Computational Approach for Calcium Transport in Hepatocytes: SERCA, Leak, and Channel Dynamics

The liver is primarily composed of hepatocytes, which constitute more than 80% of its cellular structure. Ca 2 + serves as a vital second Intracellular signal transducer, playing an essential role in Cellular communication within hepatocytes. It regulates most of the biological processes, including cell movement, secretion, muscle contraction, differentiation, and buffering mechanisms. The intracellular Ca 2 + signaling in hepatocytes has also been extensively studied through mathematical and experimental approaches. This paper presents a unidimensional model to analyze the impact of key parameters for the steady‐state calcium profile, such as calcium influx and diffusion coefficient, etc. The model is formulated as an edge condition problem by using a PDE and incorporates essential ER flux components. It also includes leak flux, pump flux, and channel flux. It specifically examines changes in Ca 2 + concentration within the cytosol and ER, as well as the dynamics of localized Ca 2 + elevations resulting from Ca 2 + release via ion channel clusters, pumps, and leak pathways. The FEM approach is employed to solve such biological models. MATLAB programming is used to compute the solution, utilizing a system with an Intel Core i3‐2328 M CPU @ 2.20 GHz and 6 GB of memory. The proposed model provides insights into calcium homeostasis in hepatocytes and contributes to a better understanding of intracellular Ca 2 + dynamics.