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The differential effects of commercial specialized media on cell growth and transforming growth factor beta 1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in bronchial epithelial cells

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Abstract

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of the mechanisms that contribute to bronchial remodelling which underlie chronic inflammatory airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma. Bronchial EMT can be triggered by many factors including transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1). The majority of studies on TGFβ1-mediated bronchial EMT used BEGM as the culture medium. LHC-9 medium is another alternative available which is more economical but a less common option. Using normal human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) cultured in BEGM as a reference, this study aims to validate the induction of EMT by TGFβ1 in cells cultured in LHC-9. Briefly, the cells were maintained in either LHC-9 or BEGM, and induced with TGFβ1 (5, 10 and 20 ng/ml) for 48 h. EMT induction was confirmed by morphological analysis and EMT markers expression by immunoblotting. In both media, cells induced with TGFβ1 displayed spindle-like morphology with a significantly higher radius ratio compared to non-induced cells which displayed a cobblestone morphology. Correspondingly, the expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin was significantly lower, whereas the mesenchymal marker vimentin expression was significantly higher in induced cells, compared to non-induced cells. By contrast, a slower cell growth rate was observed in LHC-9 compared to that of BEGM. This study demonstrates that neither LHC-9 nor BEGM significantly influence TGFβ1-induced bronchial EMT. However, LHC-9 is less optimal for bronchial epithelial cell growth compared to BEGM. Thus, LHC-9 may be a more cost-effective substitute for BEGM, provided that time is not a factor.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Zulkhairi Zainol for his excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by Putra Grant-Putra Young Initiative, Universiti Putra Malaysia [IPM-9522500].

Funding

This study was funded by Putra Grant-Putra Young Initiative, Universiti Putra Malaysia [IPM-9522500].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Nur Amilia Hanie Mohamad Hasan, Hanis Hazeera Harith, Daud Ahmad Israf & Chau Ling Tham

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  1. Nur Amilia Hanie Mohamad Hasan
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All authors reviewed the manuscript. NAH and HHH conceived the experiments. NAH conducted the experiments. NAH and HHH wrote or contributed to the writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed ideas and technical advices.

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Correspondence to Hanis Hazeera Harith.

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Hasan, N.A.H.M., Harith, H.H., Israf, D.A. et al. The differential effects of commercial specialized media on cell growth and transforming growth factor beta 1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in bronchial epithelial cells. Mol Biol Rep 47, 3511–3519 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-020-05439-x

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