Primary-like cells

Assay Development Using Primary and Primary-Like Cells... 

High doses of trichothecenes promote rapid onset of leukocyte apoptosis which likely contributes to immunosuppression. DON and other trichothecenes cause apoptosis in vitro in primary T-cells, B-cells and IgA+ B cells20 as well as HL-60,53 U937 and RAW 264.7 cell lines43 via caspase-mediated mechanisms.54 These in vitro findings are relevant to the intact animal since in vivo administration of trichothecenes to rodents results in apoptosis in thymus, spleen and bone marrow.55-56 Capacity of a trichothecene to induce apoptosis corresponds to ability to inhibit translation.57... 

Fig. 1. Microenvironmental factors and the invasive process. The primary tumor is a heterogeneous mix of cell populations, further diversified by gradients of blood-borne nutrients, oxygen, and drugs. Hypoxia contributes to treatment resistance, upregulates pro-angiogenic and pro-invasive molecules, and helps to maintain cancer stem-like cell populations. Tumor cells may undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), enter blood vessels, and disseminate to distant sites where they extravasate, invade, and colonize the tissues. Once established, the cells may undergo the reverse program (mesen-chymal-to-epithelial transition, MET) and proliferate to form metastases, the major reason for treatment failure.

Zinc is the most popular negative pole for commercial primary alkaline cells. When building such cells, one must necessarily use high-purity zinc and/or additives like mercury (now unpopular for its ecological impact), (a) Can you guess why ... 

Other primary cells, like cardiomyocytes or chondrocytes, can rapidly undergo de-differentiation to fibroblast-like cells when plated on a two-dimensional (flat) surface. In this case, three-dimensional matrices can help maintain the original features. BioLevitator by Hamilton Robotics, 3D Insert by 3dbiotek, and 3D cell culture by Invitrogen are only some of the products available to facilitate the correct growth and morphology of particular primary cell types. 

Primary cells are typically cells from the liver, as these are the most easily obtained and the majority are the same type of cell, whereas those from most other organs are a mixture of types of cells. Primary liver cells are the most likely to be representative of the organ in the whole animal. These cells however, will indicate the effects (if any) that the chemical has only on the liver. They do not necessarily predict the effects on other organs or tissues. Furthermore, research has shown that the way in which isolated cells in the laboratory respond to chemicals is not always the same as the way they respond in the animal or human. They are often less sensitive, sometimes requiring a concentration of chemical many times higher than that which causes an effect in the live whole animal. For example, when isolated human liver cells are exposed to paracetamol, toxic effects are observed only if a concentration of paracetamol is used that is at least ten times higher than the level that causes liver damage in humans after an overdose. Unlike a cell in vitro, a cell in an animal is... 

Fisher CE, Rossi AG, Shaw J, et al. 2000. Release of TNF in response to SiC fibres Differential effects in rodent and human primary macrophages, and in macrophage-like cell lines. Toxicol in Vitro 14 25-31. 

Boxberger HJ, Sessler MJ, Maetzel B Meyer TF (1993) Highly polarized primary epithelial cells from human nasopharynx grown as spheroid-like vesicles. European Journal of Cellular Biology 62 1 W-lSl. 

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