title: Cellular uptake and cell-to-cell transfer of polyelectrolyte microcapsules within a triple co-culture system representing parts of the respiratory tract.
abstract: Polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules around 3.4 micrometers in diameter were added to epithelial cells, monocyte-derived macrophages, and dendritic cellsin vitroand their uptake kinetics were quantified. All three cell types were combined in a triple co-culture model, mimicking the human epithelial alveolar barrier. Hereby, macrophages were separated in a three-dimensional model from dendritic cells by a monolayer of epithelial cells. While passing of small nanoparticles has been demonstrated from macrophages to dendritic cells across the epithelial barrier in previous studies, for the micrometer-sized capsules, this process could not be observed in a significant amount. Thus, this barrier is a limiting factor for cell-to-cell transfer of micrometer-sized particles.
authors.affiliation: Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dagmar A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Raimo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Kleanthis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fytianos
authors.affiliation: Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petri-Fink
authors.affiliation: Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rothen-Rutishauser
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; CIC Biomagune, San Sebastian, Spain.
authors.forename: Wolfgang J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Parak
keywords: microcapsules; respiratory tract; transfer; triple co-culture model; uptake