The Caco-2 cell line as a model of the intestinal barrier: influence of cell and culture-related factors on Caco-2 cell functional characteristics

This review is aimed at summarizing recent, or previously unreviewed, data on the effects of culture-related factors and the influence of line sub-types (parental vs. different clonal lines) on the expression of differentiation traits important for the use of Caco-2 cells as a model of the absorptive and defensive properties of the intestinal mucosa.