Figure 7.

The effect of short-term incubation in the c-hAM homogenate and/or MRSA on the ultrastructure of biomimetic in vitro models of the normal and cancerous urothelium. (A,B,E,F) Short-term (3 h) treatment of the NPU cells with the c-hAM homogenate does not affect the ultrastructure of NPU cells. (C,D,G,H) During the 3 h incubation in the culture medium inoculated with MRSA, individual bacteria or small aggregates of MRSA attached to the surface of NPU cells. During the 3 h incubation in the c-hAM homogenate inoculated with MRSA, a smaller number of individual bacteria attached to the surface of NPU cells. (I,J,M,N) A short-term treatment of the T24 cells with the c-hAM homogenate does not affect the ultrastructure of T24 cells. (K,O) During the 3 h incubation in the culture medium inoculated with MRSA, aggregates of MRSA attached to the surface of the T24 cells and some of them were endocytosed by the T24 cells. (L,P) During the 3 h incubation in the c-hAM homogenate inoculated with MRSA, a smaller number of individual bacteria or small aggregates of bacteria attached to the surface of T24 cells. Large insets framed with white lines (A–D,I–L) show the enlarged areas of the corresponding small white-framed insets. Data were obtained from three independent replications of experiments using three biological samples of hAM. Arrow: An aggregate of MRSA in the endosomal compartment. Scale bars: (A–D,I–L) 10 µm; (enlarged areas in A–D,I–L) 1 µm; (E–H,M–P) 600 nm.