[Use of the plastic "Terphane" for the maintenance and the study of cell cultures].

Terphane plastic used as substrate for tissue culture, facilitates both cytochemcial, biochemical and ulstratructural studies of cells in situ. Particularly pliable, thin and resistant, the sheet of Terphane plastic is held tense by a system of two plaques of Petri dish type. This apparatus is perfectly waterproof, sterilisable and may be used indefinitely. Growth, morphology, ultrastructure and enzyme activities of primary or subcultures of rat and human liver maintained on terphane plastic are comparable with those of cells cultivated on Falcon polystyrene. Furthermore, terphane offers several advantages over the Melinex plastic: its thinness, resistance and plasticity render easy all manipulations.