Isolated gastric mucosal cells: a model for gastric injury induced by bile acids

ABSTRACT

The current study examined the deleterious effect of glycocholic [GC] and deoxycholic acids [DC] exposure of isolated gastric mucosal cells in culture. Bile salts were known to be injurious to gastric mucosa. Dispersed gastric cells were obtained from rabbit gastric mucosa by collagenase digestion technique. Freshly isolated gastric cells were exposed to 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 mmol/L of glycocholic and deoxycholic acids for period of up to 45 minutes in C-199 medium with 10% fetal bovine serum [FBS] [pH 7.0-7.4]. Control cell suspension was exposed to salt solution phosphate buffer saline [PBS++] without DC or GC. An attempt to establish long cell culture model was not successful as the isolated gastric cells rapidly lose their characteristic phenotypes and convert into fibroblast-like cells within one week in culture, in spite their continuous expression of cytokeratin of epithelial cells. Ultrastructural changes of timed series of samples were observed. Widespread epithelial and endothelial cells changes were seen. The most prominent alteration was degranulation of apical mucin secreting cells and excessive cytoplasmic vesiculation. The zymogen secreting cell appeared more resistant to bile salts effect, whereas the parietal cells showed excessive breaking of intracellular canaliculi [ICC]. The enteroendocrine cells exhibited loss of mitochondrial cristae, loss of their granulations, cytoplasmic vesiculation and lipid accumulation