Human Rectal Smooth Muscle Cells (HRSMC)

Overview

Human Rectal Smooth Muscle Cells (HRSMC) is a cell model used for research applications where physiologically relevant identity and donor background support interpretation of experimental readouts. Human Smooth Muscle Cells derived from Rectum (Rectal) within the Digestive system.

Smooth muscle contraction is the fundamental event in gastrointestinal motion. Inflammation of the human intestine causes increased levels of smooth muscle-specific actin, which in turn promotes the thickening of the smooth muscle layers. The increased smooth muscle actin may affect force production and further demonstrates the plasticity of smooth muscle cells in the inflamed intestine [1]. Studies also show that human intestinal smooth muscle cells respond to IL-1beta and TNF-alpha stimulation by releasing IL-6, which may significantly contribute to the overall systemic inflammatory response [2]. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control colorectal smooth muscle tone is essential for the treatment of colorectal disorders. The availability of human rectal smooth muscle cells makes it more feasible to study the contractile and proliferative tissue responses of smooth muscle in human colorectal disorders. iXCells Biotechnologies provides high quality Human Rectal Smooth Muscle Cells (HRSMC), which are isolated from human rectum and cryopreserved at P1, with >0.5 million cells in each vial. HRSMC express α-smooth muscle actin and desmin and are negative for HIV-1, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and fung. HRSMC can further expand for 16 population doublings in Smooth Muscle Cell Growth Medium (Cat# MD-0034) under the condition suggested by iXCells Biotechnologies.

Key elements and design rationale

• Cell identity: Smooth Muscle Cells (Primary Cells, Custom Cells)
• Source context: Rectum; Rectal; Digestive
• Biosafety level: BSL-2 (follow your institution’s biosafety program and local regulations)

Product-specific elements (such as tissue source, donor background, and cell classification) help frame how results should be interpreted across assays and experimental conditions.

Biological background

Cells originating from the Digestive system are commonly studied to understand tissue-specific physiology, signaling, and responses to perturbations in controlled in vitro settings.

Across primary and specialty cell models, experimental outcomes can be influenced by donor heterogeneity, passage history, confluence, and media composition. For interpretation, it is common to validate key markers or functional phenotypes in the user’s assay context and to document culture variables consistently.

Research relevance and current trends

• Increasing use of primary and specialty cells to improve translational relevance for target biology and phenotypic screening.
• Adoption of 3D culture formats and co-culture systems to better capture tissue microenvironments and cell–cell interactions.
• Integration of functional readouts with single-cell and multi-omics profiling to connect phenotype with molecular state.

Common research applications

• Profile identity markers by flow cytometry or immunostaining in cultured cells
• Quantify functional responses to defined stimuli relevant to the model system
• Compare baseline phenotype across donors/conditions using gene expression profiling
• Model inflammatory or metabolic stress responses relevant to gastrointestinal tissues
• Screen compounds or genetic perturbations for phenotype modulation using viability or imaging endpoints

Interpretation typically focuses on how a perturbation (e.g., cytokine exposure, metabolic stress, genetic manipulation, or compound treatment) shifts marker profiles or functional readouts relative to an appropriate control matched for donor and culture variables.

Notes for experimental interpretation

• Donor-to-donor heterogeneity can influence baseline phenotype and treatment response; include biological replicates when feasible.
• Passage number, confluence, and media composition can shift gene expression and functional readouts; track and report these variables consistently.
• Contamination control (including routine mycoplasma monitoring) supports reproducibility in downstream assays.
• Use appropriate negative/positive controls for the readout (e.g., unstimulated controls, pathway agonists/antagonists) to contextualize observed changes.

SKU:BHC18500269

Customization & Add-ons: Can't find the cell line you need—or require a custom cell-based solution for your project? We can help you source the best match or support custom cell line services for diverse research needs, including cell line sourcing and selection (species, tissue, and disease model matching), stable cell line engineering (overexpression, knockdown, or knockout via CRISPR/Cas9, shRNA, or sgRNA), reporter gene integration (GFP, RFP, luciferase, and other fluorescent or bioluminescent constructs), genome editing and knockin (point mutations, tagged endogenous proteins, conditional alleles), inducible expression systems (Tet-On/Off and other regulatable constructs), drug resistance marker selection (puromycin, G418, hygromycin, and others), custom growth and media optimisation for specific assay requirements, scale-up production for high-throughput screening campaigns, and authentication and QC services (STR profiling, mycoplasma testing, viability assessment). Click Talk to a Scientist to submit a request, email us at support@biohippo.com, or explore our Research Services for additional support—our team will follow up with feasibility details and next steps.