Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026
System for Efficacy and Cytotoxicity Screening of Inhibitors Targeting Intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Published on: April 5, 2017
Mammalian cell cultures as models for Mycobacterium tuberculosis-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) interaction
Walter Chingwaru1, Richard H Glashoff2, Jerneja Vidmar3
1DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research/SAMRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa; Institute Ceres/Zavod Ceres, Lahovna 16, 3000 Celje, Slovenia; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Bindura University Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe.
Abstract:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infections have remained a major public health concern worldwide, particularly in Southern Africa. Yet our understanding of the molecular interactions between the pathogens has remained poor due to lack of suitable preclinical models for such studies. We reviewed the use, this far, of mammalian cell culture models in HIV-MTB interaction studies. Studies have described the use of primary human cell cultures, including (1) monocyte-derived macrophage (MDM) fractions of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), alveolar macrophages (AM), (2) cell lines such as the monocyte-derived macrophage cell line (U937), T lymphocyte cell lines (CEMx174, ESAT-6-specific CD4(+) T-cells) and an alveolar epithelial cell line (A549) and (3) special models such as stem cells, three dimensional (3D) or organoid cell models (including a blood-brain barrier cell model) in HIV-MTB interaction studies. The use of cell cultures from other mammals, including: mouse cell lines [macrophage cell lines RAW 264.7 and J774.2, fibroblast cell lines (NIH 3T3, C3H clones), embryonic fibroblast cell lines and T-lymphoma cell lines (S1A.TB, TIMI.4 and R1.1)]; rat (T cells: Rat2, RGE, XC and HH16, and alveolar cells: NR8383) and primary guinea pigs derived AMs, in HIV-MTB studies is also described. Given the spectrum of the models available, cell cultures offer great potential for host-HIV-MTB interactions studies.
