Fetal Bovine Serum and Other Sera Used in Tissue Culture Increase Epithelial Permeability

• Published in: In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal Vol. 29A; no. 3; pp. 235 - 238
• Main Authors: Kathleen H. Mortell, Marmorstein, Alan D., Cramer, Eva B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Largo, MD Tissue Culture Association, Inc 01-03-1993; Society for In Vitro Biology
• Subjects: Actins; Adults; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Proteins - pharmacology; Cell lines; Cell structures and functions; Culture Media - chemistry; Culture Media - pharmacology; Culture Techniques - methods; Cultured cells; Dogs; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Electrical resistance; Endothelial Growth Factors - analysis; Epithelial cells; Fetal Blood - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth, Differentiation and Senescence; Horses; Intercellular Junctions - drug effects; Lymphokines - analysis; Miscellaneous; Molecular and cellular biology; Tight junctions; Tissue culture techniques; Ungulates; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; Culture medium; Cell culture; Heat; Animal; Actins; Electric resistivity; Epithelial cell; Permeability factor; Tight junction; Serum; Inactivation
• ISSN: 0883-8364; 2327-431X; 1543-706X
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02634190

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) or heat-inactivated FBS ($56\textdegree C$for 30 min, HFBS) caused a dose-dependent decrease in the transepithelial electrical resistance of an epithelial monolayer (MDCK). A saturating concentration of HFBS (30%) caused an average fall of$25 \pm 2%$within 60 min. Upon removal of HFBS, the resistance returned to its starting value within 1 h. Flux studies with$[^{3}H]mannitol$demonstrate that the fall in resistance is due to an increased permeability of the tight junctions. Thirty percent heat inactivated sera from goat, newborn calf, calf, bovine, and horse caused falls ranging from 26 to 47%. In contrast with the basolateral preference of human and bovine adult sera, fetal bovine and newborn calf sera elicit this response primarily by interacting with the apical surface of the epithelium. HFBS-treated monolayers show a significant increase in the condensation of F-actin at points where ≥ 3 cells meet. These results demonstrate that FBS and other sera used as nutritional supplements can increase the permeability of the tight junctions of cultured epithelial cells.