Advanced Kidney Models In Vitro Using the Established Cell Line Renal Proximal Tubular Epithelial/Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase1 for Nephrotoxicity Assays.

Nephrotoxicity stands as one of the most limiting effects in the development and validation of new drugs. The kidney, among the organs evaluated in toxicity assessments, has a higher susceptibility, with nephrotoxic potential frequently evading detection until late in clinical trials. Traditional cell culture, which has been widely used for decades, does not recapitulate the structure and complexity of the native tissue, which can affect cell function, and the response to cytotoxins does not resemble what occurs in the kidney.

Role of extracellular matrix components and structure in new renal models .

The extracellular matrix (ECM), a complex set of fibrillar proteins and proteoglycans, supports the renal parenchyma and provides biomechanical and biochemical cues critical for spatial-temporal patterning of cell development and acquisition of specialized functions. As models progress towards biomimicry, more attention is paid to reproducing ECM-mediated stimuli. ECM's role in models of renal function and disease used to investigate kidney injury and regeneration is discussed.