PMID: 9553710Apr 29, 1998Paper

A bovine mammary endothelial/epithelial cell culture model of the blood/milk barrier

Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research = Revue Canadienne De Recherche Vétérinaire
A J GuidryL W Douglass

Abstract

The complex nature of the mammary gland has hampered in-depth studies of the relationship of the circulatory system to cells lining the teat ducts and alveoli of the gland. This study reports an in vitro model of endothelial and epithelial cells separated by a subcellular matrix that simulates the blood milk barrier of the bovine mammary gland. Dual chamber culture dishes with a porous membrane separating the upper and lower chamber were used. Endothelial and epithelial cells were cultured on opposite sides of the porous membrane. A collagen and fibroblast subcellular matrix, separating the 2 cell layers, simulated the in vivo interstitial tissue. Changes in surface binding of anti-bodies to polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) following their migration from the upper to the lower chamber simulated the passage of PMN from blood to milk. Changes in the binding of antibodies to PMN agreed with results observed following the migration of PMN from blood to milk in vivo. This gives credence to the model's potential value for studies where more direct observation of the blood/milk barrier is required. The model will be further tested for its usefulness as an assay for determining: 1) antibiotic diffusion from milk to blood and from bl...Continue Reading

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