Current Utilization Trend of Mast Cell Lines in In Vitro Allergy
Research: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Today in the modern world, allergic diseases, also described as atopic
allergies, are classified as a type of multifactorial disorder due to
the complex interplay between genetics, environment, and socioeconomic
factors that influence the disease’s manifestation, severity, and one’s
predisposition to allergic diseases. It is undeniable that many reported
studies have pointed out that the mast cell is one of the main key
players involved in triggering an allergic reaction. In order to improve
our current understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms
underlying allergy, various mast cell lines have been employed in vitro
to study the pathogenesis of allergic diseases for the past decades.
However, there is no consensus on many fundamental aspects associated
with their use, such as the effects of culture media composition and the
type of inducer used for cell degranulation. As the standardization of
research protocols and disease models is crucial, we hereby present the
outcome of a systematic review of scientific articles that used three
major in vitro mast cell lines (HMC-1, LAD2, and RBL-2H3) to study
allergy. This systematic review described the cell source, culture
conditions, inducers used for degranulation, and mediators released for
examination. We hope that the present systematic review may help to
standardize the use of in vitro mast cell lines in allergy research and
serve as a user’s guide to understand the fundamental aspects of allergy
as well to develop an effective allergy therapy in the future for the
betterment of human good health and wellbeing.