CULTURE OF ARTERIAL CHEMORECEPTOR CELLS FROM ADULT CATS IN DEFINED MEDIUM

Recently patch clamp techniques and optical fluorometric techniques ha ve been applied to freshly dissociated or cultured carotid body glomus cells to investigate chemosensory mechanisms of the carotid. body. Ho wever, very few studies have shown the effects of the dissociation and /or culture conditions on the health and function of the cells. The pu rpose of this study was to develop a culture method which support heal thy and functioning carotid body cells from adult cats. Carotid bodies were dissociated with 0.1-0.2% collagenase and gentle trituration. Th e cells were plated on glass wells coated with poly-D-lysin and Matrig el, and cultured in chemically defined medium. Culture was maintained for up to 37 days without overgrowth of fibroblasts. Glomus cells exte nded their processes within and from clusters. Single glomus cells acq uired the shape of neurons. Glomus cells synthesized dopamine and its secretion increased during exposure of the cells to hypoxia. Tyrosine hydroxylase was expressed throughout the culture period. These results indicate that glomus cells cultured under conditions described here a re healthy and function in a manner similar to that in vivo.