Moorghen M, Chapman M, Appleton D R
Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K.
J Pathol. 1996 Sep;180(1):102-5. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9896(199609)180:1<102::AID-PATH613>3.0.CO;2-S.
This study describes an explant organ-culture system in which human colonic mucosa can be maintained for prolonged periods in serum-free medium. Following an initial phase of epithelial cell loss, there was intense regenerative activity, with the reformation of tubular crypts. Estimation of crypt lengths revealed a marked reduction after 5 and 9 days in culture with corresponding increases in labelling indices for the whole crypt. The shapes of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-flash-labelling distribution curves were consistent with a proliferative compartment situated within the lower two-thirds of the crypt. We conclude that this is a useful in vitro model for the study of the effects of growth factors and growth-inhibitory agents in respect of cell proliferation in human colonic mucosa.
