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This research project aimed to establish an in vitro intestinal cell model for prediction of in vivo bioavailability of food components from the human diet.
<p>There is a need to understand in more detail, the transport of food constituents across intestinal cells and the factors that influence their rate of uptake.
<p>Rather than perform such studies in living persons, an in vitro model comparable to in vivo conditions can facilitate much easier and reproducible investigations into transport mechanisms in the gut.
Three intestinal cell lines (Caco-2, HT-29 and T84) were used to develop in vitro models of passive permeability and active uptake.
<p>These were used to predict the bioavailability of food chemicals from digested foods.
<p>Transport of food components across intestinal monolayers (apical to basolateral/serosal) was determined using Transwell (tissue culture treated permeable polyester membrane cell culture inserts).
<p>Native compounds and metabolites were routinely detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, a small range of compounds were radiolabelled in-house with 14C carbon which is easy to measured post-uptake.
<p>Emphasis was placed on the optimisation of culture conditions using matrix proteins and soluble factors in the culture of the cells, improving on current procedures by reducing the required culture period prior to experimentation.
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Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.