Fatty acid and lipid composition in vitro and in vivo of rat epidermis

Serum-free culture of rat keratinocytes

Procedures for the serum-free culture of rat keratinocytes have been established. Basal cells prepared from epidermis of newborn rat were stored in liquid nitrogen and used for primary culture. Among the available media, MCDB 153, developed originally for human keratinocyte (HK) culture, was the best for the development of serum-free formulation. To grow rat keratinocytes, bovine serum albumin was arbitrarily substituted for the macromolecule supplements needed for HK culture, i.e. fetal bovine serum protein or bovine pituitary extract. Qualitative and quantitative adjustment of supplements was thereafter made to support rapid cell growth. Satisfactory cell growth was achieved in the optimized medium of MCDB 153 supplemented with growth factors and amino acids: insulin (10 µg/ml), hydrocortisone (0.1 µg/ml), epidermal growth factor (25 ng/ml), calcium chloride (0.2 mM), histidine (0.23 mM), isoleucine (0.05 mM), tryptophane (0.015 mM), threonine (1.25 mM), tyrosine (0.031 mM), alanine (4.08 mM), and albumin (2 mg/ml). This optimized culture system was superior to the original HK culture condition for rapid growth of rat keratinocytes. Under our condition, cells grew as a monolayer, becoming confluent, but without stratification, and were passaged 2 to 3 times without any changes in morphology. The serum-free formulation allows us to control more accurately the concentrations of biomolecules in the medium including lipids and hormones, and therefore will be suitable for the study focusing on lipid metabolism or hormonal regulation of rat keratinocytes.

Lipid Profiling of In Vitro Cell Models of Adipogenic Differentiation: Relationships With Mouse Adipose Tissues

Our objective was to characterize lipid profiles in cell models of adipocyte differentiation in comparison to mouse adipose tissues in vivo. A novel lipid extraction strategy was combined with global lipid profiling using direct infusion and sequential precursor ion fragmentation, termed MS/MS(ALL) . Perirenal and inguinal white adipose tissue and interscapular brown adipose tissues from adult C57BL/6J mice were analyzed. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, ear mesenchymal progenitor cells, and brown adipose-derived BAT-C1 cells were also characterized. Over 3000 unique lipid species were quantified. Principal component analysis showed that perirenal versus inguinal white adipose tissues varied in lipid composition of triacyl- and diacylglycerols, sphingomyelins, glycerophospholipids and, notably, cardiolipin CL 72:3. In contrast, hexosylceramides and sphingomyelins distinguished brown from white adipose. Adipocyte differentiation models showed broad differences in lipid composition among themselves, upon adipogenic differentiation, and with adipose tissues. Palmitoyl triacylglycerides predominate in 3T3-L1 differentiation models, whereas cardiolipin CL 72:1 and SM 45:4 were abundant in brown adipose-derived cell differentiation models, respectively. MS/MS(ALL) data suggest new lipid biomarkers for tissue-specific lipid contributions to adipogenesis, thus providing a foundation for using in vitro models of adipogenesis to reflect potential changes in adipose tissues in vivo. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 2182-2193, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Further optimization of culture method for rat keratinocytes: titration of glucose and sodium chloride

The present study further improved the serum-free method of culturing rat keratinocytes. To obtain the best growth of rat keratinocytes, we modified our previous serum-free medium (MCDB153 based medium), particularly the amounts of glucose and sodium chloride (NaCl). Titration experiments showed the optimal concentration to be 0.8 mM for glucose and 100 mM for NaCl. This modification eliminated the requirement for albumin, which had been essential for colony formation when our previous medium was used. Titration of glucose and NaCl, followed by adjustment of essential amino acids and growth factors, produced a new formulation. More satisfactory and better growth was achieved with the new medium than with the previous medium. Accumulation of monoalkyldiacylglycerol (MADAG) was consistently noted in this study, representing the unusual lipid profile. A tendency toward normalization was, however, noted with the neutral lipid profile of keratinocytes cultivated in the new medium: lower production of MADAG was obtained with the new formulation, rather than the previous one.