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Isolation of Human Monocytes by Double Gradient Centrifugation and Their Differentiation to Macrophages in Teflon-coated Cell Culture Bags
Published on: September 9, 2014
In vitro differentiation of macrophages from peripheral blood cells of celiac patients
Federica Farina1, Mariavittoria Laezza2, Alessio Fasano3
1European Biomedical Research Institute of Salerno (EBRIS), Salerno, Italy.
Abstract:
Macrophages have both a protective and pathological role in many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Macrophages phenotype is regulated by the environment that affects their polarization toward a pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotype. We describe a protocol for in vitro differentiation of macrophages from blood peripheral monocytes, that may be adopted to study different pathologies. Here, we are interested to study the phenotype of macrophages differentiated from patients affected by acute celiac disease (CD) or subjects following a gluten free diet (GFD), after in vitro gliadin challenge. We assess the pro-inflammatory phenotype of these macrophages by cytokines quantization on the cell supernatant. Moreover, our proposed protocol allows the preparation of total RNA to analyze the expression profile of many genes.
Insights
This study details a method to differentiate monocytes into macrophages for studying autoimmune diseases. Macrophages from celiac disease patients show a pro-inflammatory response to gliadin, aiding research into gluten-related disorders.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Macrophages play dual roles in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
- Environmental factors dictate macrophage polarization towards pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotypes.
- Understanding macrophage behavior is crucial for disease pathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a protocol for in vitro macrophage differentiation from peripheral monocytes.
- To investigate the phenotype of macrophages from celiac disease (CD) patients and those on a gluten-free diet (GFD) after gliadin challenge.
- To establish a method for analyzing macrophage gene expression profiles.
Main Methods:
- In vitro differentiation of monocytes into macrophages.
- In vitro gliadin challenge of differentiated macrophages from CD patients and GFD subjects.
- Quantification of cytokines in cell supernatant to assess pro-inflammatory phenotype.
- Total RNA preparation for gene expression profiling.
Main Results:
- Macrophages from celiac disease patients exhibit a pro-inflammatory phenotype upon in vitro gliadin challenge.
- The protocol allows for the assessment of cytokine release and gene expression in response to gliadin.
- Distinct macrophage responses may be observed between active celiac disease and gluten-free diet adherence.
Conclusions:
- The described protocol facilitates the study of macrophage polarization in autoimmune conditions like celiac disease.
- This method aids in understanding the role of macrophages in gluten-related disorders.
- The protocol supports the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying macrophage responses to dietary antigens.

