An optimized, robust and reproducible protocol to generate well-differentiated primary nasal epithelial models from extremely premature infants

Extremely premature infants are prone to severe respiratory infections, and the mechanisms underlying this exceptional susceptibility are largely unknown. Nasal epithelial cells (NEC) represent the first-line of defense and adult-derived ALI cell culture models show promising results in mimicking in vivo physiology. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a robust and reliable protocol for generating well-differentiated cell culture models from NECs of extremely premature infants. Nasal brushing was performed in 13 extremely premature infants at term corrected age and in 11 healthy adult controls to obtain NECs for differentiation at air-liquid interface (ALI). Differentiation was verified using imaging and functional analysis. Successful isolation and differentiation was achieved for 5 (38.5%) preterm and 5 (45.5%) adult samples. Preterm and adult ALI-cultures both showed well-differentiated morphology and ciliary function, however, preterm cultures required significantly longer cultivation times for acquiring full differentiation (44 ± 3.92 vs. 23 ± 1.83 days; p < 0.0001). Moreover, we observed that recent respiratory support may impair successful NECs isolation. Herewithin, we describe a safe, reliable and reproducible method to generate well-differentiated ALI-models from NECs of extremely premature infants. These models provide a valuable foundation for further studies regarding immunological and inflammatory responses and respiratory disorders in extremely premature infants.