Ensheathing cell cultures from the olfactory bulb and mucosa.

Transplantation of cells cultured from the nerve layers of the adult rat olfactory bulb has been shown to repair CNS tract injuries. The precise cellular composition of the culture appears to be important for this effect. Comparison was made of tissue cultured from the adult rat olfactory mucosa with that from the olfactory bulb. Both yielded mixtures of p75 immunoreactive cells and fibronectin immunoreactive cells. In sequential observations over 21 days in culture, the population of p75-expressing cells was maintained and continued to proliferate for longer in the samples from the olfactory mucosa. For derivation of cells for transplantation, the mucosa can be accessed without the need for intracranial surgery.