Lung explants

Abstract

Elastic recoil is a fundamental physiological characteristic of lung tissue. Unfortunately, this mechanical property has proved a major impediment to establishing culture systems for mature lung tissue. While fetal lung tissue is relatively easy to handle with standard culture techniques, mature lung slices are more difficult to manipulate because this intrinsic elasticity leads the tissue to roll up rather than lie flat on a culture dish. A number of approaches have been proposed to overcome this problem, but recently we [1–5] and others [6–4] have adapted the technique of slicing agarose-filled lungs. This concept was initially described by Hackney [12], and improved by Guerrero [13], and eliminates alveolar collapse within the tissue, while maintaining a high degree of anatomical and structural integrity. Variations on this technique have successfully been used in studies of the bronchi, pulmonary vessels and the lung parenchyma.