Explant organ culture: A review

Abstract

Organ explant culture models offer several significant advantages for studies of patho-physiologic mechanisms like cell injury, secretion, differentiation and structure development. Organs or small explants/slices can be removed in vivo and maintained in vitro for extended periods of time if careful attention is paid to the media composition, substrate selection, and atmosphere. In the case of human tissues obtained from autopsy or surgery, additional attention must be paid to the postmortem interval, temperature, hydration, and cause of death. Explant organ culture has been effectively utilized to establish outgrowth cell cultures and characterize the histiotypic relationships between the various cell types within an organ or tissue.

Study of ethanol induced toxicity in liver explants using microfluidic devices

“…Such an approach would enable the normal architecture of the tissues with its three-dimensional intercellular complex relationships to be maintained in culture conditions (Jones et al 1981). Traditionally explant culture is carried out in vessels submersed with media in rocking chambers, platforms or roller bottle equipment to improve diffusion of nutrients into the tissue (Resau et al 1991). The methodology is however problematical when used in biological laboratories as it lacks the ability to maintain the tissue morphology and functionality during culture, due to a lack of oxygen diffusion of into the explant coupled with the diffusive removal of toxic metabolites (Sundstrom et al 2005).…”

Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus plantarum strains downregulate proinflammatory genes in an ex vivo system of cultured human colonic mucosa

“…The implementation of a human colonic organ culture system allows the use of human material obtained from diagnostic biopsies or after surgery. This system has favorable features for laboratory assays: the tissue preserves histological and immunohistochemical features for up to 2 days, and histiotypic relationships and interactions between different cell types remain intact (Dame et al 2010;Resau et al 1991). In fact, previous works demonstrated the responsiveness of cultured ileal fragments in coculture with probiotic and commensal bacteria (Borruel et al 2002;Llopis et al 2009).…”

Retroviral Gene Transfer in Chondrogenic Limb Bud Micromass Cultures

“…Strategies similar to those described here can be applied to other organotypic cultures (16,36); however, specific conditions have to be developed for each culture as different cells will vary both in their response to viral vectors and their phenotypic stability. …”