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Introduction to airway cells used in research

Airway cells

Lonza offers a comprehensive range of normal human respiratory epithelial, smooth muscle, fibroblast and endothelial cells with a broad donor variety.

Select cell types are complemented with diseased cells isolated from donors diagnosed with asthma, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis or Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). The cells are complemented with detailed donor history critical for airway research such as cause of death, list of medications, extent of smoking etc. Donor information is provided upon request. Contact our scientific support team for additional details.


Airway cells

Compatible cell media

Lonza’s primary cell media products have been optimized for each airway cell type. We offer the same growth and air-liquid interface media for culturing both normal and diseased cells in order to reduce variances between growth patterns. Our BulletKit® Media is formulated with growth factors and hormones necessary to optimally support consistent growth or differentiation of primary cells while maintaining the tissue-specific characteristics. Our archive of publications and supporting white papers show suitability of our media products for establishing complex co-culture models or developing advanced cell culture models.

 

Growth media

What are airway cells and their function?

Respiratory epithelial cells

Respiratory epithelial cells line the respiratory tract from trachea to bronchi into bronchioles and alveolar sacs. The primary functions of the respiratory epithelium, depending on their origin, is to moisten, protect the airway tract from potential pathogens, infections and tissue injury, and facilitate gas exchange. The respiratory epithelium in trachea and bronchi is pseudostratified and primarily consists of three main cell types – cilia cells, goblet cells, and basal cells. The ciliated cells are located across the apical surface and facilitate the movement of mucus across the airway tract. The goblet cells produce and secrete mucous to trap pathogens and debris within the airway tract. Basal cells are progenitor cells that differentiate into cell types found within the epithelium. Basal cells respond to injury of the airway and subsequently differentiate to restore a healthy epithelial cell layer.
 

Respiratory epithelial cells diagram

  1. Goblet cells – Secrete mucus to maintain epithelial moisture and trappathogens or particulates
  2. Basal cells – Differentiate into other cell types to restore a healthy epithelial cell layer
  3. Cilia cells – Move back and forth, carrying mucus up and out of the respiratory tract
Respiratory Epithelial Cells

Alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) line the small, spongy sacs called alveoli that are found throughout the lung. Alveolar epithelial eells I (AEC I) cover approximately 95% of the alveolar surface area, where they are involved in gas exchange with microvascular endothelial cells that surround the alveoli. Alveoli carry oxygen to the blood from the respiratory tract and take CO2 away from the blood back out of the airway tract. AEC II contribute to lung defense and have been the subject of numerous studies due to their regenerative potential1. Respiratory endothelial cells function at the lung-blood barrier, where they surround the alveolar sacs and facilitate O2/CO2 transfer.

Respiratory endothelial cells, depending on their origin, also provide passive surface for exchange of water, macromolecules and some cell traffic. Dysfunction of respiratory endothelium has been tied to acute lung injury and acute respiratory stress syndrome.

1. Pulmonary vein – carries the oxygenated blood away from lung to the heart

2. Pulmonary artery – carries deoxygenated blood to the lung

3. Microvascular endothelialc ells (HMVEC) surround alveoli, involved in gas exchange, also provide passive surface for exchange of water, macromolecules and some cell traffic

4. Alveolar epithelial cells are located in small airway. Alveoli carry oxygen to the blood and take CO2 away from the blood back to the respiratory system

Respiratory Endothelial and Alveolar Cells

Microvascular endothelial cells and alveolar epithelial cells are involved in gas exchange functions within the lung

Bronchial / tracheal 
smooth muscle cells 

Bronchial/tracheal smooth muscle cells produce slow and sustained contractions in the wall of lungs to regulate air flow through the respiratory tract. These cells layer beneath the bronchial/tracheal epithelial cells. Over activity of smooth muscle cell layer causes narrowing of air tubes constricting air flow. As a result, and these have been the subject of numerous asthma and COPD studies.
 

Bronchial and tracheal cells diagram

  1. Bronchial and tracheal smooth muscle cells
Bronchial/tracheal smooth muscle cells

Lung fibroblasts

Lung fibroblasts are found abundantly in the lung interstitium. These cells are responsible for the production of extracellular matrix components such as type III collagen, elastin, and proteoglycans which help maintain the structural integrity of the lung. Lung fibroblasts respond to lung tissue injury and are essential in the repair and remodeling processes. Controlled accumulation of fibroblasts to the sites of inflammation is crucial to effective tissue repair. Either inadequate or excessive accumulation of fibroblasts could result in abnormal tissue function. Primary lung fibroblasts are considered as key tools in understanding the repair and remodeling processes in asthma and COPD.
 

Lung fibroblast diagram

  1. Lung fibroblasts

Lung fibroblasts

Pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC)

Pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) are found at the pulmonary artery, which carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs. While the PAEC line the blood vessel, the PASMC layer beneath these. Both cell types have been implicated in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

Airway disease research

Asthma and COPD

According to World Health Organization, 235 million people worldwide have asthma. The exact cause of asthma is not known but it is understood that a combination of genetic and environmental factors interact to cause asthma. Asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the airways which causes attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.

COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide according to the World Health Organization. COPD is not necessarily a single disease but an umbrella term that is used to describe chronic lung diseases (example: emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis) that cause long-term limitation in lung airflow. COPD is usually common in long-term smokers and is associated with a progressive decline in pulmonary function.

Asthma and COPD research is currently focused on:

  • Understanding the causes that lead to asthma or COPD in different people
  • Developing improved treatments for asthma or COPD
  • For COPD specifically, understanding the effects of smoking and how it leads to COPD

Lonza offers lung epithelial, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts from normal, asthmatic and COPD donors supported with the same growth and air-liquid interface media.

Detailed donor history is provided upon request for diseased cells including cause of death, list of medications and other details. Contact our scientific support team for additional details.

Asthma- and COPD-related Differential Gene Expression in Primary Human Lung Fibroblasts

A white paper exploring differential gene expression in primary human lung fibroblasts Download Document

Gene Expression Differences in Airway Epithelial Cells from Asthma or COPD Donors

Access to diseased primary cells from patients diagnosed with COPD or asthma provides a convenient, biologically relevant model to assess genetic and in some cases phenotypic changes from normal, healthy donor tissues. In this study, we grew human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells from normal, COPD-, and asthma-diagnosed human donor lung tissues in an air-liquid interface (ALI) model to assess potential phenotypic changes in vitro as well as provide a differentiated layer of cells to harvest for gene expression studies using the StellARray™ Gene Expression System. Download Document

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis research

Research into Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a rapidly growing field with recent studies improving our understanding of the condition, enabling doctors to more easily make a diagnosis. However, a considerable amount of research is still needed if a cure is to be found, as the pathways of disease progression are not yet understood, with the rate of progression varying from person to person. IPF is characterized by scarring of the lung tissue causing a progressive reduction in lung function. While there are a number of treatments available to reduce the rate of progression of IPF, there is currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs. Both genetic and environmental factors are attributed to the development of the disease.

Lonza offers cryopreserved lung fibroblasts from donors diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) for use in research into this potentially fatal condition.

Cystic fibrosis research

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. An inherited condition, Cystic Fibrosis affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat and digestive juices. The disease causes the body to produce mucus that in turn clogs the lungs and leads to infection.

Cystic Fibrosis is characterized by mutations in a single gene - the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) gene. In normal cells, the CFTR protein acts as a channel that allows cells to release chloride and other ions. But in people with CF, this protein is defective, and the cells do not release the chloride. The result is an improper salt balance in the cells and thick, sticky mucus. Researchers are focusing on ways to cure CF by correcting the defective gene or correcting the defective protein1.

In order to support this research, Lonza sources cells from donors that have suffered from cystic fibrosis. Detailed genotyping data is also available with each lot. Contact our Scientific Support Team for additional details.

Airway cells from Lonza

Lonza offers a comprehensive range of normal human primary airway cells with broad donor variety for bronchial epithelial cells, bronchial smooth muscle cells, lung fibroblasts, pulmonary artery endothelial cells, pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, small-airway/alveolar epithelial cells and lung microvascular endothelial cells.  These cells can be used to build robust models for respiratory toxicity studies as mono-cultures or organotypic co-culture models.
Cell type Source Recommended media Additional information
Bronchial Epithelial Cell (NHBE) Epithelial lining of airways above bifurcation of lungs. BEGM® BulletKit® or B-ALI Medium BulletKit® Certain batches are screened for suitability in air-liquid interface (ALI) studies and are guaranteed for differentiation marked by cilia formation, mucin production, and TEER levels
Bronchial Smooth Muscle Cells (BSMC) Major bronchia SmGM®-2 BulletKit®
Lung Endothelial Cells (HMVEC-L) Small vessels within lung tissue EGM®-2 BulletKit®  HMVEC-L are cultured to be >90% pure with a mixture of lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) and blood endothelial cells (BEC). All batches are screened for and reported with % LEC and %BEC.
Lung Fibroblasts Lung tissue FGM®-2 BulletKit® 
Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells Pulmonary artery EGM®-2 BulletKit® 
Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells Pulmonary artery SmGM®-2 BulletKit®
Small Airway Epithelial Cells Distal portion of lung in the bronchiole area SAGM® BulletKit® or S-ALI BulletKit® Certain batches are screened for suitability in air-liquid interface (ALI) studies and are guaranteed for differentiation marked by cilia formation, mucin production, and TEER levels

References

Bärenthaler T, Maric J, Platzer W, Konya V, TheilerA, Hasenöhrl C, Gottschalt B, Trautmann S, Schreiber Y, Graier WF, Schicho R, Marsche G, Olschewski A, Thomas D, Schuligoi R, Heinemann A.  The role of PGE2 in alveolar eoithelial and lung microvascular endothelial crosstalk. Sci Rep 2017 Aug 11;7(1):7923

Desai TJ, Brownfield DG, Krasnow MK.  Alveolar progenitor and stem cells in lung development, renewal and cancer. Cancer 2014 Mar 13;507(7491):190-4

Pascoe CD, Wang L, Syyong HT, Pare PD.  A brief history of airway smooth muscle's role in airway hyperresponsiveness. J Allergy 2012:768982

Quarck R, Wynants M, Ronisz A, Sepulveda MR, Wuytack F, Van Raemdonck D, Meyns B, Delcroix M.  Characterization of proximal pulmonary arterial cells from chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients . 2012 Respir Res Mar 27;13:27


Published articles using Lonza’s normal and diseased cells

Calcen J, Yudina Y, Uller LR. Rhinovirus and dsRNA induce RIG-1-like receptors and expression of interferon β and γ1 in human bronchial smooth muscle cells. PLoS One 2013 Apr 29;8(4):e62718

Nino G, Huseni S, Perez GF, PanchamK, Mubeen H, Abbasi A, Wang J, Eng S, Colberg-Poley AM, Pillai DK, Rose MC. Directional secretory sesponse of double stranded RNA-induced thymic stromal lymphopoetin (TSLP) and CCL11/eotaxin-1 in human asthmatic airways. PLoS One 2014 Dec 29;9(12):e115398

Published articles using Lonza's normal human lung fibroblasts for IPF research

Hasaneen NA, Cao J, Pulkoski-Gross A, Zucker S, Foda HD.  Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase Inducer (EMMPRIN) promotes lung fibroblast proliferation, survival and differentiation to myofibroblasts. Respir Res 2016 Feb 17:17:17

Juan-Guardela B, Herazo-Maya J, Tzouvelekis AE, Sakamoto K, Yu G, Prasse A, Borok Z, Kaminski N.  Lung epithelium overexpressed noncoding RNA (LEON): Role of a novel long intergenic noncoding RNA in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2016;193:A4015

Tosher RJ, Allden SJ, Byrne AJ, Lloyd CM, Maher TM.  The IL-33/ST2 axis is upregulated in fibrotic lung disease. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2016;193:A2414