RJG-2036

Cytotoxicity assays are usually based on the assessment of cell membrane damage, which can also be indirectly detected by measuring cell viability. Detection methods include MTT assay, CKK-8 assay, LDH assay and ATP assay, etc.

THP-1 monocytes are differentiated into macrophage-like adherent cells by exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a phorbol ester used across published THP-1 macrophage differentiation studies; differentiation is assessed by adherence, macrophage-like morphology, altered macrophage-associated surface markers such as CD11b, CD14, CD36, and CD204, phagocytic capacity, lysosomal/mitochondrial enrichment, cytokine responsiveness, and transcriptomic or proteomic remodeling. Because PMA concentration, exposure duration, and post-PMA resting time change downstream phenotype and immune responses, this protocol treats PMA differentiation as a model-generation step rather than a universal macrophage replacement method; low-dose PMA with a rest period is preferred when subsequent inflammatory or infection assays are planned.

Macrophages are important immune effector cells and play an important role in innate and adaptive immune responses. THP-1 cells are usually induced to differentiate into macrophages with PMA.