The authors would like to thank Mr. Josh Basford and Dr. Xiao-min Li for technical assistance. This work was supported in part by NIH grants (DK70992 and DK92779 to M.L.).

1. Preparation
All buffers are freshly prepared using sterile technique and filter sterilized using a Corning 0.22 &mu;m filter.
<ol>
 <li>Prepare Perfusion buffer I by adding the following to Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS, without Ca2+ and Mg2+, see Table 1): Mg2+ (MgCl2) to 0.9 mM, EDTA to 0.5 mM, and HEPES to 25 mM.</li>
 <li>Prepare Perfusion buffer II by adding the following to HBSS (with Ca2+ and Mg2+, see Table 1): HEPES to 25 mM.</li>
 <li>Prepare Perfusion buffer II plus collagenaseII: Dissolve collagenase II (1000 U) with 300 ml Perfusion buffer II and keep the solution warm in water-bath before perfusion. This solution should be used within 30 min because the activity of collagenase II decreased with the time.</li>
 <li>Prepare William's complete Medium: Add the following to Williams' Medium E: L-glutamine to 2 mM, fetal bovine serum (FBS) to 5%; insulin to 100 nM, dexamethasone to 100 nM, penicillin to 100 IU/ml and streptomycin to 100 mg/ml.</li>
 <li>These buffers should be warmed for 30 minutes in the water bath at 42 &deg;C, an optimal temperature corresponding to an outlet temperature at the cannula of 37 &deg;C.</li>
</ol>
2. Rat Perfusion for Liver Isolation
<ol>
 <li>The perfusion system consists of the pump, autoclavable silastic tubing and a water bath (see Figure 1). Pre-set the flow rate of the peristaltic perfusion pump to 10 ml/min.</li>
 <li>Anesthetize an adult rat (300 g body weight) with intraperitoneal (ip) ketamine (87 mg/kg body weight) plus xylazine (13 mg/kg). Depth of anesthesia should be monitored by toe pinch. When the rat no longer responds to noxious stimulus, shave abdominal hair and prep the abdomen with betadine and ethanol. Enter through a midline incision.</li>
 <li>Expose the hepatic portal vein by carefully moving the viscera to the right outside of the abdominal cavity, and insert an 18-gauge angiocath into the hepatic portal vein (see Figure 1).</li>
 <li>Connect the perfusate tubing to the needle and initiate the infusion in situ at a low flow rate (10 ml/min) with pre-warmed (37 &deg;C) Perfusion Buffer I.</li>
 <li>If performed properly, the liver should instantly begin to blanch. Once successful cannulation is confirmed, make a cut at inferior vena cava (IVC) to allow efflux (Figure 1). A further test for successful cannulation can be performed by applying light pressure with sterile swab on the IVC; all lobes of the liver should quickly begin to swell.</li>
 <li>Increase the rate of flow to 25 ml/min. The liver should become pale in color.</li>
 <li>Switch the perfusion solution to Perfusion buffer II plus collagenase II with no interruption of flow for an additional 6 minutes.</li>
 <li>Periodically (5-10 times during digestion) apply pressure with swab to the IVC for 5-second intervals. The liver will swell, leading to enhanced hepatic cell dissociation, in turn reducing total digestion time, and increasing final yield.</li>
 <li>After collagenase perfusion, liver should begin to look mushy. Dissect the liver free, place in a pre-chilled sterile beaker with 20 ml William's complete Medium, and then take it to tissue cell culture hood.</li>
</ol>
3. Hepatocyte Cell Isolation
<ol>
 <li>Within the cell culture hood, use a cell scraper to gently disperse the cells into William's complete Medium within a sterile Petri dish.</li>
 <li>Filter the cell dispersion through a 100 &mu;m pore size cell strainer into a 50 ml Conical tube in order to remove connective tissues and undigested tissue fragments.</li>
 <li>Suspend cells in 40 ml William's complete Medium and centrifuge at 50 x g for 3 min at 4 &deg;C.</li>
 <li>Aspirate the supernatant, and gently re-suspend cells in 40 ml cold William's complete Medium to wash cells. Repeat centrifugation.</li>
 <li>Aspirate the supernatant, and gently re-suspend cells with 25 ml William's complete Medium. Add 25 ml 90% Percoll solution in PBS into the tube and gently mix.</li>
 <li>Centrifuge at 200 x g for 10 min at 4 &deg;C. Aspirate the dead cells from the top of the gradient because the viable cells remain at the bottom of the Percoll gradient.</li>
 <li>Suspend the cell pellet in 30 ml warm William's complete Medium, and then repeat centrifugation and re-suspend the cell pellet in 20 ml warm William's complete Medium.</li>
 <li>Count the cells within the cell suspension using a hemocytometer and determine cell viability by trypan blue staining.</li>
</ol>
4. Hepatocyte Culture
<ol>
 <li>Dilute cells with warm William's complete Medium to preferred concentration, e.g. 2.5 x 105 cells/ml. Plate cells at a desired volume on cell culture plates, e.g. 5 x 105 cells / 2 ml / well, 6 wells/plate; or 2.5 x 105 cells / 1.5 ml / well, 12 wells / plate. Un-coated plate is fine for hepatic cell cultures.</li>
 <li>In a typical prep with &gt; 85% viable cells, the cell density should reach approximately 60-70% confluence, which allows for cell-cell contact while maintaining sufficient space for the hepatocytes to grow to their full cell size and yield a final confluence of 90-95%.</li>
 <li>In order to form an even monolayer of hepatocytes, in other words, to minimize the tendency for cells to aggregate in the central area of the well (most likely due to the air-flow inside of cell incubator), allow the plates to remain inside the cell culture hood for 30 minutes before placing them in a incubator.</li>
 <li>Culture the cells at 37 &deg;C in a humidified atmosphere of 95% air and 5 % CO2. After 4-h culture, the cells could either remain in the same serum-containing medium or replace the medium with serum-free medium, e.g. HepatoZYME-SFM (see Table 1). The serum-free medium helps to maintain cell morphology with no adverse effects from hormones when a serum-free medium is used.</li>
 <li>Allow cells to recover and grow at least overnight prior to experimentation. We recommend to use the cells for test within 24 hr because this may help preserve the function of critical enzymes (e.g., P450s).</li>
 <li>Replace the growth medium at 2 day intervals, if needed.</li>
</ol>
5. Representative Results
The conditions described regularly generate cell harvests of 1.0 x 108 cells per preparation from one rat liver. The viability of the hepatocytes measured by trypan blue exclusion was consistently within the range of 88 ~96%.
As depicted in Figure 2, the hepatocytes aggregate and form cluster after 4 hr seeding. Most isolated cells flatten and spread in typical monolayer growth. By 24 hr, the edges of cells are defined, surface of cells is fairly smooth, and lipid droplets are visible. The cells have one to three nucleoli, which are round, located at the center of the cells, and the nuclei display consistent size among cells (Figure 2).
<img alt="Figure 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/3917/3917fig1.jpg" /> 
Figure 1. A diagram of liver perfusion. An 18-gauge angiocath is inserted into the portal vein of liver, then a perfusate tubing is connected to the needle. Once successful cannulation is confirmed, make a cut at inferior vena cava (IVC) to allow efflux.
<img alt="Figure 2" src="/files/ftp_upload/3917/3917fig2.jpg" /> 
Figure 2. Morphology of cultured hepatocytes over time (4 hr to 24 hr), magnification x 200. After cultured for 24 hr, the cells spread in typical monolayer growth, and the junctions between the cells are linear.
<table border="1">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Name of the reagent</td>
 <td>Company</td>
 <td>Catalog number</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>HBSS (without Ca2+, and Mg2+)</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>14174</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>HBSS (with Ca2+, and Mg2+)</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>14025</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Williams's Medium E</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>12551-032</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Collegenase II</td>
 <td>Worthington</td>
 <td>LS004176</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Cell strainer (100 &mu;m)</td>
 <td>BD</td>
 <td>352360</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>HepatoZYME-SFM</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>17705</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Percoll</td>
 <td>Sigma</td>
 <td>P4937</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Angiocath (18-gauge)</td>
 <td>BD</td>
 <td>381705</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>
Table 1.

<ol>
	<li>Berry, M. N., Friend, D. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-yield+preparation+of+isolated+rat+liver+parenchymal+cells:+a+biochemical+and+fine+structural+study.">High-yield preparation of isolated rat liver parenchymal cells: a biochemical and fine structural study.</a> J. Cell Biol. 43, 506-520 (1969).</li><li>Seglen, P. O. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preparation+of+isolated+rat+liver+cells.">Preparation of isolated rat liver cells.</a> Methods Cell Biol. 13, 29-83 (1976).</li><li>Saito, K., Kobayashi, K., Mizuno, Y., Fukuchi, Y., Furihata, T., Chiba, K., Schmidt, M., Schmitz, H. J., Baumgart, A., Guedon, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Peroxisome+proliferator-activated+receptor+alpha+(PPARalpha)+agonists+induce+constitutive+androstane+receptor+(CAR)+and+cytochrome+P450+2B+in+rat+primary+hepatocytes.">Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) agonists induce constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and cytochrome P450 2B in rat primary hepatocytes.</a> Drug Metab. Pharmacokinet. 25, 108-111 (2010).</li><li>Gomez-Lechon, M. J., Donato, M. T., Castell, J. V., Jover, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Human+hepatocytes+in+primary+culture:+the+choice+to+investigate+drug+metabolism+in+man.">Human hepatocytes in primary culture: the choice to investigate drug metabolism in man.</a> Curr. Drug Metab. 5, 443-462 (2004).</li><li>Goncalves, L. A., Vigario, A. M., Penha-Goncalves, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Improved+isolation+of+murine+hepatocytes+for+in+vitro+malaria+liver+stage+studies.">Improved isolation of murine hepatocytes for in vitro malaria liver stage studies.</a> Malar. J. 6, 169 (2007).</li><li>Bu, S. Y., Mashek, D. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hepatic+long-chain+acyl-CoA+synthetase+5+mediates+fatty+acid+channeling+between+anabolic+and+catabolic+pathways.">Hepatic long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 5 mediates fatty acid channeling between anabolic and catabolic pathways.</a> J. Lipid Res. 51, 3270-3280 (2010).</li><li>Aiken, J., Cima, L., Schloo, B., Mooney, D., Johnson, L., Langer, R., Vacanti, J. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Studies+in+rat+liver+perfusion+for+optimal+harvest+of+hepatocytes.">Studies in rat liver perfusion for optimal harvest of hepatocytes.</a> J. Pediatr. Surg. 25, 140-144 (1990).</li><li>Jauregui, H. O., McMillan, P. N., Hevey, K., Naik, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+quantitative+analysis+of+lectin+binding+to+adult+rat+hepatocyte+cell+surfaces.">A quantitative analysis of lectin binding to adult rat hepatocyte cell surfaces.</a> In Vitro Cell. 24, 401-412 (1988).</li><li>Klaunig, J. E., Goldblatt, P. J., Hinton, D. E., Lipsky, M. M., Trump, B. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mouse+liver+cell+culture.+II.+Primary+culture.">Mouse liver cell culture. II. Primary culture.</a> In Vitro. 17, 926-934 (1981).</li><li>Hay, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Operator-induced+contamination+in+cell+culture+systems.">Operator-induced contamination in cell culture systems.</a> Dev. Biol. Stand. 75, 193-204 (1991).</li></ol>

No conflicts of interest declared.

Primary culture of hepatocytes is an in vitro model widely used to study various aspects of liver physiology and pathology. For example, primary culture is used to assess the expression and function of drug-metabolizing enzymes including cytochromes P450, drug metabolism, drug-drug interactions, and the mechanisms of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity 3-7. The protocol describing isolation and culture of rat hepatic cells is adapted from the previous reports of Aiken et al. 8, a...

isolation and primary culture of rat hepatic cells

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology and other related subjects. The method based on two-step collagenase perfusion for isolation of intact hepatocytes was first introduced by Berry and Friend in 1969 1 and, since then, has undergone many modifications. The most commonly used technique was described by Seglenin 1976 2. Essentially, hepatocytes are dissociated from anesthetized adult rats by a non-recirculating collagenase perfusion through the portal vein. The isolated cells are then filtered through a 100 &mu;m pore size mesh nylon filter, and cultured onto plates. After 4-hour culture, the medium is replaced with serum-containing or serum-free medium, e.g. HepatoZYME-SFM, for additional time to culture. These procedures require surgical and sterile culture steps that can be better demonstrated by video than by text. Here, we document the detailed steps for these procedures by both video and written protocol, which allow consistently in the generation of viable hepatocytes in large numbers.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Primary Culture of Rat Hepatic Cells at JoVE.com

Isolation and Primary Culture of Rat Hepatic Cells

Primary hepatocytes provide a valuable tool to evaluate biochemical, molecular, and metabolic functions in a physiologically relevant experimental system. We describe a reliable protocol for rat in situ liver perfusion, which consistently generates viable hepatocytes up to 1.0 &times; 108 cells per preparation with cell viability between 88 ~ 96%.

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology ...

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55.5K ビュー.  University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. 初代肝細胞は、生理学的に関連する実験系の生化学的、分子生物学、代謝機能を評価するための貴重なツールを提供しています。我々は一貫してto1.0×10アップ可能な肝細胞を生成する現場肝灌流、ラットの信頼性の高いプロトコルを記述する 8細胞。

ビデオ: Isolation and Primary Culture of Rat Hepatic Cells

Primary Culture of Adult Rat Heart Myocytes

Cultured primary adult rodent heart cells are an important model system for cardiovascular research. Nevertheless, establishment of robust, viable cultured adult myocytes can be a technically challenging, rate-limiting step for many researchers. Here we described a protocol to obtain a high yield of adult rat heart myocytes that remain viable in culture for several days. The heart is isolated and perfused with collagenase and protease under low Ca2+ conditions to recover single myocytes. Ca2+-tolerant cells are obtained by stepwise increases in extracellular Ca2+ concentration in three subsequent wash steps. Cells are filtered, resuspended in culture medium, and plated on laminin coated slips. Cultured myocytes obtained using this protocol are viable for up to four days and are suitable for most experiments including electrophysiology, biochemistry, imaging and molecular biology.

In this paper, we described a typical way to isolate and culture adult rat heart myocytes. Collagenase and protease are used to digest and isolate single myocytes. Myocytes cultured follow this protocol meet most experiment requirements.

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Isolation of Immune Cells from Primary Tumors

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various chemokines and growth factors 1,2. However, once in the TME, these cells lose the ability to promote anti-tumor immunity and begin to support tumor growth and down-regulate anti-tumor immune responses 3-4. Studies on tumor-associated leukocytes have mainly focused on cells isolated from tumor-draining lymph nodes or spleen due to the inherent difficulties in obtaining sufficient cell numbers and purity from the primary tumor. While identifying the mechanisms of cell activation and trafficking through the lymphatic system of tumor bearing mice is important and may give insight to the kinetics of immune responses to cancer, in our experience, many leukocytes, including dendritic cells (DCs), in tumor-draining lymph nodes have a different phenotype than those that infiltrate tumors 5,6 . Furthermore, we have previously demonstrated that adoptively-transferred T cells isolated from the tumor-draining lymph nodes are not tolerized and are capable of responding to secondary stimulation in vitro unlike T cells isolated from the TME, which are tolerized and incapable of proliferation or cytokine production 7,8. Interestingly, we have shown that changing the tumor microenvironment, such as providing CD4+ T helper cells via adoptive transfer, promotes CD8+ T cells to maintain pro-inflammatory effector functions 5. The results from each of the previously mentioned studies demonstrate the importance of measuring cellular responses from TME-infiltrating immune cells as opposed to cells that remain in the periphery. To study the function of immune cells which infiltrate tumors using the Miltenyi Biotech isolation system9, we have modified and optimized this antibody-based isolation procedure to obtain highly enriched populations of antigen presenting cells and tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The protocol includes a detailed dissection of murine prostate tissue from a spontaneous prostate tumor model (TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate -TRAMP) 10 and a subcutaneous melanoma (B16) tumor model followed by subsequent purification of various leukocyte populations.

In this report, we describe a protocol for isolating highly purified populations of leukocytes that infiltrate tumors. This protocol is adapted from the Miltenyi Biotech protocol to enhance yield and purity for isolating cells from complex tumor tissue.

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various ...

Isolation and Culture of Mouse Primary Pancreatic Acinar Cells

This protocol permits rapid isolation (in less than 1 hr) of murine pancreatic acini, making it possible to maintain them in culture for more than one week. More than 20 x 106 acinar cells can be obtained from a single murine pancreas. This protocol offers the possibility to independently process as many as 10 pancreases in parallel. Because it preserves acinar architecture, this model is well suited for studying the physiology of the exocrine pancreas in vitro in contrast to cell lines established from pancreatic tumors, which display many genetic alterations resulting in partial or total loss of their acinar differentiation.

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Isolation and Primary Culture of Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cells

The vascular endothelium is essential to normal vascular homeostasis. Its dysfunction participates in various cardiovascular disorders. The mouse is an important model for cardiovascular disease research. This study demonstrates a simple method to isolate and culture endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without any special equipment. To isolate endothelial cells, the thoracic aorta is quickly removed from the mouse body, and the attached adipose tissue and connective tissue are removed from the aorta. The aorta is cut into 1 mm rings. Each aortic ring is opened and seeded onto a growth factor reduced matrix with the endothelium facing down. The segments are cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for about 4 days. The endothelial sprouting starts as early as day 2. The segments are then removed and the cells are cultured continually until they reach confluence. The endothelial cells are harvested using neutral proteinase and cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for another two passages before being used for experiments. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that after the second passage the majority of cells were double positive for Dil-ac-LDL uptake, Lectin binding, and CD31 staining, the typical characteristics of endothelial cells. It is suggested that cells at the second to third passages are suitable for in vitro and in vivo experiments to study the endothelial biology. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying specific cellular and molecular mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

The vascular endothelial cells play a significant role in many important cardiovascular disorders. This article describes a simple method to isolate and expand endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without using any special equipment. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

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Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin

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Epidermal keratinocytes form a functional skin barrier and are positioned at the front line of host defense against external environmental insults. Here we describe methods for isolation and primary culture of epidermal keratinocytes from neonatal and adult mouse skin, and induction of terminal differentiation and UVB-triggered inflammatory response from keratinocytes.

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The hormone which the adrenal cortex secretes is vital for animals against stress and diseases. The method described here is the procedure of primary cultured rat adrenal cells and related functional assays (immunofluorescence staining of lipid droplet surface protein, as well as corticosterone analysis). Unlike an in vivo model, the variation of interexperiments in adrenal monolayer cultures is less and the experimental condition is easy to control. Besides, the source of rats is also more stable than other animals, like bovine ones. There are also several human adrenal cell lines (NCI-H295, NCI-H295R, SW13, etc.) that can be used in adrenal studies. However, the steroid production of these lines will still be influenced by numerous factors, which include serum lot number, passage number, mutant/loss of distinct genes, etc. Except for lacking 17&#945;-hydroxylase, the primary culture of rat adrenocortical cells is a better and more convenient technique for studying adrenal physiology. In summary, primary rat adrenal cultures could be a good in vitro platform for researchers to investigate the mechanisms of the reagent of interest in the adrenal gland system.

The hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex is vital for animals against stress and diseases. Here, we present a protocol to culture the primary rat adrenal cells. It could be a good in vitro platform for investigating the mechanisms of the reagent of interest in adrenal steroidogenesis and lipid biosynthesis.

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Isolation and Culture of Primary Aortic Endothelial Cells from Miniature Pigs

Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the shortage of human organs for patients with end-stage organ failure, and the pig is considered as a suitable organ source. Immune rejection and coagulation are two major hurdles for the success of xenotransplantation. Vascular endothelial cell (EC) injury and dysfunction are important for the development of the inflammation and coagulation responses in xenotransplantation. Thus, isolation of porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs) is necessary for investigating the immune rejection and coagulation responses. Here, we have developed a simple enzymatic approach for the isolation, characterization, and expansion of highly purified pAECs from miniature pigs. First, the miniature pig was anaesthetized with ketamine, and a length of aorta was excised. Second, the endothelial surface of aorta was exposed to 0.005% collagenase IV digestive solution for 15 min. Third, the endothelial surface of the aorta was scraped in only one direction with a cell scraper (&#60;10 times), and was not compressed during the process of scraping. Finally, the isolated pAECs of Day 3, and after passage 1 and passage 2, were identified by flow cytometry with an anti-CD31 antibody. The percentages of CD31-positive cells were 97.4% &#177; 1.2%, 94.4% &#177; 1.1%, and 92.4% &#177; 1.7% (mean &#177; SD), respectively. The concentration of Collagenase IV, the digestive time, the direction, and frequency and intensity of scraping are critical for decreasing fibroblast contamination and obtaining high-purity and a large number of ECs. In conclusion, our enzymatic method is a highly-effctive method for isolating ECs from the miniature pig aorta, and the cells can be expanded in vitro to investigate the immune and coagulation responses in xenotransplantation.

An effective enzymatic method for isolation of primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs) from miniature pigs is described. The isolated primary pAECs can be used to investigate the immune and coagulation response in xenotransplantation.

Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the shortage of human organs for patients with end-stage organ failure, and the pig is considered as a ...

Isolation, Transfection, and Long-Term Culture of Adult Mouse and Rat Cardiomyocytes

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The mouse and the rat are the two most preferred laboratory animals to be used for cardiomyocyte isolation. While the long-term culture of rat CMs is possible, adult mouse CMs are susceptible to death and cannot be cultured more than five days under normal conditions. Therefore, there is a critical need to optimize the cell isolation and long-term culture protocol for adult murine CMs. With this modified protocol, it is possible to successfully isolate and culture both adult mouse and rat CMs for more than 20 days. Moreover, the siRNA transfection efficiency of isolated CM is significantly increased compared to previous reports. For adult mouse CM isolation, the Langendorff perfusion method is utilized with an optimal enzyme solution and sufficient time for complete extracellular matrix dissociation. In order to obtain pure ventricular CMs, both atria were dissected and discarded before proceeding with the disassociation and plating. Cells were dispersed on a laminin coated plate, which allowed for efficient and rapid attachment. CMs were allowed to settle for 4-6 h before siRNA transfection. Culture media was refreshed every 24 h for 20 days, and subsequently, CMs were fixed and stained for cardiac-specific markers such as Troponin and markers of cell cycle such as KI67.

Here, we present a protocol for the isolation, transfection, and long-term culture of adult mouse and rat cardiomyocytes.

Ex vivo culture of the adult mammalian cardiomyocytes (CMs) presents the most relevant experimental system for the in vitro study of cardiac biology. ...

Isolation, Culture, and Genetic Engineering of Mammalian Primary Pigment Epithelial Cells for Non-Viral Gene Therapy

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of blindness in patients &#62;60 years, affecting ~30 million people worldwide. AMD is a multifactorial disease influenced by environmental and genetic factors, which lead to functional impairment of the retina due to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell degeneration followed by photoreceptor degradation. An ideal treatment would include the transplantation of healthy RPE cells secreting neuroprotective factors to prevent RPE cell death and photoreceptor degeneration. Due to the functional and genetic similarities and the possibility of a less invasive biopsy, the transplantation of iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cells was proposed as a substitute for the degenerated RPE. Secretion of neuroprotective factors by a low number of subretinally-transplanted cells can be achieved by Sleeping Beauty (SB100X) transposon-mediated transfection with genes coding for the pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and/or the granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). We established the isolation, culture, and SB100X-mediated transfection of RPE and IPE cells from various species including rodents, pigs, and cattle. Globes are explanted and the cornea and lens are removed to access the iris and the retina. Using a custom-made spatula, IPE cells are removed from the isolated iris. To harvest RPE cells, a trypsin incubation may be required, depending on the species. Then, using RPE-customized spatula, cells are suspended in medium. After seeding, cells are monitored twice per week and, after reaching confluence, transfected by electroporation. Gene integration, expression, protein secretion, and function were confirmed by qPCR, WB, ELISA, immunofluorescence, and functional assays. Depending on the species, 30,000-5 million (RPE) and 10,000-1.5 million (IPE) cells can be isolated per eye. Genetically modified cells show significant PEDF/GM-CSF overexpression with the capacity to reduce oxidative stress and offers a flexible system for ex vivo&#160;analyses and in vivo studies transferable to humans to develop ocular gene therapy approaches.

Here, a protocol to isolate and transfect primary iris and retinal pigment epithelial cells from various mammals (mice, rat, rabbit, pig, and bovine) is presented. The method is ideally suited to study ocular gene therapy approaches in various set-ups for ex vivo&#160;analyses and&#160;in vivo studies transferable to humans.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of blindness in patients &#62;60 years, affecting ~30 million people worldwide. AMD is a ...

Isolation of Primary Rat Hepatocytes with Multiparameter Perfusion Control

Primary hepatocytes are widely used in basic research on liver diseases and for toxicity testing in vitro. The two-step collagenase perfusion procedure for primary hepatocyte isolation is technically challenging, especially in portal vein cannulation. The procedure is also prone to occasional contamination and variations in perfusion conditions due to difficulties in the assembly, optimization, or maintenance of the perfusion setup. Here, a detailed protocol for an improved two-step collagenase perfusion procedure with multiparameter perfusion control is presented. Primary rat hepatocytes were successfully and reliably isolated by taking the necessary technical precautions at critical steps of the procedure, and by reducing the operational difficulty and mitigating the variability of perfusion parameters through the adoption of a special intravenous catheter, standardized sterile disposable tubing, temperature control, and real-time monitoring and alarm system. The isolated primary rat hepatocytes consistently exhibit high cell viability (85%-95%), yield (2-5 x 108 cells per 200-300 g rat) and functionality (albumin, urea and CYP activity). The procedure was complemented by an integrated perfusion system, which is compact enough to be set up in the laminar flow hood to ensure aseptic operation.

This protocol details the use of a special intravenous catheter, standardized sterile disposable tubing, temperature control complemented by real-time monitoring, and an alarm system for two-step collagenase perfusion procedure to improve the consistency in the viability, yield, and functionality of isolated primary rat hepatocytes.

Primary hepatocytes are widely used in basic research on liver diseases and for toxicity testing in vitro. The two-step collagenase perfusion procedure ...