Long term organ culture of human prostate tissue in a NASA-designed rotating wall bioreactor

Purpose: To maintain ex vivo integral prostatic tissue including intact str omal and ductal elements using the NASA-designed Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) which maintains colocalized cells in an environment that promotes both thr ee-dimensional cellular interactions together with the uniform mass transfe r of nutrients and metabolic wastes. Materials and Methods: Samples of normal. prostate were obtained as a bypro duct of transurethral prostatectomy or needle biopsy. Prostatic tissue diss ected into small 1 X 1 mm. blocks was cultured in the Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) Bioreactor for various time periods and analyzed using histological, immunochemical, and total cell. RNA assays. Results: We report the long term maintenance of benign explanted human pros tate tissue grown in simple culture medium, under the simulated microgravit y conditions afforded by the RWV bioreactor. Mesenchymal stromal elements i ncluding blood vessels and architecturally preserved tubuloglandular acini were maintained for a minimum of 28 days. Cytokeratins, vimentin and TGF-be ta(2) receptor and ligand were preserved through the entire culture period as revealed by immunocytochemistry. Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) was co ntinuously expressed during the culture period, although somewhat decreased . Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and its transcript were down regulated o ver time of culture. Prostatic carcinoma cells from the TSU cell line were able to invade RWV-cultured benign prostate tissue explants. Conclusions: The RWV bioreactor represents an additional new technology for culturing prostate tissue for further investigations concerning the basic physiology and pathobiology of this clinically important tissue.