BACKGROUND The adult mammalian retina is an important model in research on the central nervous system. Many experiments require the combined use of genetic manipulation, imaging, and electrophysiological recording, which make it desirable to use an in vitro preparation. Unfortunately, the tissue culture of the adult mammalian retina is difficult, mainly because of the high energy consumption of...

The aim of this study was to determine whether postnatal mammalian central neurons retain the capacity for axonal regeneration across a lesion site in organotypic cultures of the auditory midbrain. Brain slices from the gerbil inferior colliculus (IC) were obtained from postnatal 6-8 d old animal and cultured for 6-15 d in vitro. IC explants containing an intact commissural projection exhibited...

Three-dimensional cell culture methods are viable in vitro approaches that facilitate the examination of biological features cancer cells present in vivo. In this study, we demonstrate that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in porous alginate scaffolds can generate organoid-like spheroids that mimic numerous features of glandular epithelium in vivo, such as acinar morphogenesis and apical ex...

In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to the concept that microorganisms play an integral role in human physiology and pathophysiology. Despite this, the molecular basis of host-pathogen and host-symbiont interactions in the human intestine remains poorly understood owing to the limited availability of human tissue, and the biological complexity of host-microbe interactions. Ov...

AIMS Cardiovascular research requires complex and functionally intact experimental models. Due to major differences in the cellular and subcellular composition of the myocardium between species, the use of human heart tissue is highly desirable. To enhance the experimental use of the human myocardium, we established methods for the preparation of vital tissue slices from the adult ventricular m...

The exact developmental origin of microglia is still under debate. In the present study we investigated which heamatopoietic tissues and which features of the organotypic brain slice culture promoted microglia ramification. The potential of cells derived from embryonic yolk sac, embryonic aorta-gonad-mesonephros and adult blood monocytes was examined. These tissues were co-cultured with brain s...