Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
An Experimental System to Study Mechanotransduction in Fetal Lung Cells
Published on: February 16, 2012
In vitro quantification of dexamethasone-induced surfactant protein B expression in human lung cells
A C Vidaeff1, S M Ramin, L C Gilstrap
1Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Objective:
To determine whether the effect of a single 48-h exposure to dexamethasone in human lung cells is limited to 7-8 days.
Study Design:
We used the NCI-H441 cell line, in which stability can be maintained beyond 7 days. The outcome was the stimulatory effect of dexamethasone on surfactant protein B (SP-B) gene transcription as expressed by SP-B mRNA accumulation. The experiment was conducted five times, in parallel with control. SP-B mRNA was determined at baseline, 48 h after dexamethasone exposure, and at 48-h intervals thereafter, up to 14 days, by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Comparisons were made by the Mann-Whitney test.
Results:
In conditions of our experiment, the inductive profile of SP-B mRNA after exposure to dexamethasone demonstrated maximal stimulation at 48 h (13-fold over control). Subsequently, there was a decline in mRNA, with return to near control levels by day 8, suggesting reversibility of dexamethasone action.
Conclusion:
Our data support the view that the surfactant-inducing properties of corticosteroids are limited to 7-8 days.
More Related Videos
09:57In Vitro Assays to Evaluate the Migration, Invasion, and Proliferation of Immortalized Human First-trimester Trophoblast Cell Lines
Published on: March 5, 2019
07:02Generating 3D Spheres and 2D Air-Liquid Interface Cultures of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Type 2 Alveolar Epithelial Cells
Published on: April 15, 2022