Submersion culture of the intact fetal lung.

Intact whole lungs from 14 d rat fetuses were explanted to organ culture and maintained fully submerged in medium or positioned at the gas-fluid interface. Striking differences were observed in the morphological development of submersion cultured and interface cultured explants after 7 d in vitro. Submersion cultured lung developed as an expanded hollow organ, whereas the tissue of interface cultures was glandular in appearance and attenuated against the culture substrate.

Visualization of cellular aggregates cultured on a three dimensional collagen sponge matrix.

A one-step vital stain is described for the macroscopic visualization of histotypic cell aggregates in fetal rat lung organotypic cultures. Organotypic cultures are incubated in 0.05%-0.

Prostaglandin production by type II alveolar epithelial cells.

Prostaglandin production was studied in fetal and adult type II alveolar epithelial cells. Two culture systems were employed, fetal rat lung organotypic cultures consisting of fetal type II cells and monolayer cultures of adult lung type II cells. Dexamethasone, thyroxine, prolactin and insulin, hormones which influence lung development, each reduced the production of prostaglandin E and F alpha by the organotypic cultures.

The surfactant system of human fetal lung organotypic cultures: ultrastructural preservation by a lipid-carbohydrate retention method.

Human fetal lung organotypic cultures consisted of epithelial elements (congruent to 40- 100 micrometer in diameter) formed by the reaggregation of single cells from a monodisperse suspension of enzymatically dissociated fetal lung. These elements, termed alveolar-like structures, were composed primarily of type II alveolar epithelial cells whose apical surfaces bordered the central lumen of the alveolar-like structure. Pulmonary surfactant secreted by the type II cells was retained within the lumen and accumulated in close association with the epithelium.

A continuous-flow method of organ culture.

A method of perfusion organ culture is described in which explants cultured at the air-medium interface are bathed by a continuous flow of nutrient medium. Morphological studies on the fetal rat lung indicate that explant development in this system is comparable to that obtained using standard organ-culture dishes. Medium supply is easily manipulated and continuous sampling of the effluent stream is possible without disturbing the immediate explant environment.