Dendritic cells (DC) are antigen-presenting cells (APC) that are important for innate and acquired immune responses. Owing to their involvement in autoinfl ammation, autoimmunity and cancer, DC are useful cellular models for biomedical research. Appropriate DC production in vitro could aid the study of DC in many human diseases. We used fl uorochrome-based fl ow cytometry assays to analyze the effects of culture period and maturation of monocyte-derived DC (MoDC) on their viability and necrosis, purity, CD11c expression and phagocytic capacity. The morphological changes that occur as purifi ed monocytes become DC were assessed at 24 and 72 h, and 6 and 9 days in culture. The dynamics of certain cell surface markers of monocytes and mature MoDC (mMoDC) also were assessed using fl uorescence-based assays. We found that day 6 of culture yielded the most functional immature MoDC (iMoDC) with maximal viability, purity, CD11c expression and appropriate phagocytic capacity. Mass production of viable MoDC could be useful for immunotherapy.

Keywords