes

The endoderm, differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can differentiate into the small intestine and liver, which are vital for drug absorption and metabolism. The development of human iPSC-derived enterocytes (HiEnts) and hepatocytes (HiHeps) has been reported. However, pharmacokinetic function-deficiency of these cells remains to be elucidated. Here, we aimed to develop an efficient differentiation method to induce endoderm formation from human iPSCs. Cells treated with activin A for 168 h expressed higher levels of endodermal genes than those treated for 72 h. Using activin A (days 0–7), CHIR99021 and PI−103 (days 0–2), and FGF2 (days 3–7), the hiPSC-derived endoderm (HiEnd) showed 97.97% CD−117 and CD−184 double-positive cells. Moreover, HiEnts derived from the human iPSC line Windy had similar or higher expression of small intestine-specific genes than adult human small intestine. Activities of the drug transporter P-glycoprotein and drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4/5 were confirmed. Additionally, Windy-derived HiHeps expressed higher levels of hepatocyte- and pharmacokinetics-related genes and proteins and showed higher CYP3A4/5 activity than those derived through the conventional differentiation method. Thus, using this novel method, the differentiated HiEnts and HiHeps with pharmacokinetic functions could be used for drug development.