Effects of sera from several fish species and insulin on the development of cultured Silurus asotus hepatocytes were investigated. Hepatocytes with high viability (95%) were obtained from the livers of male catfish by two step collagenase perfusion. Isolated hepatocytes, initially showed a typical round-shape, firmly attached to the culture dish within 24 h. In the presence of catfish serum, hepatocytes attached each other, spread well on the dish and developed into monolayer after 3-4 days of incubation. Cells within the established monolayer became polygonal in shape and their nuclei and boundaries being clearly visible under the microscope. In contrast, when incubated in FBS-supplemented or serum-free medium, cells managed to form small clusters, each made of 2-10 cells. Cells in FBS-supplemented medium further developed into larger clusters. However, these clusters failed to develope into monolayer. In addition, when insulin was deprived from culture medium, formation of monolayer also failed. From these data, it can be concluded that the presence of both catfish serum and insulin is necessary for the formation of monolayer of catfish hepatocytes and the functional role of fish serum may differ from that of insulin and can not be displaced by FBS-supplementation.