A method for establishing primary cultures of human gastric epithelial cells.

Long-term culture of human gastric epithelial cells has been difficult, and at present no normal human gastric epithelial cell lines are readily available. As part of our experiments to study pathogenesis of H. pylori, a bacterium that infects the stomach, we developed methods to culture normal human gastric epithelial cells. Primary cultures of human gastric epithelial cells can be established from gastric biopsies taken at upper G.I. endoscopy. Enzymatically isolated gastric epithelial-like cells are present in tight colonies on culture dishes within 24 hours of placing the cells in culture. Cells isolated stain positively for cytokeratin and produce neutral mucins, indicating that they are mucin secreting epithelial cells, consistent with gastric epithelial cells. Epithelial cells can be maintained up to 4 weeks in culture with evidence of DNA synthesis up through the first week of culture.