The Caco-2 model is employed in pre-clinical investigations to predict the likely gastrointestinal permeability of drugs because it expresses cytochrome P450 enzymes, transporters, microvilli and enterocytes of identical characteristics to the human small intestine. The FDA recommends this model as integral component of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS). Most dedicated laboratori...

Flavanols intake has been associated with reduced risk of cancer. In this study, the anticarcinogenic effects of the flavanols epicatechin (EC), epicatechin-gallate (ECG) and procyanidin B2 (PB2) on Caco-2 and SW480 colon cancer cells were investigated. Catechins showed different cytotoxicity depending on the cell line. ECG displayed strong growth inhibitory effects against SW480 cells, but was...

BACKGROUND Brachyspira pilosicoli is an anaerobic spirochete that has received relatively little study, partly due to its specialized culture requirements and slow growth. This bacterium colonizes the large intestine of various species, including humans; typically, a dense layer of spirochete cells may be found intimately attached by one cell end to the surface of colonic enterocytes. Colonized...

The function of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and its role in drug absorption, distribution, and elimination has recently been evaluated. The objective of the present study was to examine the expression, localization, and functional characteristics of BCRP in Caco-2 cells, a widely used human intestinal epithelial cell model for investigating intestinal drug absorption. The expression...

We have reported previously that apoptosis of intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells is induced by co-culturing with human macrophage-like THP-1 cells, mainly via the action of TNFα (tumour necrosis factor α) secreted from THP-1 cells [Satsu, Ishimoto, Nakano, Mochizuki, Iwanaga and Shimizu (2006) Exp. Cell Res. 312, 3909-3919]. Our recent DNA microarray analysis of co-cultured Caco-2 cells showed ...

confluent monolayers of well-differentiated enterocyte-like cells with functional properties of transporting epithelia, and retains various influx and efflux transporters expressed in the intestine, such as H -coupled oligopeptide transporter 1 (PEPT1), P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multi-drug resistance proteins (MRPs), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). Caco-2 cells have been widely used a...

Of 30 cell lines and primary cells examined, productive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (Urbani strain) (SARS-CoV) infection after low-multiplicity inoculation was detected in only six: three African green monkey kidney epithelial cell lines (Vero, Vero E6, and MA104), a human colon epithelial line (CaCo-2), a porcine kidney epithelial line [PK(15)], and mink lung epithelial cells...

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) causes severe disease in immunosuppressed patients and notably infects the gastrointestinal tract. To understand the interaction of CMV with intestinal epithelial cells, which are highly susceptible to CMV infection in vivo, we used the intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2 and demonstrated that CMV enters predominantly through the basolateral surface of polarized C...