Primary cultures of normal rat kidney proximal tubule epithelial cells for studies of renal cell injury.

Normal rat kidney proximal tubule epithelial cell cultures were obtained by collagenase digestion of cortex and studied for 10 days. To assess the purity of the seeding suspension, we histochemically demonstrated gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase in greater than 95% of the starting material. To identify cell types in cultures, we investigated several markers. Cells stained positively for lectin Arachis hypogaea (rat proximal tubule) and negatively for Lotus tetragonolobus (rat distal tubule). Intermediate filament expression of cytokeratin confirmed the epithelial differentiation of the cultured cells. Using indirect immunofluorescence, we found that cultures were negative for vimentin and Factor VIII. Cells exhibited activities of two brush border enzymes, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and leucine aminopeptidase, and Na(+)-dependent glucose transport activity. Multicellular domes were evident in the Week 2 of culture. Proliferation was studied by comparing growth factor-supplemented serum-free medium to cells grown in serum; growth enhancers included insulin, hydrocortisone, transferrin, glucose, bovine albumin, and epidermal growth factor. Cells proliferate best in medium with 5 or 10% serum and in serum-free medium supplemented with insulin, hydrocortisone, transferrin, glucose, and bovine albumin. Proliferation was assessed by determining cell number (population doublings). By light microscopy, the cells were squamous with numerous mitochondria, a central nucleus, and a rather well-defined homogeneous ectoplasm. By electron microscopy, the cells were polarized with microvilli and cell junctions at the upper surface and a thin basal lamina toward the culture dish. These data show that the proximal tubule epithelial cells retain a number of functional characteristics and that they represent an excellent model for studies of normal and abnormal biology of the renal proximal tubule epithelium.

Protection of hepatocytes with hyperoxia against carbon tetrachloride-induced injury.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HPO) was administered to rats (100% O2 at 2.8 atm for 90 min) immediately or 1 hr after severe carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) intoxication in order to study the mechanisms of protection against hepatocellular injury by hyperoxia. Slight to moderate hepatocellular injury was observed, particularly by morphologic criteria, 4 hr after CCl4 intoxication. Little cell death was observed; 24 hr after CCl4, 20% of the untreated animals died. In the survivors, the following typical changes occurred in the liver: extensive hepatocellular swelling, vacuolization and necrosis; severe ultrastructural alterations; binding of CCl4 to microsomal lipids; elevation of lipid peroxidation products (conjugated dienes); little decrease in cytochrome b5 and severe decrease in cytochrome P-450 levels. Serum transaminase (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase) levels were elevated. Immediate treatment with HPO prevented the mortality and markedly decreased the hepatocellular necrosis 24 hr after intoxication. Immediate HPO treatment did not lower the levels of free CCl4 in the liver. However, the rise in lipid peroxidation products caused by CCl4 intoxication at 4 hr was reduced. Delayed treatment with HPO (1 hr after CCl4) prevented the mortality but was less effective in preventing necrosis. Some hepatocellular protection was still demonstrable. In particular, the rise in lipid peroxidation products was reduced. Hyperoxia protects hepatocytes against CCl4 toxicity. The rapid decline in protective effect within 60 min of intoxication suggests that hyperoxia inhibits CCl4 activation and/or damage from molecular intermediates. Hyperoxia has little effect on the progression of sublethal injury to cell death in the livers of CCl4-intoxicated rats.

Fatal barium embolization due to incorrect vaginal rather than colonic insertion. An ultrastructural and x-ray microanalysis study.

Fatal generalized barium sulfate (BaSO4) embolization followed erroneous vaginal insertion of the enema tip intended for colon examination. Light microscopy revealed the presence of swollen, granular reticuloendothelial cells in most visceral organs such as lung, liver, spleen, bone marrow, kidney, and brain. Transmission electron microscopy showed the reticuloendothelial cells loaded with uniformly electron-dense granules of various sizes. Scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy-dispersive x-ray analyzer confirmed the BaSO4 composition of these granules when unstained paraffin sections of different organs mounted on glass slides without coverslips were examined. The use of the technique of x-ray microanalysis is recommended when absolute identification of inorganic material in human organs is needed. The technique can be used directly on routine paraffin-embedded material mounted on glass slides as well as with material expressly prepared.

A simple method of staining juxtaglomerular granules in the rat kidney for high resolution light microscopy.

A simple method for the demonstration of juxtaglomerular granules in Epon embedded semithin (0.5-1 micrometer) sections has been developed as follows: sections are prepared as for routine electron microscopy except that before dehydration, the tissues are immersed in 0.5% uranyl acetate in Veronal acetate buffer (pH 5.0) overnight at room temperature. After sectioning on an ultramicrotome, the semithin sections are briefly stained with toluidine blue-pyronin Y. After staining, the section is rinsed in running tap water and then air dried. Under a light microscope with a 40 X or a 100 X objective, the juxtaglomerular granules appear as deep purple particles and are thus easily separated from the bluish cytoplasm of the juxtaglomerular cells. Cellular organelles in other cells of the kidney were also clearly stained and their fine structure distinguishable.

Clonal growth of epithelial cells from normal adult human bronchus.

Normal primary epithelial cell cultures devoid of fibroblastic cells have been developed from tissue explants of adult human bronchi. Conditions for clonal growth of secondary cultures of bronchial epithelial cells were optimized by coculturing the human cells with mitomycin C growth-arrested Swiss 3T3 mouse feeder cells, lowering the calcium concentration of medium M199, and supplementing it with hydrocortisone, insulin, cholera toxin, epidermal growth factor, and 1.25% fetal bovine serum. The epithelial cells grew for an average of 35 population doublings and had the normal human karyotype, expressed keratin and blood group antigen epithelial cell markers, metabolized benzo(a)pyrene, and were capable of differentiating into both ciliated and squamous cells. This culture system makes it potentially possible to investigate various aspects of differentiation and carcinogenesis in human bronchial epithelial cells.

Energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis of mitochondrial deposits in sideroblastic anemia.

Energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis was used to analyze mitochondrial and lysosomal iron-containing deposits in sideroblastic anemia. Although it has been previously known that these deposits contain iron by inference from Prussian blue staining, the possible presence of other cations as well as the nature of the anions present has not been identified. The results show that the mitochondrial deposits in erythroid cells have peaks for iron and phosphorus indicating that they do not represent calcifications which commonly occur following injury and that the principal anion may be phosphorus. Studies of hemosiderin and ferritin aggregates in lysosomes of macrophages in the same bone marrow samples again reveal similar peaks for iron and phosphorus. The results also indicate the probable similarity of mitochondrial and macrophage deposists although ferritin itself was never identified in the mitochondrial deposits. The results illustrate the potential of this method for diagnostic and investigative pathology.

Isolation and characterization of epithelial cells from bovine pancreatic duct.

Epithelial cells derived from bovine pancreatic duct have been grown continuously in culture for 30 weeks (approximately 90 doublings of the cell population). The cells were grown in Eagle's minimal essential medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum, 2 mM glutamine, 0.1 mM nonessential amino acids, and antibiotics. In confluent cultures, the cells are multilayered and form circular structures. When tested at various passages, the cells neither formed colonies in soft agar nor produced tumors after inoculation into athymic, nude mice. Hydrocortisone (1 and 5 microgram per ml) and insulin (1,5 and 10 microgram per ml) had no effect on the growth of the cells. beta-Retinyl acetate inhibited growth rate and cell yield at a concentration of 5 microgram per ml but was not growth-inhibitory at lower concentrations. By electron microscopy the cells have numerous mitochondria, Golgi and microvilli. Mucous droplets were observed in a small proportion of the cells. Desmosome-like structures and occluding junctions were observed more frequently between cells that had been transferred as aggregates than between cells transferred as single cells. Cytochemical studies indicated that some cells produce PAS positive granules that were not removed after treatment of the cultures with diastase. Eleven cell clones were isolated from the mass culture. The growth rates of the clones are different as well as the period of time in which the clones can be propagated in vitro.

Long-term organ culture of human bronchial epithelium.

Human bronchial epithelium has been maintained in organ culture in serum-supplemented medium for 4 months. After 4 to 6 weeks in culture, various changes in morphology were apparent. There was an increase in autophagic vacuoles in mucous, ciliated, and basal cells, a reduction in the height of the columnar cells, a decrease in the number of goblet mucous cells, and an increase in cells with small mucous granules. After 3 months in culture, the basal lamina was frequently covered by 2 or 3 layers of epithelial cells consisting of nonkeratinizing squamous cells with short microvilli and small mucous granules. Less frequently, keratinizing squamous cells were seen. Differentiated epithelium incorporated precursors into macromolecules in serum-free medium, supplemented with vitamin A, at 1 week of culture. These explants exhibited changed epithelium by 2 weeks, similar to that described for epithelium in serum-supplemented medium after 4 to 6 weeks.