The ultimate goal of culturing cells in vitro is to create a model system that mimics the in vivo environment as much as possible. Perhaps the most important part of developing a reliable in vitro system is the selection of culture media. Cell phenotypes and behaviors are directed by the composition of cell culture media. For example, the presence of serum or certain growth factors may influence cell proliferation. Specialized media for stem cell culture allow maintenance of an undifferentiated phenotype, while culture of stem cells in other medium formulas induces cell differentiation.

Choosing the right medium can be difficult, but here at Lifeline®, our media is designed with your needs in mind. Our media products never contain antimicrobials and are free of phenol red, a pH indicator that may cause experimental off-target effects.

The Lifeline® catalog offers a wide range of media products for a variety of cell types. Find the media you need today and see below for a few ways researchers have used our media.

• Human endothelial cell medium: VascuLife®
• Human epithelial cell media
  • Air-Liquid interface epithelial differentiation medium: HBTEC
  • Airway epithelial medium: BronchiaLife™ (complete and basal)
  • Bladder epithelial medium: UroLife™
  • Corneal epithelial medium: OcuLife™
  • Keratinocyte medium: DermaLife K
  • Mammary epithelial medium: MammaryLife™
  • Renal epithelial medium: RenaLife™
  • Reproductive media: ReproLife™ and ProstaLife™
• Human fibroblast cell medium: FibroLife®
• Human melanocyte medium: DermaLife M and DermaLife Ma
• Human smooth muscle cell medium: VascuLife®
• Human stem cell media
  • StemLife MSC complete
  • StemLife basal
  • FibroLife® S2
• Human neural stem cell medium: StemLife NSC
• Human skeletal muscle cell medium: StemLife Sk

Recent Studies Using Lifeline® Media Products

Melanin (a pigment molecule produced by the melanocytes of the skin) is responsible for skin pigmentation. In a 2019 study, Zöller and colleagues (opens in new window) developed an in vitro culture model to study the skin. In this system, they used Lifeline® DermaLife K and DermaLife M media to culture primary human keratinocytes and primary human melanocytes, respectively. These keratinocytes and melanocytes were seeded in DermaLife K medium on bovine collagen type I scaffolds, already cultured with fibroblasts for 14 days. After 7 days of growth in DermaLife K, this co-culture was transferred to an air-liquid interface to induce epithelial differentiation. The authors characterized this organotypic skin equivalent culture system and determined that it was similar to human skin and may be used to study skin pigmentation in particular.

In another study, Gu et al. (opens in new window) set out to understand how cannabis use negatively affects gingival tissue (gum tissue). The authors used Lifeline® DermaLife K medium to culture human telomerase-immortalized gingival keratinocytes (TIGKs) to evaluate how phytocannabinoids affect cell viability and cytokine release. They demonstrated that cannabinoids may affect gingival tissue by altering cell viability and simulating immune suppression.

Lu and colleagues (opens in new window) evaluated the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activity of ginsenoside compound K (CK), derived from the ginseng root, in response to the damaging effects of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). The group used VascuLife® medium to culture primary human umbilical cord endothelial cells from donor umbilical cords. Following treatment with ox-LDL, the authors found that CK reduced secretion of inflammatory cytokines and decreased apoptosis through the p38 and JNK MAPK signaling pathways.

In a final study, using Lifeline® BronchiaLife™ medium to culture primary human tracheobronchial epithelial (HTBE) cells from donor lungs, Dakhama and colleagues (opens in new window) studied how Toll-interacting protein (Tollip), a negative immune regulator, regulates the inflammatory response to rhinovirus infection, an airway pathogen. The group generated HTBE cells lacking Tollip and found that Tollip prevents airway inflammation by inhibiting production of IL-8 (a neutrophil cytokine) and inhibiting activity of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (a kinase downstream of the IL-33 receptor).

Let us know how you are using Lifeline® products to answer your research questions. Contact us with your published study and it could be featured in our next blog!