[The culture of renal epithelial cells: the physiological and pharmacological aspects]

Cultured renal epithelial cells are widely used to examine renal functions and drug control, as well as renal transport of drugs and other xenobiotics. This review is aimed at attracting attention to the techniques of cell strains that show the properties typical of a proximal or distal parts of a nephron. It considers the existing primary and identified cultures and the most important recent experimental findings.