Presentation Time: 11:05-11:25
Home University: North Carolina Central University
Research Mentor: Ilona Jaspers, Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology
Program: 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars
Research Title: Characterization of Cytokines Secreted by Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Grown on Transwells
E-cigarettes are used by millions of people, but we do not understand their full toxicity. To study the effects of e-cigarettes on airway macrophages, we are using a macrophage model derived from human blood monocytes. Before these cells can be used in an e-cigarette exposure, they have to be characterized for markers usually presented by airway macrophages. We have previously characterized these cells after culturing them in regular cell culture dishes. However, for relevant e-cigarette aerosol exposures, these cells need to be grown on Transwell inserts to facilitate the exposure. The objective of this study is to compare biomarkers secreted by macrophages grown in regular cell culture dishes with those grown on Transwell inserts. To do so, we measured the secretion of three cytokines (IL-6, CCL17, CCL18) by human blood monocytes differentiated into three types of macrophages (M0, M1, M2). We found that on Transwells human blood monocytes differentiated into M1 type macrophages secreted significantly more IL-6, and we found that M2 type macrophages secreted significantly more CCL17 and CCL18. This is the same pattern we previously observed when growing the cells in regular dishes. These data indicate that human blood monocytes differentiated into M1 and M2 type macrophages have similar phenotypes when cultured in regular dishes and on Transwells, suggesting that they present a suitable model for studying the effects of e-cigarettes on macrophages.