Hormonal regulation of dipeptide transporter (PepT1) in Caco-2 cells with normal and anoxia/reoxygenation management

Aim: To determine the regulation effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on dipeptide transporter (PepT1) in Caco-2 cells with normal culture and anoxia/reoxygenation injury. Methods: A human intestinal cell monolayer (Caco-2) was used as the in vitro model of human small intestine and cephalexin as the model substrate for dipeptide transporter (PepT1). Caco-2 cells grown on Transwell membrane filters were preincubated in the presence of rhGH in the culture medium for 4 d, serum was withdrawn from monolayers for 24 h before each experiment. The transport experiments of cephalexin across apical membromes were then conducted; Caco-2 cells grown on multiple well dishes (24 pore) with normal culture or anoxia/reoxygenation injury were preincubated with rhGH as above and uptake of cephalexin was then measured. Results: The transport and uptake of cephalexin across apical membranes of Caco-2 cells after preincubation with rhGH were significantly increased compared with controls (P=0.045, 0.0223). Also, addition of rhGH at physiological concentration (34 nM) to incubation medium greatly stimulates cephalexin uptake by anoxia/reoxygenation injuried Caco-2 cells (P=0.0116), while the biological functions of PepT1 in injured Caco-2 cells without rhGH were markedly downregulated. Northern blot analysis showed that the level of PepT1 mRNA of rhGH-treated injured Caco-2 cells was greatly increased compared to controls. Conclusion: The present results of rhGH stimulating the uptake and transport of cephalexin indicated that rhGH greatly upregulates the physiological effects of dipeptide transporters of Caco-2 cells. The alteration in the gene expression may be a mechanism of regulation of PepT1. In addition, Caco-2 cells take up cephalexin by the Proton-dependent dipeptide transporters that closely resembles the transporters present in the intestine. Caco-2 cells represent an ideal cellular model for future studies of the dipeptide transporter.