Cortical cell elution by sedimentation field-flow fractionation

As a cell sorter, Sedimentation field-flow fractionation (SdFFF) can be def ined as an effective tool for cell separation and purification, respecting integrity and viability as well as providing enhanced recovery and purified sterile fraction collection. The complex cell suspension containing both n eurons and glial cells of all types, obtained from cerebral cortices of 17- day-old rat fetuses, is routinely used as a model of primary neuronal cultu re. Using SdFFF, this complex cell mixture was eluted in sterile fractions which were collected and Cultured. SdFFF Cell elution was conducted under s trictly defined conditions: rapid cell elution, high recovery (negligible c ell trapping), short- and long-term cell viability, sterile collection. Aft er immunological cellular type characterization (neurons and glial cells) o f cultured cells, our results demonstrated the effectiveness of SdFFF to pr ovide, in less than 6 min, viable and enriched neurons which can be culture d for further investigations. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.