Tissue culture of the enteric nervous system from equine ileum

Ileal samples were harvested fresh from euthanized adult horses. The tissue s were microdissected to prepare wholemount preparations for immunohistoche mistry and for either explant or dissociated culture systems of the enteric nervous system. Explant culture systems were established using wholemounts of either the submucous plexus or the muscularis externa (including the my enteric plexus). Dissociated cell cultures could only be obtained from the submucous plexus. Culture systems were maintained for up to 5 days. Immunor eactivity for a neuronal marker (Pan-N) and for glial cell markers (GFAP an d S100) indicated the presence of both neurons and enteric glia in the tiss ue culture preparations. This is the first report of equine enteric neurons being grown in tissue cu lture. Further refinements to the techniques will be required before this i n vitro model can be used for quantitative analysis.