ABSTRACT
Human airway epithelial cells may be obtained from the trachea and bronchi during bronchoscopy of individuals by endobronchial biopsy or brushing of the airway surface. Endobronchial biopsies provide information on airway epithelial architecture and cell types in vivo (Fig. 1), are especially useful for localization of mRNA or protein expression by in situ hybridization or immunostaining respectively, but are less useful for in vitro studies. Cultures derived from biopsies occur by outgrowth of cells and are hampered by the presence of nonepithelial cells and limited growth (1). Bronchial cells may also be obtained by gently gliding a cytology brush over the airway surface. Relatively large numbers of cells may be sampled from the airway surface by repetitive brushing during bronchoscopy (2). In general, brushing the airway is less traumatic than endobronchial biopsies and is a convenient method to obtain epithelial cells for use in molecular analyses and especially in cell culture.
