Physiological oxygen and co-culture with human fibroblasts facilitate in vivo-like properties in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells

Reliable prediction of compound mediated nephrotoxicity in humans is still unsatisfactory irrespective of the recent advancements in in silico, in vitro and in vivo models. Therefore, current in vitro approaches need refinement to better match the human in vivo situation, specifically with regard to the potential influence of other cell types (e.g. fibroblasts) and to the potential biases introduced by the excessive 21% O2 (AtmOx) as employed in routine cell culturing. We used a transwell co-culture model combining human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTEC/TERT1) and human fibroblasts (fHDF/TERT166) to compare the functional properties and expression of selected marker proteins at 21% O2 and at the physiologically normal 10% O2 tension (PhysOx) commensurate with in vivo conditions. Culturing at PhysOx and co-culturing with fibroblasts significantly improved epithelial barrier integrity, expression of transporters (e.g. aquaporin 2; OCT-MATE; MRP-OAT) and metabolism. Moreover, beyond culturing these human cells in co-culture for up to 41 days, we were able to demonstrate increased functionality of cation transport, as shown via ASP+ (OCT-MATE axis), and anion transport, as shown via LY (MRP-OAT axis). Thus, adjusting the in vitro system to near physiological conditions had a major impact on functionality and provides the basis for the future development of true flow-through microfluidic renal testing systems with better predictability of human renal proximal toxicity.