3-DIMENSIONAL GROWTH OF RENAL EPITHELIAL-CELLS INVITRO - A TOOL IN TOXICITY TESTING

The tissue culture of multicellular spheroids from the renal epithelia l cell line LLC-PK1 (proximal tubule) is described. This represents a biological system of intermediate complexity between renal tissue in v ivo and simple monolayer cultures. The multicellular structures, which show many similarities to kidney tubules in vivo, including a vectori al water transport, should prove useful for studying the potential nep hrotoxicity of drugs and chemicals in vitro. In addition, the propagat ion of renal epithelial cells as multicellular spheroids in serum-free culture may provide information on the release of specific biological parameters, which may be suppressed or masked in serum-supplemented m edia.