PODO/TERT256 - A promising human immortalized podocyte cell line and its potential use for in vitro research at different oxygen levels

Chem Biol Interact. 2023 Nov 23:110813. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110813. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTPodocytes are of key interest for the prediction of nephrotoxicity as they are especially sensitive to toxic insults due to their central role in the glomerular filtration apparatus. However, currently, prediction of nephrotoxicity in humans remains insufficiently reliable, thus highlighting the need for advanced in vitro model systems using human cells with improved prediction capacity. Recent approaches for refining in vitro model systems focus on closely replicating physiological conditions as observed under the in vivo situation typical of the respective nephron section of interest. PODO/TERT256, a human immortalized podocyte cell line, were employed in a semi-static transwell system to evaluate its potential use as a human podocyte in vitro system for modelling potential human glomerular toxicity. Furthermore, the impact of routinely employed excessive oxygen tension (21 % - AtmOx), when compared to the physiological oxygen tensions (10 % - PhysOx) observed in vivo, was analyzed. Generally, cultured PODO/TERT256 formed a stable, contact-inhibited monolayer with typical podocyte morphology (large cell body, apical microvilli, finger-like cytoplasmic projections (reminiscent of foot processes), and interdigitating cell-cell junctions) and developed a size-selective filtration barrier. PhysOx, however, induced a more pronounced in vivo like phenotype, comprised of significa...
Source: Chemico-Biological Interactions - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research