Establishment of an in vitro model using NR8383 cells and Mycobacterium bovis Calmette-Guerin that mimics a chronic infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
BACKGROUND
Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection affects one-third of the world's population and causes the death of three million people each year. To clarify details of M. tuberculosis survival strategies, it is important to establish a suitable in vitro model that mimics a chronic infection in alveolar macrophages by M. tuberculosis. For this reason, we established a new in vitro model using a rat alveolar macrophage cell line, NR8383.


METHODS
Basic characteristics, including phagocytotic ability and production of nitrogen oxide and tumor necrosis factor in response to several stimuli, of NR8383 cells were compared with those of primary alveolar macrophages. The course after phagocytosis of live or killed M. bovis bacilli Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was examined over 21 days using NR8383 cells as the host.


RESULTS
The characteristics that have been examined to date were nearly the same for both primary alveolar macrophage and NR8383 cells. Live BCG phagocytosed by NR8383 cells had successfully begun to grow in the cells within 7 days, while killed BCG were almost completely destroyed by 21 days.


CONCLUSIONS
BCG-infected NR8383 cells are potentially a suitable in vitro model that mimics a chronic infection with M tuberculosis.
Hino
Mami
M
Institute for Health Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Nishihama, Yamashiro-cho, Tokushima-shi, 770-8514, Japan.
Oda
Mutsumi
M
Yoshida
Aya
A
Nakata
Kazue
K
Kohchi
Chie
C
Nishizawa
Takashi
T
Inagawa
Hiroyuki
H
Hori
Hitoshi
H
Makino
Kimiko
K
Terada
Hiroshi
H
Soma
Gen-Ichiro
G
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008264:Macrophages; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010587:Phagocytosis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003609:Dactinomycin; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C033233:actinomycin D1