Isolation and identification of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from neonatal rats / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To develop new methods to cultivate, retrieve and purify oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Methods Primary OPCs were isolated from mixed glial cultures of newborn Sprague Dawley rat forebrains by using a selective detachment procedure, further purified by differential adhesion, and maintained in a chemical conditioned medium. The characteristic of OPCs was determined by both electrophysiological recording and immunostaining. Results Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that more than 90% of the isolated cells expressed the OPCs-specific marker NG2. OPCs exhibited a moderate input resistance, delayed rectifier K+ currents (IK) that could be antagonized partly by TEA-Cl and CsCl, small tetrodotoxin (TTX) sensitive Na+ currents that failed to generate typical action potentials. Conclusion Isolation and purification by selective detachment and differential adhesion procedure are effective to obtain highly purified OPCs. OPCs, distinct from neuron, astrocyte, oligodendrocyte or microglia, possess unique physiological properties.