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Updated: Jan 5, 2026
Using Caco-2 Cells to Study Lipid Transport by the Intestine
Published on: August 20, 2015
Thrifty, Rapid Intestinal Monolayers (TRIM) Using Caco-2 Epithelial Cells for Oral Drug Delivery Experiments
Nicholas G Lamson1, Rebecca L Ball1, Katherine C Fein1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213-3890, USA.
Purpose:
Caco-2 monolayers are the most common model of the intestinal epithelium and are critical to the development of oral drug delivery strategies and gastrointestinal disease treatments. However, current monolayer systems are cost- and/or time-intensive, hampering progress. This study evaluates two separate methods to reduce resource input: FB Essence as a fetal bovine serum (FBS) alternative and a new, 3-day Caco-2 system deemed "thrifty, rapid intestinal monolayers" (TRIM).
Methods:
Caco-2 cells were cultured with FB Essence and compared to cells in 10% FBS for proliferation and monolayer formation. TRIM were compared to commonly-used 21-day and Corning® HTS monolayer systems, as well as mouse intestines, for permeability behavior, epithelial gene expression, and tight junction arrangement.
Results:
No amount of FB Essence maintained Caco-2 cells beyond 10 passages. In contrast, TRIM compared favorably in permeability and gene expression to intestinal tissues. Furthermore, TRIM cost $109 and required 1.3 h of time per 24-well plate, compared to $164 and 3.7 h for 21-day monolayers, and $340 plus 1.0 h for the HTS system.
Conclusions:
TRIM offer a new approach to generating Caco-2 monolayers that resemble the intestinal epithelium. They are anticipated to accelerate the pace of in vitro intestinal experiments while easing financial burden.
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