title: Isolation and functional studies of human fetal gastric epithelium in primary culture.
abstract: Our understanding of gastric epithelial physiology in man is limited by the absence of normal or appropriate cancer cell lines that could serve as an in vitro model. Research mostly relied on primary culture of gastric epithelial cells of animal species, enriched with surface mucous cells, and devoid of glandular zymogenic chief cells. We successfully applied a new nonenzymatic procedure using Matrisperse Cell Recovery Solution to dissociate the entire epithelium from human fetal stomach. Cultures were generated by seeding multicellular aggregates prepared by mechanical fragmentation. We further demonstrate that this simple and convenient technique allows for the maintenance of heterogenous gastric epithelial primary cultures on plastic without a biological matrix as well as the persistence of viable chief cells able to synthesize and secrete gastric digestive enzymes, i.e., pepsinogen and gastric lipase. In wounding experiments, epithelial restitution occurred in serum-reduced conditions and was modulated by exogenous agents. This culture system is thus representative of the foveolus-gland axis and offers new perspectives to establish the influence of individual growth factors and extracellular matrix components as well as their combinatory effects on gastric epithelium homeostasis.
authors: CIHR Team on Digestive Epithelium, Département d'anatomie et de biologie cellulaire, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Chailler
authors: Jean-François
authors: JF
authors: Beaulieu
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Ménard
mesh_terms: D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods; D004210:Dissection / Q000379:methods; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D061251:Primary Cell Culture / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins