Body Fluid of the Mammalian Embryo as a Medium for Tissue Culture Work

Abstract

The exudates in the peritoneal cavity of the frog and guinea pig have recently been used 1 as culture media for cultures in vitro. In the present experiments, various tissues of the albino rat have been successfully cultivated in the peritoneal cavity exudate of the same animal. However, the growth of certain tissues, which it was particularly desired to cultivate was not so vigorous as hoped for. Consequently an endeavor was made to find a culture medium better adapted for the cultivation in vitro of these tissues.

Attention was centered upon a medium containing embryonic tissue juice because of the favorable results obtained by various investigators with this type of medium. It was felt, however, that the usual method of obtaining the embryonic tissue juice by mincing the embryonic tissues in a saline solution might be improved upon by using body fluids normally present in the embryo. There was the possibility that these fluids might contain the growth promoting substances and thus obviate the necessity of adding embryonic tissue juice to them.

In working with newborn albino rats it was observed that a clear fluid would flow from little cuts in the skin, and it was decided to try this exudate. However, there was considerable difficulty in getting a sufficient supply for use as a culture medium. It was found that a much more abundant supply of body fluid could be obtained from the embryo by inserting the point of a fine bore pipette through the skin and frontal bone into the underlying cranial cavity. Care should be taken not to insert the point of the pipette too deeply or the brain tissue may be disturbed and bits of it be taken up into the pipette.