title: Primary dissociated cultures of human brainstem cells: a useful tool for their characterization and neuroprotection study.
abstract: Dissociated cell cultures were prepared from brainstems of 5- to 10-week-old human fetuses. Catecholamine- as well as indolamine-containing cells were visualized using respectively dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5HT) as immunocytochemical markers. NA-, DA-, and 5HT-stained cells were characterized in the rhombencephalic cultures, representing respectively the fetal localization of the locus coeruleus and raphe nuclei. DA-stained cells were characterized in the mesencephalic cultures; these DA-cells originating from the substantia nigra presented morphological aspects different from the DA-rhombencephalic cells. Two types of GABA neurons and glial cells presenting glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFA-P) reactivity were also found in all the cultures. Two non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists, 1-[1-(2-thienyl)cyclohexyl]piperidine (TCP) and cis-Pip/Me 1-[1-(2-thienyl)-2-methylcyclohexyl]piperidine (GK11) in enantiomeric form (-), have been investigated for survival on rhombencephalic cultured cells. The number of 5HT-cells was found to be greater in the treated cultures than in the control ones. This in vitro system appears to be a useful tool for the investigation of the development of central nervous system (CNS) cells as well as the study of neuroprotection.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U336, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Levallois
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Calvet
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kamenka
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petite
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Privat
mesh_terms: D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development