The blood–air barrier formed by the alveolar epithelium of the peripheral lung is crucial for the pulmonary delivery of drugs. Most existing in vitro models mimicking the blood–air barrier are represented by tumor cells or immortalized cells and lack biological relevance due to their gene ...
Mesenchymal stem cells from a variety of sites are a natural resource that using appropriate skills can be cultured in the laboratory, in scaffolds, to provide differentiated-cell replacement tissues, for clinical application. To perform such work with human cells, strict ethical inte ...
Human melanocytes have been extensively studied, but a melanocyte stem cell reservoir in glabrous skin has not yet been found. Human dermis contains cells that are nonpigmented but can differentiate to several different cell types. We have recently shown that multipotent dermal stem cel ...
Human cell culture processes developed at research laboratory scale need to be translated to large-scale production processes to achieve commercial application to a large market. To allow this transition of scale with consistent process performance and control of costs, it will be nec ...
Laser microdissection (LMD) microscopy allows isolation of specific cell populations to target their �molecular profile. There are several different types of LMD microscopes, but they are all based on the same principle. A laser beam is used to cut out cells or tissues of interest from a histolo ...
With the use of lasers for ablation purposes in spinal surgery, the tissue temperature increases above the boiling point of water, leading to tissue ablation by vaporisation. Due to the thermal environment engendered by the use of lasers, there is concern about the safety of the surrounding impo ...
Bone remodelling occurs throughout life via the coupled actions of bone resorption and bone formation. When the balance of bone resorption and formation becomes unequal, bone diseases, such as osteoporosis occur, while the absence of functional osteoclasts leads to diseases such as ost ...
CD4+CD25highCD127low/neg regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a critical role in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance and in controlling the development of autoimmune diseases. A combination of surface and intracellular markers, namely, CD25, CD39/CD73, CD62L, CD45RO, CD127, gluc ...
The basics of cell culture as applied to human cells are discussed. Biosafety when working with human tissue, which is often pathogenic, is important. The requirements for a tissue culture laboratory are described, particularly the range of equipment needed to carry out cell isolation, puri ...
Lymphocyte activation and fine tuning of downstream signaling circuits for the regulation of cytokine expression are critical for a successful immune response. Hence, technical protocols permitting simultaneous testing of these attributes in peripheral blood lymphocytes ...
The present protocol offers an economical option for the isolation and culture of human endothelial cells for vascular cell biology research due to the non-invasive collection procedure being devoid of ethical concerns and ease of the isolation technique, expansion and maintenance u ...
Human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in culture are an important tool in understanding how VSMCs function and contribute to vessel wall contraction as well as disease. In this chapter, we describe methodologies that enable the investigator to culture large numbers of proliferati ...
Ovary is a polymorphic complex structure in which the cells are arranged in two essential endocrine mini glands: the follicle (F) and the corpus luteum (CL). Their secretory function creates an optimal milieu for growth, maturation, and selection of follicles and oocytes competent for ovula ...
Culture of adipose tissue precursor cells allows gaining insight into the sequential processes involved in adipocyte development. Furthermore, the secretory properties associated with these cellular changes can be studied. Although clonal cell lines are valuable tools for the ...
Adipose tissue (AT) is no longer considered merely as insulation or padding for human organs. It is an endocrine organ in its own right, which includes composite cells with the ability to differentiate into multiple cell lines. In fact, there is increasing evidence to support the theory that the cau ...
Renal physiology and pathology are complex systems that are best studied in whole living organisms. This, however, is often restricted by our desire to limit the number of animal experiments undertaken and to replace them with relevant in vitro models that can be used as surrogates for the system u ...
The intestinal epithelium is a highly dynamic tissue undergoing constant and rapid renewal. It consists of a functional villus compartment responsible for terminal digestion and nutrient absorption and a progenitor cell compartment located in the crypts that produce new cells. The m ...
Our understanding of gastric epithelial physiology in man is limited by the absence of normal or appropriate cancer cell lines that could serve as an in vitro model. Research mostly relied on primary culture of gastric epithelial cells of animal species, enriched with surface mucous cells, and ...
Polyamines are essential for normal cell growth and exist mainly as RNA-polyamine complexes in cells. Thus, effects of polyamines on protein synthesis have been studied. It was found that several kinds of protein synthesis, which are important for cell growth, were enhanced by polyamines at t ...
The existence of multiple, alternative pathways for polyamine biosynthesis, and the presence of alternative polyamine structural analogs, is an indication of the physiological importance of polyamines and their long evolutionary history. Polyamine biosynthesis is modula ...