Airway Epithelial Cultures of Children with Esophageal Atresia as a Model to Study Respiratory Tract Disorders

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Medicine
• Respiratory Biology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Esophageal atresia (EA) is a congenital defect often associated with significant respiratory morbidity.
• The precise causes of respiratory complications in EA patients remain incompletely understood.
• Alterations in airway epithelial cell function, particularly motile cilia activity, are a potential contributing factor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of culturing and functionally characterizing airway epithelial cells from EA patients.
• To investigate motile cilia function in differentiated air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures and 3D organoids derived from EA patients.
• To establish a cellular model for studying epithelial contributions to respiratory disorders in EA.

Main Methods:

• Culturing of differentiated airway epithelia using air-liquid interface (ALI) method.
• Generation of 3D airway organoids from nasal brushings and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid.
• Functional assessment of motile cilia activity in EA patient-derived cell cultures and organoids.

Main Results:

• Successful culture and differentiation of airway epithelial cells and organoids from EA patient samples (nasal brushings and BAL fluid).
• Demonstrated normal functional activity of motile cilia in these EA-derived airway epithelial models.
• Established the feasibility of using these models for further investigation.

Conclusions:

• Airway epithelial cells and organoids from EA patients can be successfully cultured and differentiated.
• Motile cilia function in these EA patient-derived models appears normal.
• These established cell culture models provide a valuable platform for investigating the role of epithelial dysfunction in EA-associated respiratory disorders.