title: Custom-designed wells and flow chamber for exposing air-liquid interface cultures to wall shear stress.
abstract: The effects of mechanical stimuli such as wall shear stresses (WSS) on cellular processes have been studied in vitro in numerous cell types. In order to study WSS effects on cells cultured under air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions, we developed a custom-designed well that can be disassembled into sub-units that allow installation of the cultured cells in a flow chamber, and then, re-assembled for further incubation or biological tests. Human nasal epithelial cells were cultured in the new wells under ALI conditions, and some of their biological characteristics were compared with those cultured in commercial Millicells. The cultured cells from both types of wells secreted the same amount of mucin and had similar cytoskeletal structures. Preliminary WSS experiments demonstrated the advantage of the new wells and provided initial indications that WSS affects the performance of ALI cultured respiratory epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Nurit
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Even-Tzur
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elad
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Zaretsky
authors.forename: Scott H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Randell
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haklai
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D033081:Shear Strength; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D009077:Mucins