<i>In vitro</i> studies assessing the effects of FSS on epithelial characteristics of renal cells.

FSS was tested on renal cells and changes in organization of actin cytoskeleton, adherens junctions (AJ), tight junctions (TJ) or primary cilium were determined by comparison with no FSS condition, where cells remained in static media durig the same time than flow tests. Lateral, at the periphery of the cells; ECM, extracellular matrix; ↑, increase in; ↓, decrease in; ≠, change in; → no change in. 1The population of tubular cells is heterogeneous because composed of cells derived from all tubular segments. 2,3The supramolecular polymers used were self-assembled into nano-meter scale fibers by electro-spinning to mimic basement membrane; bioactivity was introduced into these nano-fibers by intercalation of different ECM peptides, in order to ameliorate synthetic basement membrane. 4FSS induction was performed through flow of medium culture at a rate of 1 mL/h. However, without knowing the size of perfusion chamber, it is impossible to give the intensity of FSS. 5,6Topographically patterned substrate mimics micro- and nano-scale topographic structures contained in the basement membrane of the kidney tubule; blank substrates lacked of geometric structures. In vitro studies assessing the effects of FSS on epithelial characteristics of renal cells.