[Expansion of primary bronchial epithelial cell cultures].
OBJECTIVE
Cell cultures provide a good model for studying lung diseases but they are difficult to reproduce and the number of cells obtained is limited. The aim of this study was to develop a way to increase the production of human bronchial epithelial cells (BEC) in primary cultures.


METHODS
A total of 12 samples (9 from surgical specimens and 3 from endoscopic biopsies) were processed on plates coated with type I collagen with growth medium supplemented for BEC. When cell proliferation started, the explants were removed for successive subculturing. The remaining cells were left to proliferate and were trypsinized after 50% confluence. We recorded the number of cells obtained, cell viability, and the percentage positive for cytokeratin 7.


RESULTS
The total number of cells obtained by this method was 3-fold the number of human BEC obtained with simple primary cultures. The maximum number of subcultures was 5, mean (SD) cell viability was 91.9% (11.7%), and the percentage of cells positive for cytokeratin 7 was 30.71% (10.68%).


CONCLUSIONS
The described method for expanding primary BEC cultures increases cell production.
Margarit
G
G
Departamento de Neumología, Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. gmargarit@hsp.santpau.es
Belda
J
J
Casan
P
P
Sanchis
J
J
D000368:Aged; D001980:Bronchi / Q000166:cytology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged