The EpiAirway™ Tissue Model
EpiAirway-Specific Features:- Organotypic Drug Delivery / Discovery Tool
- 3-D Model of Respiratory Tract Tissue
- Standard EpiAirway Tissue Produced From Normal Tracheal/Bronchial Epithelial Cells of NON-SMOKING Donor Free of Respiratory Tract Disease
- Tissues produced from ASTHMATIC, SMOKER and COPD donor cells also available
- Ciliated, Human Bronchiole-Like Structure
- Mucin-Producing Goblet Cells
- Tight Junctions/Electrogenic Tissue Formed
- Also Available in 24 and 96-Well Formats
- Can be used in VITROCELL (Cultex) Apparatus
- Ideal for Gene Expression Analysis and RNAi/siRNA-Based Therapeutic Drug Screening
General MatTek Tissue Features:- Unsurpassed Long-Term Tissue Reproducibility -
Lot-to-Lot, Year-to-Year - 3-Dimensional, Highly Differentiated Tissues
- Metabolically, Mitotically Active Tissues
- Produced in Easily Handled Cell Culture Inserts
- Grown in Completely Serum-Free Media System
- Quantifiable, Objective Test Endpoints
- Cost Effective Alternative to Animal and Human Clinical Testing
NOTE: Link to EpiAirway Technical Specifications
MatTek's EpiAirway™ System consists of normal, human-derived tracheal/bronchial epithelial (NHBE or TBE) cells which have been cultured to form a pseudo-stratified, highly differentiated model which closely resembles the epithelial tissue of the respiratory tract. Histological cross-sections of both the in vitro tissue and a normal human bronchiole reveal a pseudo-stratified mucociliary phenotype (Figure 1). Transmission electron microscopy shows numerous microvilli and cilia on the apical surface of the cultures and confirmed the presence of tight junctions (Figure 2). Transepithelial resistance for the tissue averages 550 +125 Ohm/cm2. In addition, secretions from the apical surface of the cultures were analyzed using immuno-dot blot procedures to quantify mucin secretion (Figure 3).
EpiAirway "ready-to-use" tissues are grown on cell culture inserts at the air-liquid interface, allowing for gas phase exposure of volatile materials in airway inflammation and irritancy studies, as well as in inhalation toxicity studies. This convenient format also allows the facile measurement of transepithelial permeability for inhaled drug delivery studies. The ability to grow the tissue without antibiotics can be used to investigate the mechanisms of bacterial infection of the respiratory tract (See Figure 4), along with the possible pharmaceutical prevention thereof. These and other studies involving asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), smoking, cytokine responses, or various airway disorders can be performed using the EpiAirway tissue.
Various pharmaceutical laboratories are actively seeking alternatives to expensive and time consuming pre-clinical whole animal testing. Many companies have initiated EpiAirway testing to assess the ability of the candidate compounds to modulate specific respiratory properties of interest. A growing body of data demonstrates that EpiAirway provides a cost-effective means of assessing various respiratory tract issues while avoiding species extrapolation and the use of laboratory animals.
Click on this link for Major Applications
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Cilia------> |
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A) |
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Ciliated apical surface -> |
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B) |
Collagen matrix at
basolateral surface --> |
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Cilia------> |
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C) |
Surrounding lung
tissue --> |
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Figure 1: H&E stained cross-sections
of: A) EpiAirway tissue (10X objective), B) EpiAirway tissue (40X objective),
and C) normal human bronchiole (10X objective) showing pseudo-stratified
differentiated mucociliary phenotype.
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Figure 2: TEM micrograph of EpiAirway tissue showing: A) cilia on apical tissue surface and B) tight junction between cells.
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Figure 3: Mucin Analysis - Immunoblots for washings of apical surface of EpiAirway™ and control skin (EpiDerm™) tissues.
Key: PB = phosphate buffered saline; TBS Tris buffered saline; Mucin = Human mucin standard; TBE #1 - #7: different media formulations. TBE #2 final formulation. Based on a comparison of dots A5, B1 and B3, the mucin level in TBE #2 = 8 mg/ml (Note: dot B3 has been diluted to 10%).
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A |
B |
C |
D |
1 |
PBS |
Mucin
1 mg/ml |
TBE #5
1:10 |
EpiDerm
undiluted |
2 |
TBS |
TBE #1,
1:10 |
TBE #6
1:10 |
EpiDerm
1:10 |
3 |
Mucin
0.01 mg/ml |
TBE #2,
1:10 |
TBE #7
1:10 |
EpiDerm
1:10 |
4 |
Mucin
0.033
mg/ml |
TBE #3
1:10 |
EpiDerm
undiluted |
EpiDerm
1:10 |
5 |
Mucin
0.1 mg/ml |
TBE #4,
1:10 |
EpiDerm
undiluted |
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Figure 4: Bacterial adherance- The effect of mucin secretion on adherance of S. pneumoniae to EpiAirway™ tissues for nonencapsulated strain Rx1. Bacteria/epithelia cell ratio was 15:1. EpiAirway™ tissues were washed 3X with HEPES buffered saline to remove surface secreted mucin (or left unwashed) prior to exposure to bacteria. (Data graciously provided by MedImmune, Inc.).
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(Note: There are no In Vitro Product prices on this Web site.)
Please Also Review:
Guide to In Vitro Tissue Model Basics
Major EpiAirway Applications
EpiAirway Specification Sheet
EpiAirway Technical References
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