title: [A comparative study on three models of co-culture of neurons and astrocytes].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find a better method for harvesting highly purified neurons by comparing three methods used for co-culture of neurons and astrocytes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The co-culture models of neurons and astrocytes were established by primary culture, Banker's co-culture method or Transwell cell-culture inserts. The neurons and astrocytes cultured in vitro were from neonatal rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highly purified neurons were not harvested by primary culture because the neurons and astrocytes grew on the same cover slip and it was difficult to control the growth velocity of astrocytes. The highly purified neurons were harvested by Banker's co-culture method or the method using Transwell cell-culture inserts, but the procedure of the former was more complicated than that of the later.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The culture method using Transwell cell-culture inserts is recommended for the establishment of the co-culture system of neurons and astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China. Email: dffmmao@126.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: De-Zhi
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology