Responses of hepatocytes on various extracellular matrices to injury by cytokine and endotoxin were studied. Hepatocytes cultured on poly-N-p-vinylbenzyl-D-lactonamide (PVLA) surfaces became resistant to IFN gamma-induced cell injury and also resisted the stimulation from endotoxin and cytokines, and thus showed low nitric oxide synthesis ability. Damage to transplanted cell in engineered tissue/organ can thus be prevented by culturing cells on appropriate synthetic extracellular matrices.