Culture of vascular smooth muscle cells from coronary arteries of diabetic rats / 中国药理学通报

ABSTRACT

Aim To investigate the method of culturing vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) of coronary arteries derived from experimental diabetic rats and to establish the model of VSMC for the study of chronic cardiovascular diseases of diabetes. Method After the establishment of the model of diabetic rats, the coronary arteries of rats were separated carefully to culture VSMC using the method of explanting culture. Results The primary culture of VSMC was performed successfully by the method mentioned above. The cells could be isolated by different kinds of digestive enzyme in three steps. 7 ~10 days afterward, the cells overlapped in layers and displayed the typical ‘hill and valley’ pattern and positive immunochemical staining for smooth muscle actin. Conclusion VSMC from experimental diabetes proliferates faster than normal VSMC and its cultivating condition is strictly limited. The morphology of diabetic VSMC is as same as that of normal rats.