HepG2 is considered as a model system for various cytotoxicity experiments according to many studies. Won't it produce wrong results if carcinoma cells have been used for such studies as such mutated cells will have altered metabolic behavior? I have to choose a chicken or porcine cell line which possibly could be used for testing aflatoxin B1 cytotoxicity. So likewise HepG2 which is a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, can I use chicken or pork hepatocellular carcinoma cell line?
I think you can use chicken or pork hepatocellular carcinoma cell line if available. Whatever cell lines, as long as they pass and stay alive in culture, can all be used for in vitro cytotoxicity experiments. Cheers!
Even not perfect, cell lines are the best available and easiest tools to perform toxicity tests for humans.
Without long and uncertain testings, using other species cells will anyway introduce additionnal variability due to species metabolic differences.
Some specific cells such as the human hepatic HepaRG cell line are quite good for toxicity experiments, due to metabolic properties close to normal hepatic cells, but their culture is quite long and delicate (since commercialy available). On an other hand, primary hepatocytes are perfect in short time testing.
Good luck
Thank you so much Yicheng Ni. Both carcinoma cell types seem commercially available! I was just thinking about 'differentness' of carcinoma cells from non carcinoma cells.. While conducting any animal trial the selected animals are always healthy. But when conducting invitro tests won't it cause any difference in the toxicity response by carcinoma cells vs normal 'non carcinoma' cells?
Thanks a lot Patrick Rouimi for the explanation. I could have used human hepatic cell line however the response similarity with selected cell type and target animal will be not the same as I am testing the avian and/ porcine cytotoxicity.
Hi Aniket,
We used to work on rat and human, but I think you will get any problem to find porcine cell lines. I don't know about avian cells. Anyway primary hepatocyte preparation and culture methods should be easy to find in litterature, even if some practice is realy needed to perform such techniques..
Good luck
Dear Aniket, by culturing Hep-G2 cells in medium with glucose or galactose one could discern between mitochondrial toxicity and cytotoxicity of other nature. Therefor Hep-G2 offer more information and are easier to procure and maintain than primary liver cells.
A more complete explanation here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25746382
Which cells to use? In the end it depends on what you already have at hand in the lab and your budget.
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