Vaginal air-liquid culture system offers more physiological relevant model to study host-pathogen interactions
Culture systems that model host-pathogen interactions in the vaginal mucosal epithelium have certain limitations in accurately mimicking in vivo conditions [...]
Culture systems that model host-pathogen interactions in the vaginal mucosal epithelium have certain limitations in accurately mimicking in vivo conditions. Yung Lee, an undergraduate student in Dr. Charu Kaushic’s lab, recently published his first paper where he used an improved model to study the effects of female sex hormones on susceptibility to HSV-2 infection. Typically, a liquid-liquid interface (LLI) cell culture model, where both the apical and basolateral surfaces are submerged in growth medium, is used, however, this model is limited in its capacity to simulate physiological conditions. In the current study, immortalized vaginal cells were grown in an air-liquid interface (ALI), more closely simulating the in vivo conditions of the female reproductive tract. The vaginal cells grown in both LLI and ALI models were compared in regards to their growth, differentiation and susceptibility to HSV-2.
Additionally, the effects of female sex hormones progesterone (P4) and estrogen (E2) were also examined. Lee et al. found that in comparison to LLI conditions, the ALI model induced cells to grow into multi-layers, which better resembles vaginal cells in vivo. They then used the ALI model to assess the effect of hormones and found that in the presence of P4, cells were more susceptible to HSV-2 infection. This is consistent with many studies showing that P4 can increase susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections. Overall, these results suggest an alternative model for studying host-pathogen interactions that is more physiological relevant to in vivo conditions of the female reproductive tract. Read more here.
McMaster Immunology Research Centre, ResearchRelated News
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