The widely used immortalised human meibomian gland epithelia cell (iHMGEC) line has made possible extensive studies of the biology and pathophysiology of meibomian glands (MG). Tissue culture protocols for iHMGEC have been revised and modified to optimise the growth conditions for cell differentiation and lipid accumulation. iHMGEC proliferate in serum-free medium but require serum or other appropriate exogenous factors to differentiate. Several supplements can enhance differentiation and neutral lipid accumulation in iHMGEC grown in serum-containing medium. In serum-free medium, rosiglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonist, is reported to induce iHMGEC differentiation, neutral lipid accumulation and expression of key biomarkers of differentiation. iHMGEC cultured in serum-containing medium under hypoxia or with azithromycin increases DNAse 2 activity, a biomarker of terminal differentiation in sebocytes. The production of lipids with composition similar to meibum has not been observed in vitro and this remains a major challenge for iHMGEC culture. Innovative methodologies such as 3D ex vivo culture of MG and generation of MG organoids from stem cells are important for further developing a model that more closely mimics the in vivo biology of human MG and to facilitate the next generation of studies of MG disease and dry eye.

广泛使用的永生化人睑板腺上皮细胞 (iHMGEC) 系使对睑板腺 (MG) 的生物学和病理生理学的广泛研究成为可能。iHMGEC 的组织培养方案已经过修订和修改，以优化细胞分化和脂质积累的生长条件。iHMGEC 在无血清培养基中增殖，但需要血清或其他适当的外源因子来区分。几种补充剂可以增强在含血清培养基中生长的 iHMGEC 的分化和中性脂质积累。据报道，在无血清培养基中，罗格列酮是一种过氧化物酶体增殖物激活剂受体-γ (PPARγ) 激动剂，可诱导 iHMGEC 分化、中性脂质积累和分化关键生物标志物的表达。在缺氧条件下或与阿奇霉素一起在含血清培养基中培养的 iHMGEC 可增加 DNAse 2 活性，这是皮脂细胞终末分化的生物标志物。尚未观察到成分类似于睑脂的脂质的产生在体外，这仍然是 iHMGEC 培养的主要挑战。MG的 3D离体培养和从干细胞生成 MG 类器官等创新方法对于进一步开发更接近模拟人类 MG体内生物学的模型以及促进下一代 MG 疾病和干眼症研究非常重要.