Organotypic Culture of Spinal Cord Slice Compared with Spinal Cord in vivo

Abstract: This study was aimed at investigating if the organotypic cultured spinal cord slices have similar morphology and stable number of α-motor neurons compared with spinal cord in vivo. The slice cultures were prepared using lumbar spinal cord slices from 8-day-old rat. α-motor neuron survival was evaluated by morphological observation and by immunohistochemistry staining with monoclonal antibody SMI-32， a nonphosphorylated neurofilament marker. The number of α-motor neurons in the cultured spinal cords was compared with that of age-matched uncultured spinal cord. The results showed that the spinal cord explants could be maintained in culture for not more than 2 months with excellent organotypic cellular organization and a stable population of ventral motor neurons. The number of α-motor neurons in the cultured spinal cords was comparable to age-matched uncultured lumbar spinal cord in vivo. Organotypic culture may provide an effective method to study physiological and pathological changes of spinal cord and to study neuroprotection of spinal cord.
    

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2004.03.0021