ALB and hepatocellular carcinoma: By resorting to spinner flasks, primary hepatocyte spheroids (both of human and rat origin) preserved ALB and urea secretion and biotransformation activity of phase I and phase II enzymes up to 3 weeks (Miranda et al., 2009, 2010; Leite et al., 2011; Tostoes et al., 2011) and were able to metabolize diphenhydramine and troglitazone (Miranda et al., 2009); while hepatoma spheroids demonstrated gradual increase in ALB synthesis and ammonia elimination with increases in rotation speed (Chen et al., 2014).