HL-60 cells serve as an invaluable tool for advancing our understanding of leukemia, hematopoiesis, and various other aspects of cell biology and disease pathology. Creative Biolabs has developed HL-60-based macrophage models, providing a valuable experimental system for elucidating the biology of macrophages and their role in health and disease, and a versatile platform for researchers to conduct mechanistic studies, drug screening assays, and translational research work.

Overview of HL-60 Cells

HL-60 cells are a type of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line commonly used in biomedical research, particularly in studies related to hematology, immunology, and cancer. These cells were originally isolated from the peripheral blood of a patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in 1977. Upon appropriate induction, HL-60 cells can differentiate into neutrophil-like or monocyte/macrophage-like cells.

In particular, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced HL-60 macrophage models have gained attention for their:

• Ease of cultivation and scalability
• Ability to mimic human monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation
• Predictable expression of surface markers and functional cytokine release
• Suitability for high-throughput applications

Creative Biolabs is committed to empowering immunological research with robust, reproducible, and customizable macrophage model systems. Our HL-60-based macrophage models are engineered and validated for a variety of research applications.

• Macrophage polarization (M1/M2) studies
• Phagocytosis and chemotaxis assays
• Host-pathogen interaction models (bacterial, viral, fungal)
• Pro-inflammatory cytokine profiling (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β)
• Drug screening and cytotoxicity assessment
• Signal transduction and gene expression analysis

HL-60-based Macrophage Model Development Service at Creative Biolabs

Creative Biolabs provides services for the development of HL-60-based macrophage models, including cell culture, cell differentiation, immunological assays, and data analysis. Creative Biolabs has experience in developing and validating such models to ensure their reliability and relevance for research or drug discovery purposes.

We offer end-to-end development from cell culture to phenotype validation. Our typical HL-60 macrophage differentiation workflow includes:

Table 1 HL-60 macrophage differentiation workflow

We recognize the need for flexibility in model development. Our HL-60 macrophage platform can be customized across multiple parameters.

• Induction agents: PMA, DMSO, Vitamin D3, IFN-γ
• Culture formats: Suspension, Adherent, 3D scaffolds
• Assay integration: Co-culture systems, infection models, cytokine profiling
• Genetic manipulation: siRNA knockdown, lentiviral overexpression

Related Products

Our HL-60 macrophage model development service helps researchers rapidly build and optimize macrophage models that can be used to study cell signaling, drug mechanisms of action, and the pathophysiology of various diseases. By customizing our services, we ensure that research teams have access to high-quality models that improve the reliability and reproducibility of their experiments.

In addition, we offer a wide range of macrophage-related products, including high-purity macrophage cultures, specific cytokines, pro-differentiation reagents, and various research tools. These products not only support basic research, but also provide important experimental materials for drug development.

Service Features

Flexible and Customized Model Development Strategies

For different research purposes, we provide integrated customization services from cell induction conditions, differentiation time to functional test design to meet individual research needs.

Label-Free and Live-Cell Compatible

The HL-60 macrophage model we developed can be seamlessly adapted to a variety of high-throughput screening platforms for research scenarios such as drug discovery, toxicity assessment and phenotypic screening.

Rapid Response and Technical Support

Our technical team consists of experienced cell biologists who provide rapid response communication and follow-up data support to help our clients move their projects forward faster.

Publications

Combined treatment with retinoid and 1,25(OH)2D3 induces differentiation of human myeloid leukemia THP-1 and HL60 cells into macrophage-like cells expressing M2 markers. Further study of human leukemia cell differentiation has the potential to extend differentiation-inducing therapy to the treatment of non-APL myeloid leukemia and to expand the understanding of human macrophage function.

Fig. 1 Induction of differentiation of THP-1 and HL60 cells.^1,2

Scientific Resources

Learn More Macrophage Biology

Download Macrophages Development

Learn More Monocyte-Macrophage Development Process

Learn More Macrophage-related Experimental Protocols

Q & A

Q: Is it possible to customize the differentiation program according to my research direction?

A: Sure. We will have in-depth communication before project initiation and recommend the most suitable induction method in combination with your research direction. We can also synchronize secretion factor detection and transcription factor activity analysis (e.g., NF-κB, STAT) in the experiment to support mechanism exploration.

Q: How stable is the differentiation of HL-60 into macrophages?

A: We guarantee the consistency and stability of differentiation of each batch through standardized operational procedures and key quality control nodes:

• Quality certified reagents are used for each induction;
• Culture conditions (cell density, time points) are strictly controlled;
• Positive controls and technical duplicates are set;
• Quantitative threshold standards are available for all cell phenotypic and functional assays

Q: Why choose HL-60 cell line for macrophage modeling? What are the advantages over THP-1 and U937?

A: HL-60 cells are human myeloid leukemia cells with good differentiation potential. When induced by specific compounds, they can be efficiently differentiated into macrophage-like cells with phagocytosis and immune factor response ability. Compared to THP-1 and U937, HL-60 has the following advantages:

• Early source, sensitive differentiation
• Flexible induction protocols
• Faster cell growth, lower cost
• More efficient gene manipulation

References

1. Takahashi, Hiromichi, et al. "Induced differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells into M2 macrophages by combined treatment with retinoic acid and 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3." PloS one 9.11 (2014): e113722. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113722
2. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.