title: Cell surface concentrations and concentration ranges for testing in vitro autocrine loops and small molecules.
abstract: A common assumption made when performing in vitro cellular assays is that the concentration of substances in the culture system is uniform. However, since the cells that internalize and secrete substances reside at the bottom of the well, it is conceivable that a concentration gradient could arise across the fluid layer. Importantly, the concentration of a substance in the vicinity of a cell, which is the concentration of interest, cannot be measured via existing methods. In this work a simple strategy for estimating the concentration of a chemical species at the surface of a cell is presented. Finally, this result is used to outline a method for determining the appropriate concentration ranges for testing in vitro autocrine loops and small molecules.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. nvmittal@partners.org
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mittal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019898:Autocrine Communication; D001692:Biological Transport; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000378:metabolism*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface