PneumaCult™-Ex Plus Medium
Serum- and BPE-free medium for expansion of primary human airway epithelial cells

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Overview
PneumaCult™-Ex Plus and either PneumaCult™-ALI or PneumaCult™-ALI-S constitute a fully integrated BPE-free culture system for in vitro human airway modeling. This robust and defined system is a valuable tool for basic respiratory research, toxicity studies, and drug development.
Learn how to culture human airway epithelial cells at the ALI in our On-Demand Pulmonary Course or browse our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the ALI culture workflow using PneumaCult™.
Data Figures

Figure 1. Overview of the PneumaCult™ culture system
Expansion of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) in submerged culture is performed with PneumaCult™-Ex Plus or PneumaCult™-Ex. During the early “Expansion Phase” of the air-liquid interface (ALI) culture procedure, PneumaCult™-Ex Plus or PneumaCult™-Ex is applied to the apical and basal chambers. Upon reaching confluence, the culture is air-lifted by removing the culture medium from both chambers, and adding PneumaCult™-ALI to the basal chamber only. Differentiation into a pseudostratified mucociliary epithelium is obtained following 21-28 days of incubation and can be maintained for more than one year.

Figure 2. HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus have a faster expansion rate compared to those cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex and Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media
Commercially available, cryopreserved P1 HBECs were seeded into PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media. Cells cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus have a significantly higher proliferation rate over 9 passages compared to those maintained in either control medium (n=6).

Figure 3. Representative morphology of HBECs
Representative live culture images for P4 HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media. Cells cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus (A) are smaller and more tightly packed than those cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex (B) or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media (C). All images were taken using a 10X objective.

Figure 4. HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus maintain widespread expression of the basal cell markers CD49f and CD271
Immunocytochemistry detection of basal cell markers - CD49f (A, B, and C) and CD271 (D, E, and F) - for P4 HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus (A and D), PneumaCult™-Ex (B and E), and Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media (C and F). All images were taken using a 10X objective.

Figure 5. HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus have a higher proportion of CD271+CD49f+ cells
P4 HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus (A), PneumaCult™-Ex (B), and Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media (C) were characterized by flow cytometry to detect expression of the basal cell markers CD49f and CD271. HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus (A) have a higher proportion of cells coexpressing CD49f and CD271, compared to those cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex (B) and Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media (C).

Figure 6. HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus differentiate into a pseudostratified mucociliary epithelium at later passages with the use of PneumaCult™-ALI
P4 HBECs were seeded and passaged using PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media, followed by ALI differentiation at each passage (P5-8) with the use of PneumaCult™-ALI. The ALI cultures at 28 days post air-lift were fixed and stained with antibodies for cilia marker AC-tubulin (red) and the goblet cell marker Muc5AC (green). The nuclei are counterstained with DAPI (blue). All images were taken using a 20X objective.

Figure 7. Electrophysiological characterization of differentiated HBECs (P4) that were expanded in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, and Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media
Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) (A) and representative characterization of the ion channel activities (B) for ALI cultures at 28 days post air-lift using HBECs expanded in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media. Amiloride: ENaC inhibitor. IBMX and Forskolin: CFTR activators. Genistein: CFTR potentiator. CFTRinh-172: CFTR inhibitor. UTP: Calciumactivated Chloride channels (CaCCs) activator. All ALI differentiation cultures were performed using PneumaCult™-ALI.
Protocols and Documentation
Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.
Applications
This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.
Resources and Publications
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Legal Statement:
This product was developed under a license to intellectual property owned or controlled by Propagenix, Inc. This product is sold for research use only (which includes pre-clinical research) under a non-transferable, limited-use license. Purchase of this product does not include the right to sell, use or otherwise transfer this product for commercial purposes or clinical use. Purchasers wishing to use the product for purposes other than research use should contact Propagenix, Inc. (www.propagenix.com/about#contact-us).
Quality Statement:
PRODUCTS ARE FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY AND NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN OR ANIMAL DIAGNOSTIC OR THERAPEUTIC USES UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON QUALITY AT STEMCELL, REFER TO WWW.STEMCELL.COM/COMPLIANCE.