Long-term culture of human aortas |
| |
Authors: | Lucy A Barrett Wolfgang J Mergner Benjamin F Trump |
| |
Institution: | (1) Cellular Pathobiology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland |
| |
Abstract: | Summary Segments of human thoracic aorta were maintained in long-term explant culture for 18 weeks in serum-supplemented medium. The
aortas were grossly normal in appearance, and random samples fixed for light microscopy prior to culture revealed a normal
morphology. The intima contained no more than five layers of smooth muscle cells. After 7 days in culture, the intima was
noticeably thicker than the uncultured segments. The increased thickness was due to proliferating smooth muscle cells and
production of extracellular material. After several months in culture, extracellular material consisting of collagen and flocculent
material was present in areas resembling atherosclerotic fibrous plaques. A peripheral growth, which formed around the explant,
was composed of fibroblastlike cells and added to the overall thickness of the intima. However, aortic segment maintained
for up to 2 months in serum-free culture medium showed no cellular proliferation. This study demonstrates that changes resembling
early stages of atherosclerosis occur in human aortas maintained in explant culture using routine culture procedures.
Supported in part by the Pangborn Fund and the Graduate School of the University of Maryland.
This is publication 443 from the Cellular Pathobiology Laboratory. |
| |
Keywords: | organ culture human aorta atherosclerosis smooth muscle cells |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|