Cell attachment, growth characteristics and surface morphology of human upper-respiratory tract epithelium cultured on extracellular matrix.

The advantageous utilization of nasal polypoid tissue as a source for human epithelial cells and the dramatic effect of extracellular matrix on growth and differentiation of these cells were demonstrated. Plating on extracellular matrix induced rapid, firm, cell attachment and flattening of the explants, promoted cell outgrowth as well as long-term survival of epithelial cells in primary cultures. Prominent ciliary activity was observed on the cells of the explant and on the cells in the outgrowth. These cells could be maintained on the extracellular matrix coated dishes for prolonged periods even after removal of the explant, with the cells in the outgrowth covering the region occupied by the removed explant. Prominent ciliary activity, which is considered one of the main criteria for cell viability and differentiation, continued also in the absence of the explant. The present system for cultivation of human upper respiratory tract epithelial cells on extracellular matrix might prove of value in analysing effects of chemotherapeutic agents that influence normal differentiation as well as the effects of viral and chemical carcinogens on these cells in human respiratory disease.