Morphological Observations of Rabbit Gastric Fundus Cells in Primary Culture

The morphological properties of the cells isolated from rabbit gastric fundus and the cells grown on a collagen gel sheet were investigated, using both light and scanning electron microscopes. The cells used for this study were obtained in the form of lumps from the isthmus region. The lumps consisted of 4 different types of cells (mucous and immatured cells, and a small number of chief and parietal cells). These isolated cells were then grow on collagen gel in a defined medium. However, two of those cells (chief and parietal cells) gradually disappeared as the culture time progressed. The majority of the cells grown on the gel were found to be mucous and assorted unidentified cells. The mucous cells were covered with many short microvilli, and many PAS positive granules in their cytoplasm. Some of those cells were covered with a mucous like substance. Judging from the staining properties of each cell, the unidentified cells appeared to indicate that they were immature cells. It was found that the cell's morphology and population retained constant regardless of whether Bh-EGF was administered or not.