Transmission electron microscopy of cocultures between normal rat brain tissue and rat glioma cells.

An ultrastructural study of cocultures between fragments of normal rat brain tissue and aggregates of BT 5C rat glioma cells is herein described. Glioma cells invaded and replaced the peripheral parts of the brain fragments. Degeneration of brain tissue was seen all over the normal structures. Specialized junctional structures between normal and malignant cells were observed. The phagocytic activity of invading glioma cells was not increased as compared to non-invading cells. Insofar as interaction between normal brain tissue and glioma cells can be studied in detail in these cocultures, they may also be useful as a test system for the study of potential chemotherapeutic agents against gliomas.